December 1998 — Features
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Schools Have Their Computers, Now What?
- Providing release time for staff to work with technology to become more efficient in using it personally and professionally;
- Demonstrating how technology can be integrated into the learning process;
- Creating an awareness of technological innovations and their possibilities for use in the educational setting; and
- Establishing a collaborative teaching atmosphere by using the teacher to teacher training model.
Development of the Model
The first step is to establish a small group of staff members (3-5) who are interested in and knowledgeable about technology. This Planning Team might generally consist of a media specialist, a technology assistant and several teachers. This team will then design a needs assessment survey to be completed by all staff members. The survey results will determine the staff development needs of the school. These needs will usually focus on gaining knowledge of different software applications and will be met by designing a series of sessions available to all staff members on a voluntary basis.
A possible solution might be to hold three sessions per month on each identified need. The Planning Team members will be the "experts" who facilitate these one-hour sessions. Throughout the month these facilitators assist the teachers by answering questions and helping them extend their knowledge. For example, teachers may choose to participate in one of the following sessions: word processing, spreadsheets or research through technology. In the subsequent months, teachers may continue with the same topic or choose a different one.
After each weekly session, teachers will be asked to work toward completing a project to be used in the classroom. At the end of the session, teachers must submit a completed project to receive a small stipend. All of these finished projects are made available as resources for other teachers. Instructors receive a slightly increased stipend for the extra planning and effort necessary to teach the session.
Following each completed session, participants are encouraged to be the next instructor (expert) for the upcoming session. This process of new teachers becoming new experts is the most significant outcome of this model. Teachers who have been skeptical of technology are emerging as instructional leaders of technology. The learning theory states that a person learns 20% by seeing, 20% by listening and 60% by teaching.
Implications of the Program
Following the second year of the T-4 model, a new outlook toward the use of technology has emerged. Teachers are expressing a need for curriculum integration with technology. They are beginning to realize that technology enhances learning and they can use it as a tool for instruction. As teachers' knowledge increases, a need for more student computer labs becomes evident. With an increased comfort level, teachers and students are looking toward the most recent advances in technology. Requests for scanners, digital cameras, new software and upgrades of existing applications are on the rise.
Administrators are realizing the implications of increased use of technology and are considering technology goals for staff members as a part of the evaluation process. As part of their professional growth goals, teachers should consider at least one area of technology on which to focus. As part of our districtwide strategic planning process, a goal was established for the first time due to the success of the T-4 Plan that requires all staff, administrators and school board members to attend technology staff development sessions.
