Rod Rock on technology adoption: my district didn't just buy new A/V equipment and offer professional development to teachers. We removed all our outdated equipment.OK, your district has just approved the purchase of new technology that will greatly enhance the classroom-learning environment Now, the big question is: How do you make sure your teachers are actually going to use the equipment? I faced just this quandary when my district outfitted each elementary classroom with a document camera, a ceiling-mounted video projection unit, a voice enhancement system and a DVD/VCR, all of which are interconnected with Internet access See how to access the Internet. . Our administration made it clear teachers would have to use the new equipment, and, of course, offered ample professional development to show them how to do so. But we went one step further to get compliance. We eliminated their outdated equipment. That's right, we cleared these newly outfitted classrooms of overhead projectors, pull-down maps and outdated computers. After the first few days of the new school year, teachers requested the return of wall-mounted maps. The principal responded by demonstrating to teachers the ability to use the video projection unit to display Internet map A graphic representation of some aspect of the Internet. Maps have been generated for years depicting user population, ISP coverage and other aspects of the Internet. sites on the large presentation screen in the classroom. Teachers could easily see the advantages of quick accessibility of real-time information; the large, clear depiction through the ceiling-mounted projection unit; and the ability to zoom To change from a distant view to a more close-up view (zoom in) and vice versa (zoom out). An application may provide fixed or variable levels of zoom. A display adapter may also have built-in zoom capability. in on specific details. In-classroom Training We didn't stop there. To enhance the effectiveness of our new technology, administrators and teachers worked together to implement a new professional development schedule. Two mornings each month, teachers meet in each other's classrooms to share effective uses of the new technology. This has proven to be a great way for teachers to become comfortable with the new equipment. Rethinking Teacher Evaluations We also reconsidered our traditional mode of teacher evaluation. The principal offered teams of teachers the opportunity to work together on a year-long action research project of their choosing. One group of teachers studied the feasibility of using virtual fieldtrips through the local Regional Educational Media Center. These teachers visited different accessible sites, studied costs and analyzed an·a·lyze tr.v. an·a·lyzed, an·a·lyz·ing, an·a·lyz·es 1. To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations. 2. Chemistry To make a chemical analysis of. 3. "trips" that would enhance the school's Curriculum. At the end of the year, the teachers demonstrated the use of virtual fieldtrips to the entire staff. The results of this study will save the district travel money and allow classrooms of children to exchange ideas with Australian pen pals Pen Pals or penpals may refer to:
A B | A => B B => A ------+---------------- f f | t t f t | t f t f | f t t t | t t with United Nations representatives, or connect with virtually any videoconferencing A real time video session between two or more users or between two or more locations. Although the first videoconferencing was done with traditional analog TV and satellites, inhouse room systems became popular in the early 1980s after Compression Labs pioneered digitized video systems host in the world. Another group of teachers investigated relevant Web sites. They discovered handwriting HANDWRITING, evidence. Almost every person's handwriting has something whereby it may be distinguished from the writing of others, and this difference is sometimes intended by the term. 2. support, math tutorials, assessment sites, fully developed lesson plans, holiday sites, and list-serves that highlighted other resources. Some teachers explored software that enhanced the pursuit of our school's improvement goals, while others sought information on brain-based teaching and multiple intelligences. We took time at each staff meeting to share new sites and posted many links on our Web site. These explorations truly engaged teachers and promoted the sharing of resources. Finally, our district's technology team implemented a tech support system for teachers. A single e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address is used to submit questions and repair requests directly to technicians, which is accessible from any workstation in the district. And, a local college supplied tech interns  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , who provide needed support for the additional equipment. In total, our district of just under 900 students has daily access to four highly skilled technicians. As an added bonus, these experts develop classroom Web pages with teachers, providing an extra means of communicating with parents. As we learn to count on the availability of classroom technology, these technicians will prove invaluable. You see we learned that an efficient, well-supported technology scheme could ensure that teachers realize the full potential of new technology, and actually use it. Rod Rock is the principal of Unionville-Sebewaing Area Elementary School elementary school: see school. in the Unionville-Sebewaing Area School (Mich.) district. |
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