Creating a Learning Community among your Peers
My thoughts are turning towards the question:” How can we create a learning community among our teachers?”
The more excited I get about new tools, especially web 2.0 tools that facilitate collaborative learning, the more I am faced with the question on how to “pass it on” to my colleagues? How do you set up learning opportunities, when they are not interested? How do you combat attitudes, technophobias, no time, no interest, and other excuses?
How can you, as the “technology geek” put yourself in the shoes of someone who really does not “see” the benefit of using technology?
How can you , as the “can’t get enough of continuing to learn” teacher, talk to someone with the attitude that they are done learning, because the received a little paper stating that they have graduated?
I am looking for ways to engage my colleagues and try to contage them with enthusiasm without alienating them. I am torn between wanting to shake them (and demand that they jump on the 21st century train) and feeling the need to slowly and gently transition them into integration while I hold their hand.
I am reminded over and over again by Jeff Utecht on the Thinking Stick Blog:
As long as teachers have the option to integrate technology, some will opt not to.
Knowing that this is true, I am still not sure what the right path to take is? Do you try to spend your precious time on teachers who are willing and ready to “opt in”, leaving the ones on the side that are “opting out”? Or is it more important to spend your time especially on the ones that are not willing.
What is the best strategy to encourage the ones that love to fly under the radar? Wine and dine them? Offer special incentives? What kind of incentives/rewards?
Basically, I am trying to put together a plan, that will outline best practices in creating a learning community among our faculty.
This is a problem that I have been trying to get my mind around all school year. I think I am starting to find a solution. I plant seeds. I find a great bit of technology and learn it. Then I think of places where it might fit in the curriculum. Then I pick a teacher, drop by his or her classroom after school, briefly mention the technology and how it fits with the teacher’s curriculum and classroom, and then I wait patiently. Sometimes the teacher wants to learn about it right away, more often in a week or two the teacher comes back to me and asks to learn more. Once one teacher has a technology word spreads, and soon I get groups in my office who want to learn how to implement it. I try to keep track of who is doing what and I follow up with the teachers to discuss how their technologies are working for them. I have been having about a two-thirds success rate with my teachers of all ability and technophobia levels.
This isn’t really a plan, and it requires someone who is in the building regularly, but I have been delighted at some of the changes I have seen in my schools.
Kareena,
Thank you for your comment. I will take your advice and make sure I “plan seeds” next year. Maybe this is the way to go with the more resistant ones. Instead of completely not “bothering” them with technology, one can give little tidbits and keep rewarding them for when they do come.
On the other hand, that is exactly what I have been doing in the past with the entire faculty. Granted that I am currently not working full time as a technology integrator (I teach full time Spanish), the results have been disappointing in my book. Maybe my expectations are too high?
Actually, I am not a full time technology integrator either. I teach technology to students at one of my schools, and I am the tech fix-it person at the other. I have the benefit of being the person that my teachers come to when they have tech troubles, but you have the advantage of being able to say, “I teach full time, and look at what I am doing with technology!”
I think that a lot of us who love technology and want to see it used in classrooms have expectations that are unrealistic. We know how transformative some technology tools can be and we want everyone else to experience the same amazing results that we have seen in our classrooms. Not all teachers share our passion. I try to keep my expectations high because I believe that if educators do not embrace technology, our students will suffer. I also understand that it is going to take a long time and a lot of work to cause the change that is needed.
I think that this is a problem that many people who see the benefits of technology and have begun to use it run into. As a school administrator, I’ve done it both ways. I encourage certain teachers by working with them to use technology and then showcase what they have done. I do after school mini-pd’s where we go through a certain technology – social bookmarking – and I show them the benefits. I’ve also taken these tools into my classroom and had students use them, tell me what they think about them and how we can improve them and their use and then let teachers know. I have also made using some technology manditory. All staff in the school are required to check their email daily. I have begun using a school wiki with a calendar to post all our school events. I have also sent notices of upcoming meetings to staff and reminders of due dates using emailing software. I’ve showed a few teachers how to use Clickit and Notebook and they’re hooked. As things progress, I will require teachers to use technology more and more. Next year I will work with teachers for 4 periods to plan lessons incorporating technology and be there to help them with the integration. It does take time but as teachers begin to see the benefits of the technology – email, information in one place – don’t have leave their classrooms, wiki calendar – all our events and information in one place – don’t have to leave the classroom – they are seeing the benefits. Sometimes you need to shake them. Opting out, as far as I’m concerned, is no longer an option. It’s here and is important. It’s part of being a professional teacher – no option.
Kelly,
My gut instinct tells me the same. There is no option for a professional teacher. There is no option whether or not to integrate technology AND there is no option of continuing to learn. It seems an oxymoron to me, when a teacher does not own his/her own learning. We are the ones responsible to teach others (children or adults).We want them to learn what we teach. How can we ourselves not be learners? It makes no sense, but I do have the feeling that many teachers have lost their willingness to learn. Somehow we need to spark that internal teacher instinct in them again. I am trying to figure out how to do that.
Thank you for specific examples how you have started making technology mandatory in your school. I specifically find it powerful and important to ask students and encourage them to let their teachers know. I will keep that in mind in my quest for “teachers opting -in”
I have subscribed to your blog to read and learn more about and from your integration efforts.
Hi Silvia,
I’ve been doing the “planting a seed” approach all year and it has worked out really well – for those that are interested, willing and adventurous. Not so effective for the resisters, no matter how hard I try. To that end, I think Kelly is right – technology is not an option. There needs to be clear and detailed expectations for teachers and they need to be held accountable.
You might be interested in one of my recent posts – we’ve worked through a pretty thorough plan to get everyone on board – encompassing everything from a clear and detailed mandate for teachers, to a wiki to publicize finished work, to tech support expectations.
I would be very interested to hear what you come up with – I know our two schools are very different, but I’m thinking that we face many of the same problems.