“Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.” (Author Unknown)
If you go back and read the comment that follows my last posting, you will read one individual’s views on educators’ resistance to change. Ira Socal wrote, “Maybe, we do not change because we do not want to.” I have sensed this for a very long time
I began my teaching career as a special educator in Salt Lake City in the early '80s. I was 30-something and I was, and at 55 I remain, dedicated to change. But I also saw the more elderly teacher, the one who was most “set in her way” to be unwilling to make any changes in her practice of educating children. Perhaps, she was about 55 then, but I still do not embrace her philosophy.
I do not believe that technological advances are magical “fixes”, but I believe as Ira Socal wrote on his own blog (today) - http://speedchange.blogspot.com/ - that with technology teachers can offer “simple solutions to the most common struggles he as seen among all kids in all schools.”
I also believe strongly that it is in the networking and collaboration and community building between both local site-based teachers and educators from around the world – that we can learn the most through sharing and commenting and building upon our own base of knowledge.
In the 80s, I worked in elementary and middle schools as a resource teacher. My students were "pulled out" of "regular" classrooms and came to me for instruction for reading and math. I began to realize how critical I was of some of the other teachers, but later I realized that I had always made very quick, but usually accurate, judgments about my own teachers. I learned early on that if I could read what I needed to know for a test in a textbook - I really did not have to pay attention in school or even attend university classes. I certainly was not given the opportunity to collaborate with my classmates as that was, at the time, considered “cheating”. But I still was able to earn A’s and B’s. What I learned was flat and boring, and it did not stay with me for long.
This served me well enough in high school, during my Bachelor Degree in the 70s, and to some degree while I completed a 30 quarter-hour special education certification program with a University of Utah cohort group in the late 70s and until 1981. I had important things to do, a full time job, and most importantly a young daughter to raise – and I had high expectation for what a good teacher was supposed to teach me during the course of a class or the entire course- as to not waste my valuable time
Now as I work on my doctorate degree (at my advanced age), I have finally come to know dedicated and innovative teachers in this field of Educational Technology who seem to hold my attention with articulate research and information about new tools and that engaging term “collaboration” where learning has the opportunity to grow exponentially as it is shared in social settings.
I will continue my blog to cheer-lead for collaborative practice and change, and I will suggest that technology and “Internet Enabled Collaborative Learning Tools” offer great platforms and opportunities for improving education and professional development.
So, for tonight that is the soapbox upon which I stand. Tomorrow, I have a handful of engaging and interesting articles I found today about Teacher Networks and effective Communities of Practice, to bring us full circle to the main purpose of this blog. I will share the main points of these articles and hope that my friends, colleagues and the occasional blog browser reads and comes away believing a little more whole-heartedly in “change”.
Ciao.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
We are going to end up where we are going!
“If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we’re going.” Professor Irwin Corey (1914 - )
I have been reading a few articles about barriers that impact teachers’ willingness to make changes in practice related to technology. I will include links to the online articles as I write this post.
Williams (1993) ( http://staffdevelop.org/sd7.html ) writes about the power user/technology guru and how he/she can- in their zeal to move forward- leave other leave other less tech-savvy users “in the dust”. I can relate to this. Since the mid ‘80s it has been “clear” to me that we all must embrace technology and move forward wholeheartedly, both in the classroom and for our own professional development. Williams writes, “Clearly, the existence of power-users in a school can be a comfort to new learners-it helps to have someone to call upon when something goes wrong….specialized knowledge of the power-user, however, can also get in the way of communication.” I will take his words to heart, in the future, as I continue to advocate and campaign for more technology enabled collaborative professional development
Administrative support is essential for positive and innovative changes in the delivery of professional development. Administrators who manage best without association and collaboration with staff will most likely not support change that promotes collaboration.
Change is difficult. Many teachers have taught the way they have taught with outcomes they consider to be adequate or better for years, and they do not believe that change is necessary. They may have grown to embrace technology to a small or moderate degree, but the idea of collaborating online with colleagues (putting their thoughts “out there” for others to see and evaluate) may be more than they can imagine.
Ertmer (http://www.springerlink.com/content/c208142h3447u613/fulltext.pdf ) defines first order and second order barriers technology integration. She writes, “first-order barriers to technology integration are described as being extrinsic to teachers and include lack of access to computers and software, insufficient time to plan instruction, and inadequate technical and administrative support. In contrast, second-order barriers are intrinsic to teachers and include beliefs about teaching, beliefs about computers, established classroom practices, and unwillingness to change.” She summarizes that first order barriers can be more easily reduced by the provision of resources and training, tackling second order barriers “requires challenging one’s belief systems and institutionalized routines of one’s practice.”
techLearning.com archives a “Question of the Week” on their blog. During the week of December 31, 2007 – January 7, 2008 the question was “What do you believe is the major barrier to transforming the way we approach teaching and learning?” The responses included teacher lack of interest in moving outside their comfort zone (39%), accountability pressures (31%), lack of support at the building and district levels (29%), and student indifference (1%). Teachers commented to the blog posting with meaningful responses. ( http://www.techlearning.com/instantpoll/2007/1231.php )
I will be away for the weekend, and while I will have my laptop with me on the trip, I will not have Internet access in the Catskill Mountains. I am taking some reading material along for the ride, and I will return on Monday (May 12) with more to share.
