Tech Training

At HES we do not have an Instructional Technology Specialist, these duties fall to the media specialist--me. Teacher buy in is essential. Creating a survey/questionnaire to determine the teachers' abilities and interests can allow the trainer to tailor the session to meet the needs of the teachers. Ability levels will vary, and differintiation is mandatory when it comes to technology training. Often one group of teachers is interested in learning to use Web 2.0 technologies and have their students create podcasts or write blogs, while another group only turns thier computers on to take attendance or only check their email a few times a week. You have to meet teachers where they are, and present only as much as they are able/willing to recieve. One of the "easy" things I try to do with my teachers is passing along some of the Tech Tips and websites I learn from this class (and others). Simply emailing along an interesting, easily incorporated website takes just a few minutes and the teachers can review it at their leisure (ha ha--leisure!).
I was inspired this past week by one of the media specialists at Ola Middle School in Henry County. She, the other MS at the school, and the school's ITS created a staff development inservice that teachers partook in during their planning period (Ola teachers have common planning by grade level for 55 minutes each day). The training took place in the media center and refreshments were provided. The teachers were broken into four groups and rotated through four stations that lasted seven minutes each. The "Connect It" station was led by the ITS and demonstrated how to connect the various cords for hooking up the LCD projector, digital cameras, and other technology devices. The "Flip It" station was self directed with a power point leading the group through the uses and wonders of the Flip Video cameras new to the school. The "Click It" station was lead by one of the media specialists (Christi Harp) and highlighted several websites including Brain Pop, United Streaming, Nettrekker, GALILEO, and others. Finally, the other media specialist (Emily Salmon) shared several new professional resources acquired this year. Christi told me that the feedback (a short questionnaire) was overwhelmingly positive with several teachers stating that they had never used the projectors because they were unsure HOW to plug them in, or they hadn't realized the school had a subscription to BrainPop (they have for several years), and there were many requests for encore sessions.
This was a successful training session for several reasons. The size of the group was manageable for the facilitators--only 3 to 4 people per group. The length of the session was ideal--only 30 minutes total with a change every 7 minutes. And the topic was useful for everyone.
I plan to attempt something similar at Hampton. We are receiving 5 new "Tech Carts" with a laptop, LCD projector, document camera, Flip Video Camera, and InterWrite Board. Teachers will need to know EVERYTHING about this technology. A rotating training session would be ideal. Of course, a single session will not be sufficient. Many teachers will need multiple opportunities to practice using these items. I know I would!