· McCrea, B. (03/14/12). How To Bring Teachers Up to Speed with Technology. THE Journal: Transforming Education Through Technology. Retrieved from: https://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/03/14/Getting-Teachers-Up-to-Speed-with-Technology.aspx?Page=1
The article discusses 5 strategies to keep teachers up with current technology trends. The first strategy, “Develop a multifaceted training model for teachers” discussed how some schools purchase devices and then they sit around collecting dust because teachers don’t know how to use them. Teachers need to be trained in multiple sessions, even giving homework within the session on how to use the specific devices. If they don’t feel comfortable with the device, they won’t use it in their classroom. The second strategy, “Make the technology the incentive” made sure that one set of teachers were trained on the new device before they were handed their new mobi interactive whiteboards. My district did a similar move with training our entire staff on blackboard. For those that went to the early summer training, we were rewarded with our new district-issued laptops. The later you waited to attend training, the later you were issued your laptop. I think that this is very effective for those that want the new technology and are going to use the device. For the teachers that aren’t going to use it, they won’t be motivated by much any ways. Strategy three is “Take teachers out of their comfort zones”. Sometimes teachers need to step outside of their comfort zone and take their blinders off to see how something can be used in their room. Teachers may have tunnel vision and not see how the device can be an asset in their room, but if you remove them from their comfort zone, they could actually see the potential of the device. So after saying that, the fourth strategy is “Don't Try to Force It”. Not all teachers are going to be quick to jump on board to every device. Some will need more time than others, so don’t force the issue if they just aren’t comfortable using the technology in their lessons. Finally along the same lines, “Let teachers decide if they want the technology or not”. The teacher is ultimately going to decide if they want to integrate the technology into their lesson or not. You are there to provide the support and training on the device. The best way to get more teachers on board with using the technology is to start groups who use the technology. They can act as support groups for other teachers to learn and share ideas with about the various devices.
I thought that even though this article was from 2012, there was still relevant information in the article. A lot of the points did hit home to my school, especially with the having technology sitting in the closet collecting dust. That is definitely my school. We are great for making purchases without really thinking them through to see if there is a need or want for that particular device. Then it just sits and collects dust. We are getting smarter now about our purchases and survey the staff before we make them to be sure the devices will be used. I agree that you can’t force technology on teachers. They have to want to learn it to a certain extent. I think you do need to expose them to what the devices can do for them, because they may not realize that something is out there and that it is easy to use. Staff development should be available in multiple formats for teachers so that they can review the information if they are not sure of something for the device. The trainer should record their session and make those available to be viewed at any time, along with reference guides on the different devices.
