4-A-2+Wiki+Posting+Five+Ways+to+Think+About+Change

=Home > Assignments > 4-A-2: Wiki Posting: Five Ways to Think about Change=

List five ways to think about and address changes in technology in your classroom and school. With each way briefly describe how you plan to apply your thinking with your colleagues.
 * INSTRUCTIONS:**

Before developing your five ways to address change suggestions consider the following:
 * Considering the list of fears you brainstormed in the previous assignment, what are the common objections and fears your peers or administration may have to changes in technology?
 * How can you assess if the the objections/fears are valid? How can you educate your peers in determining if these fears and objections are valid?
 * How can you inspire peers who share similar beliefs and interests to apply changes in technology to their classroom or students' learning ?
 * How can you get peers out of the "Resistance" phase into the "Exploration" phase?

Post your "five ways to address change" in the table below. Review your peers' postings and post at least one comment in the Discussion Tab above.

2. Partner teachers with technology experience with teacher's who are a little resistant to technology. 3. Allow students and teachers to explore the computer and become aware of the programs you use. 4.Give teachers improvement days to explore the computers together and on their own. 5.Computer don't break as easily as one might think. Make sure each school has a technology professional to aid the teachers when having problems. || Rachel G ||
 * ==**5 Ways to Address Change**== || ==**Submitted by:**== ||
 * # Technology is not a separate subject. Seek ways to insert technology where it enhances student learning.
 * 1) Computer problems are easy to fix. Enjoy your computer - play around with it using "trial and error".
 * 2) Teachers need not be the epicenter of knowledge and understanding. Consider learning technology part of lifelong learning and use technical support and student "gurus" to help with the learning curve.
 * 3) Change is a process and problems and mistakes are inherent in the process. Work together, share ideas and experiences, observe, and incorporate what has worked for others.
 * 4) Others' views will vary and can be emotional. Good and early communication with stakeholders is key. It is also important to know whom you are talking to. || Deborah K ||
 * 1. Don't make the computer a reward. Make it a tool to promote deeper learning.
 * # The computers are not more work, but can help ease work. (Electronic grade books were an issue.)
 * 1) Having only 4 computers in the room is not a problem if you use them as a station during guided reading and literacy circle time. It is okay for students to partner on an assignment when the rotating group has more than 4 students.
 * 2) Having no curriculum to use in the computer room is an issue. To alleviate this problem, allow time for teachers to work as grade levels to determine what is the best use and best open content to use with those students.
 * 3) The few Smart Boards in the school are glorified chalkboards or overhead projectors. Teachers should be encouraged to discover and share open content materials such as [|Google Lit Trips].
 * 4) Change is always difficult, and the district needs to provide time for teachers to work together to discover the benefits of using some of the new technology within the existing curriculum. || Sharron W ||
 * [[file:ways to change.docx]] I didn't realize we were just suppose to list our reasons, I wrote a really good paper explaining my reasons! So I attached the file, I don't want to waste it! || Nicole D ||


 * Like Nicole, this is just a list of my reasons. For more detailed information, please click on my pdf below. Thanks! Peg C.
 * 1) Think of natural ways to integrate technology into the classroom. Give teachers examples of how this could happen. (e.g. Think about the story we read in our text about the sick boy who missed the field trip with his class. His friends used their cell phones and/or other devises to send pictures and to communicate with the sick student, so that he felt like he had actually attended the field trip with his class.) (Kapp, 2007. p. 243)
 * 2) Safety issues don’t need to be a barrier when using the Internet. Teach your students proper safety precautions to use when on the Internet. (e.g. Teach them not to give out full names, school or home locations, or any other personal information. Also, teach them how to deal with cyberbullying.)
 * 3) Teachers don’t need to know how to use every technology tool that is available. They can learn along with the students and have students teach each other how to use the tools. Teachers can have a student or two be an “expert for the day,” or have a buddy/expert/guru student(s) that students can go to for help with technology.
 * 4) Teachers shouldn’t be afraid to play with or have their students play with the computer. Most “mistakes” can be fixed relatively easy. Remember, this is the generation that believes that you can learn from your failures. The teacher should allow the use of trial and error in the classroom.
 * 5) Getting stakeholders on-board with technology use in the classroom is crucial. Teachers need to inform the stakeholders about how the NetGeneration learns. Providing the research that supports this is vital in a society that is demanding the use of research-based/driven knowledge and practices in schools. The teacher could discuss this with parents (via meeting/forums), and/or show parents videos on how this generation learns. Education is the key.