Don’t forget to call your mother for Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day was originally suggested as Mother’s Peace Day. Check out About.com’s article on Mother’s Day and peace at http://womenshistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa013100d.htm .
I have been reading a few articles about barriers that impact teachers’ willingness to make changes in practice related to technology. I will include links to the online articles as I write this post.
Williams (1993) ( http://staffdevelop.org/sd7.html ) writes about the power user/technology guru and how he/she can- in their zeal to move forward- leave other leave other less tech-savvy users “in the dust”. I can relate to this. Since the mid ‘80s it has been “clear” to me that we all must embrace technology and move forward wholeheartedly, both in the classroom and for our own professional development. Williams writes, “Clearly, the existence of power-users in a school can be a comfort to new learners-it helps to have someone to call upon when something goes wrong….specialized knowledge of the power-user, however, can also get in the way of communication.” I will take his words to heart, in the future, as I continue to advocate and campaign for more technology enabled collaborative professional development
Administrative support is essential for positive and innovative changes in the delivery of professional development. Administrators who manage best without association and collaboration with staff will most likely not support change that promotes collaboration.
Change is difficult. Many teachers have taught the way they have taught with outcomes they consider to be adequate or better for years, and they do not believe that change is necessary. They may have grown to embrace technology to a small or moderate degree, but the idea of collaborating online with colleagues (putting their thoughts “out there” for others to see and evaluate) may be more than they can imagine.
Ertmer (http://www.springerlink.com/content/c208142h3447u613/fulltext.pdf ) defines first order and second order barriers technology integration. She writes, “first-order barriers to technology integration are described as being extrinsic to teachers and include lack of access to computers and software, insufficient time to plan instruction, and inadequate technical and administrative support. In contrast, second-order barriers are intrinsic to teachers and include beliefs about teaching, beliefs about computers, established classroom practices, and unwillingness to change.” She summarizes that first order barriers can be more easily reduced by the provision of resources and training, tackling second order barriers “requires challenging one’s belief systems and institutionalized routines of one’s practice.”
techLearning.com archives a “Question of the Week” on their blog. During the week of December 31, 2007 – January 7, 2008 the question was “What do you believe is the major barrier to transforming the way we approach teaching and learning?” The responses included teacher lack of interest in moving outside their comfort zone (39%), accountability pressures (31%), lack of support at the building and district levels (29%), and student indifference (1%). Teachers commented to the blog posting with meaningful responses. ( http://www.techlearning.com/instantpoll/2007/1231.php )
I will be away for the weekend, and while I will have my laptop with me on the trip, I will not have Internet access in the Catskill Mountains. I am taking some reading material along for the ride, and I will return on Monday (May 12) with more to share.
Don’t forget to call your mother for Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day was originally suggested as Mother’s Peace Day. Check out About.com’s article on Mother’s Day and peace at http://womenshistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa013100d.htm .
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
They all say that....
...if you build it they will not not necessarily come.
Most of the information I have read about building communities of practice makes it very clear that building a site rich with collaborative tools, inviting administrators and colleagues to share their strengths and seek to learn in a new way...does not guarantee that "they will come." I am beginning to realize that I might use my remaining time on this blog, especially until my class is over, to research the the steps I might make, albeit small steps, to encourage my colleagues to embrace this change.
Today I got email from Marian Thatcher, of OTAN, about the Google Teaching Acadamy in Mountain View, CA. Last year, staff from OTAN encouraged Google to include adult education in their definition of educators, and an adult educator actively took part in the Academy. As I have browsed the information about the academy, I believe it would be an extraordinay experience to learn more about these tools, and then as the program requires:
What do you think of Google Tools?
Most of the information I have read about building communities of practice makes it very clear that building a site rich with collaborative tools, inviting administrators and colleagues to share their strengths and seek to learn in a new way...does not guarantee that "they will come." I am beginning to realize that I might use my remaining time on this blog, especially until my class is over, to research the the steps I might make, albeit small steps, to encourage my colleagues to embrace this change.
Today I got email from Marian Thatcher, of OTAN, about the Google Teaching Acadamy in Mountain View, CA. Last year, staff from OTAN encouraged Google to include adult education in their definition of educators, and an adult educator actively took part in the Academy. As I have browsed the information about the academy, I believe it would be an extraordinay experience to learn more about these tools, and then as the program requires:
- Develop a "Personal Action Plan."
- Lead at least three local professional development activities over the course of 12 months.
- Actively participate in the Google Certified Teacher Online Community.
- Share the impact of their work with other Google Certified Teachers through an end-of-year reflection.
If anyone is interested in attending, you can link to this site for more information.
http://www.google.com/educators/gta.html
So, it started out as a frustrating day, but then via email - I was introduced to a new opportunity.
Don't forget to check out Marian Thatcher's Blog. The link is on my blog page.What do you think of Google Tools?
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