Elper, James (2009, March-April). New Visions For Transforming Teaching. Learning and leading with Technology, Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
Technology can be a scary word; especially for teachers. It means learning new programs, which can be complicated and intimidating. However, teachers desperately want their students to be engaged in the learning material. Technology is the way to bridge the gap between the generations that separate students and teachers. Kids understand and love technology, and they use it everyday in their own lives. James Elper writes that the problem in getting teachers to learn about technology is a type of fear factor. Teachers don't want to sit at a conference or a learning workshop while a bunch of techies speak computerese and run programs the teacher doesn't even know how to download. Elper took this knowledge and applied it to his district's technology for teachers program. Instead of the techies teaching the course Elper and his staff offered stipends for teachers to teach other teachers about the success and technology they have been using in their classrooms. Not only did more teachers show up to the learning workshop, but they actually understood what was being said. Having the lead teachers teach the basics instead of all of the bells and whistles helped the teachers get a better grasp on the fundamentals of various programs. Elper also offered the incentives for teachers involved and signed up for the workshop. The teachers could use an LCD projector and had access to several great programs they could use through out the year. In exchange for the incentives the teachers who took part in the program had to write how the program influenced and benifited their classroom. Technology will continue to play a major role in education, and it's crucial to entice teachers to be excited about adapting to technology.
Question 1: How can we get teachers in the San Diego district to want to attend technology seminars?
Answer: I think Elper had the right idea with offering teachers incentives for their participation in seminars. money talks... especially to teachers who could always use more. The principle and purpose of the educational seminars is to show teachers how awesome their classroom can be when they use technology to relate to their students. Sometimes you have to use a little bribery as an incentive.
Question 2: How can teachers ensure the technology they are using is something their students will take interested in?
Answer: Teachers should always ask for feedback from their students because it is the most valuable information you can get. If teachers figure out what their students get excited about the teachers can better plan their lessons with technology.
Question 1: How can we get teachers in the San Diego district to want to attend technology seminars?
Answer: I think Elper had the right idea with offering teachers incentives for their participation in seminars. money talks... especially to teachers who could always use more. The principle and purpose of the educational seminars is to show teachers how awesome their classroom can be when they use technology to relate to their students. Sometimes you have to use a little bribery as an incentive.
Question 2: How can teachers ensure the technology they are using is something their students will take interested in?
Answer: Teachers should always ask for feedback from their students because it is the most valuable information you can get. If teachers figure out what their students get excited about the teachers can better plan their lessons with technology.
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