Kapp, K. (2007). //Gadgets, Games, and Gizmos for Learning: Tools and Techniques for Transferring Know-How from BOOMERS TO// //GAMERS.// San Fancisco: Pfeiffer.

|| Peg C. || 2. Set clear goals that are attainable to make the change manageable. 3. Departments should utilize department meeting time to have teachers experiment and work together to create activities that integrate new technology. 4. Involve stakeholders in the process by having them brainstorm solutions to possible hurdles that will be encountered. 5. Give students opportunities to create activities and work with teachers to share their knowledge. || Adrienne A || **Number 5:** Use Your Students! They’re a generation who uses technology all the time, so use their knowledge and interest to your benefit. They’ll thank you for it! **Number 4:** More Tech Mean Less Work! Your days are busy enough, so let’s makes them easier for you. Websites can save time! Online quizzes can make grading a breeze! Technology is a time-saver, so use it to your advantage! **Number 3:** Tech Test Drives! What’s a doc camera? How do I make a website? Got questions? Come get answers at a Tech Test Drive Day. You can sample the technology available in our school and try it out without any pressure! **Number 2:** Paperless Is Better! No more worrying about using up your copy account. By giving tests and quizzes online and through clickers, you won’t need the copy machine anymore! **Number 1:** It’s the Same...Only Better! Technology isn’t really new, it’s just a better version of what you already do. But it’ll be quicker and more fun! || Valerie H. ||
 * 1. Educate! Teachers need to know why a change is necessary to create buy in.
 * __**Top Five Reasons To Try Technology **__
 * Net Gen 4.a.2

Addressing Changes in Technology in My Classroom and School: 5 Ways

1. Fears/Objections: This year my school is changing its LMS (Learning Management System). We are currently using the Angel platform for online courses and course shells for onsite courses. It's a platform owned by Blackboard, another product. By next fall we will probably have another system in place. So far in my career I have used three LMS systems: WebCT, Blackboard, and Angel. Every time several issues come up. One is the learning curve. How long will it take us to learn the new LMS? Two is compatability. Can I send my old files to the new system, and will they work? Three is the interface. How easy is it to use? Four is the student reaction. How will they learn and respond to the changes? Five is the +/- aspect. How will it be better, and how will it be worse? All of these concerns have to be dealt with in the first semester or year. Change is unavoidable, but it isn't always easy.

2. Validity of fears/objections: In reality the only way to deal with these issues is to make the transition and see what happens. We can't fully prepare to implement a new tech tool until we start using it for real. Then the problems and solutions emerge. It's almost always imposssible to go back to the old system, so everyone must make do with the new system. Anyway it will be replaced in five years or so with another new system! Nothing is permanent in technology. It's all temporary.

3. Leveraging peers: In real life you get like-minded people on the tech committee, or whatever committee will make a decision. Also, you talk to departments and divisions and give stakeholders time to ask questions, make suggestions, and have some input. I am on a committee that is in the process of doing this for eportfolios at my college. It will take a year to accomplish this. We have to listen to the skeptics and naysayers, present our case, and accept what the institution will decide.

4. From Resistance to Exploration: Like the Borg said, "resistance is futile." So, how do we get others to join us in the Borg Collective? First, we must make a good technology choice. Bad technology shouldn't be defended, and resistance to it is good. We just got rid of a software platform for assessment that nobody liked. We also are cancelling a required test for students that generates data that no one uses. Another bad tech tool. If we choose good technology, the best we can do is make the case for it, provide training and examples, and have everyone use it. If it's good it will prove itself through use.

