This is sort of a follow-up on another blog I posted recently. I was discussing having educational technology workshops available for teachers. Well, the Smart Board workshop was held in my room yesterday & only 5 teachers (including myself) were there for it. I thought it was also interesting that one was a kindergarten teacher, two were first grade teachers, and two second grade. This made me think about the upper grades and their interest in technology. Why was it that k-2 were at the workshop? All students can benefit from Smart Boards: k-12 and even college students. Again, frustrating that only 5 people showed.
The technology support person for our district was the one that gave the presentation. This workshop was mainly for the purpose of learning how to set up the Smart Board and how to download the software needed on your computer. I got the software all downloaded (finally!) and now I can actually play with it on my computer without having to hook it up to the Smart Board. I like this because I don't have to be at school to learn about the programs that I downloaded. I will just have to keep in mind different ways that students can interact with the actual board when I do hook it up and callibrate it.
I have seen Smart Board presentations before, but I didn't actually have a chance to interact with it myself. I am excited to try it out and am so thankful that one Smart Board (out of 2 in the building) is in my classroom. One of the bad things about only having 2 Smart Boards in the building is availability. If several people wanted to use it (hopefully!) we would have to come up with some sort of schedule and then worry about moving it out of someone else's room. Another thing I don't like about the Smart Boards we have is that the projector is not attached to the top. Because I have to use the infocus for the projector, it is easily uncallibrated if moved only a little bit and I know that my first graders will be bumping the infocus!
Okay, my rant on workshops/Smart Boards is over :) Hope everyone is having a great week!
I understand your frustration. Sometimes educators get so wrapped up in themselves so what is best, new and could be rewarding and beneficial to students is overlooked. UNFORTUNATE! I was at a training on Friday and I have a meeting this afternoon and just to add to it this happens to be our conference week so on Monday and Thursday we work until 8:00 pm. The frustration levels are running high today and I know the meeting this afternoon could get really ugly fast. There are valid points on both sides of this issue as the administator and the teacher. It really brings back to me some points to really ponder as someday I would like to be an administrator. I have the endorsement, but still have my own children in school and I'm not ready to give up all my time of getting to watch them in their activities. I think the most important thing that happens with administrators is they forget they were once teachers. It would be very disappointing to hold training and only five show up. It's even more disappointing to me to see that there were no upper elementary. I teach fifth grade and we integrate technology as much as we can, but I can also say that some of our upper elementary teachers coach and that makes it difficult to attend training. That is a whole other subject of coaching and teaching elementary so I won't get started on it either.
ReplyDeleteI hear often train us, and then I hear often, but not today. Some times some teachers can be the most indecisive group of people. I often remind myself and others in the grade level I teach that we are here for the students and without them we wouldn't be here!
You are so lucky to have the smart board in your classroom! Do other teachers ask to use it frequently? I feel like that would be a pain to hall it back and forth. In one of my student teaching placements we had to push the laptop cart in between classes, and then hook all the cords up when it was in my classroom. It wasn't always fun, but having the technology available was well worth it.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that not many teachers attended the workshop. I also find it very strange that the upper grade level teachers didn't attend. I really wonder why that is. Thanks for giving us an update.
Somehow I understand where Jo is coming from. Sometimes our schedules are so jam-packed that we lose sight of what is important, we miss the bigger picture. This is a difficult thing to balance, to get through the daily demands of teaching, preparing, coaching, assessing, meetings, conferences and then someone comes (with very valid and beneficial information) and requests a workshop or seminar. Ai! Somehow we often lose our focus, that we as teachers are, as Jo mentioned, ultimately there to teach and reach our students.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the higher grade teachers reason that there are only two smartboards at school anyway and that they are already allocated to specific classrooms. Therefore the issue here might be more related to availability than to motivation. Either way though, it's dissapointing to hear that only five teachers pitched for the workshop. But on the upside, at least you know how it works and you could be the willing teacher that will lead by example.
I really think this is an issue of access and proximity --- your class peers have given some great feedback and food for thought. I am not sure I would attend the training if I knew I didn't have a board (or access to a board) in my classroom. Really! I think what will have to happen for this to work, for everyone, is you get that board and projector mounted in your classroom and the second in whoever else is going to use it. Then, other teachers will see (by example) what you two are doing in your classroom to involve students in interactive lessons. I really don't think having "mobile" interactive whiteboards works - been there, done it and if that technology is not right in my classroom, it's too much of a bother to get it there. See what happens... Krystina brings up moving a laptop cart between classrooms - why do you think we have a push right now for 1:1 programs?
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