Well, here it is, my first blog post. I’ve been putting it off, but I’ve come to the realization that I do need a place to reflect. And the pressure is on!
Why have I been putting it off? A lot of that is because I think my first reflections will be seen as complaints and whining about where others are along the Road to Web 2.0 in my building. On reflection, I’ve decided that if I have a space to think through my thoughts, and get meaningful comments from other educators, then possibly, I won’t be complaining, and I would see a way to move on, or to help those who do want to learn in my building.
I teach Computer Science, but I’m the person many people turn to in the building with technology questions. The incident that has pushed me over the edge to actually write this blog post was a discussion started by our librarian on the GMHS Web 2.0 wiki I created. He wanted to know why I was teaching our staff to use wikis, if the district has given us Blackboard as a tool.
My first response was that we are not currently allowed to use Bb with students, making it a drawback as a Web 2.0 tool in our classrooms. My second thought, and it occured several hours after the first response, was that he is comparing apples and oranges. Since the second thought I’ve had many more, any where from “shall we discuss just what a wiki is” to “why are you drawing a line in the sand about wikis.”
All of this came about due to an upcoming staff development day on Friday (February 15). The staff will be divided into 3 groups, and they will rotate through three different labs and presentations. The sessions are as follows:
- Library – Blackboard training – and why you need to use this as your homepage
- All School Computer Lab – Smartboard training – We have 75 teachers, and about 8 smartboards in the building
- Computer Science Lab – Intro to Web 2.0 – this is my session and I’ve really put a lot of heart and sole into this. I would have said work, but I really enjoyed putting it together, and I’m very excited about presenting.
In planning my session I took into account that the other two sessions will be set and get. I think many teachers will come out of those sessions complaining because they have to change their homepage, or that they don’t have a smartboard in their classroom. So I really wanted to have them DO something when they came in my room.
I also realize that our staff, just like my students, represents a complete spectrum when it comes to computer skills and comfort. So I tried to structure a session that will allow them to choose something that interests them, learn about it, play with it, and leave a comment about it, and let them work individually or in pairs.
Thanks all – and leave a comment!
Welcome! I’m looking forward to reading your blog.
I’ll be checking in also! Nice writing style.
Mari –
I just love the excitement I see in your work and how you are so eager to share it with others at your school. Once staff members experience various web 2.0 tools for a while, I think they’ll be off and running. The light will come on for many of them, once they see what immense potential some of these tools have for boosting learning. Keep up the great work, and I wish you well on this blog!
We are doing the same in our school district. It is a challenging road to teach a staff about Web 2.0. Keep your enthusiasm up and over time give them LOTS of examples of how useful it is in education. That has been most helpful to me. Teachers are stealers of good ideas when they see it working!