5. I think careful planning and integration into the classroom is a key concept for new technology. For example, we have one classroom where the screen for the overhead projector (hooked to the Computer) was put in front of the only whiteboard. Thus you can use the screen, or use the whiteboard, but you can't use both at the same time. With a little thought the screen could have been put at an angle at the end of the whiteboard so that both can be used at the same time. Old tech and new tech can co-exist and complement each other. We are now asking the school to move the projector, an additional cost that could have been avoided with some thought. || Robert M. ||
 * Change in technology in the classroom / school.


 * 1) Use web 2.0 tools. Create blogs so students have access to content of the course 24/7. By creating a blog, the teacher can post homework assignments, their syllabus, and helpful links to the students. Place resources to the course on line. Create sites like Moodle where students can access course material 24/7.
 * 2) Use social network sites like Edmodo. Students like to use social networks, so see if it can be incorporated into the classroom.
 * 3) Use websites like youtube.com, teachertube.com, and discovery education to enhance lesson plans.
 * 4) Incorporate the use of i-pods and smart phones in class. Students are used to being connected to the Internet. To engage the students, allow them to use their hand held devices in class. Create activities that allow students to use their i-pods and smart phones in class to research and investigate topics of study.
 * 5) Incorporate video games into the curriculum. Use them as a way to practice topics or explore a virtual world related to the topic you are teaching.

Some teachers feel that one problem with the integration of technology is that the use of technology does not maximize academic time. Some teachers feel that they can accomplish the same goal in a lot less time without the use of technology. This may be true in some instances, but if the students are not engaged in the lesson, the students will not retain the information. Other teachers are reluctant to use technology because they are not familiar with the technology and are not comfortable with the technology.

A few years ago, our school participated in the Classrooms for the Future grant and received money from the state for smart boards and laptop computers. When the school was receiving the funding, the teachers who received the smart boards received training on the smart boards and various software applications that were installed on the teachers’ computers. In one of the sessions, the school even incorporated student helpers to help out the teachers. However, since the election of our new governor, our school district has no longer received the grant money and has been focusing on ways to save money. Thus, the district has spent very little time on training teachers on ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. Therefore, the responsibility of integrating technology into the curriculum is on the teachers.

In order to help myself and other teachers to integrate technology into their lessons, I will find other teachers who are willing to try to integrate technology into the classroom. I will discuss ideas with them and share resources. I will also take time to investigate and play with technology that is available to use in the classroom.

Once I become more comfortable with some of the newer technology, I will encourage other teachers to change their approach to technology. I will do this by sharing resources that I have found to work for me in the classroom. I will also communicate with other teachers what I am doing in the classroom, what is working, what changes need to be made, and what we should investigate. As other teachers are exposed to the new technology, hopefully they too will start to integrate technology into their lessons and start to encourage even more teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. || Mark R ||
 * # **Fail Forward Fast**: Our students learn differently from the way we did. They are much more trial and error oriented, so why not use technology to encourage their searches.
 * Pro:** The internet has tremendous potential.
 * Con:** Teachers will have to learn how to monitor information found there for accuracy and appropriateness.
 * 1) **Create a Common Goal**: Most districts recognize technology is here and our students want to use it. A reasonable set of goals include basic technology tests at different grade levels to insure students are proficient in the tools.
 * Pro**__:__ Students will have a common base of tech skills that will be usable outside of the classroom.
 * Con**__:__ Class time will have to be sacrificed from other “core” subjects to ensure that students can learn. Also, additional faculty will be necessary.
 * 1) **Horizontal Teams:** These teams would be the top 25% of the faculty organized by department or grade level to decide what techology is essential.
 * __Pro:__** Real authetic stakeholders would be choosing what needs to get done.
 * __Con:__** Smaller districts will have trouble finding a good mix of teachers for this group.
 * 1) **Vertical Teams:** Teachers from the horizontal team will be responsible for easing the reluctant teachers into accomplishing the bulding and district tech goals.
 * Pro:** Teachers can pick their groups and learn from people they are comfortable with.
 * Con:** Without administrators reviewing the objectives they could be too easy or too hard.
 * 1) **Teach Tech Stewardship:** Some teachers are scared of plagiarists. Teach them how to catch them.
 * Pro:** Doing assignments digitally are greener, allow students to explore, more engaging
 * Con:** Teachers will have to monitor the computer use of their students to insure they are being constructice. || Dave F ||