Technology Training in Schools

There are about 50 teachers at the elementary school where I work.  Although the district has now mandated that we perform a number of work related issues, such as reporting an absence or completing leave forms on line, we still have a number of teachers or support staff members who struggle with performing basic tasks such as this.  Some people do not see or think about this as technology, but when I see staff struggling to complete these forms on-line, it really strikes me how low some of the staff's level of technology use really is.  At the end of the school year last year, every teacher, faculty and/or staff member had to take a technology assessment.  The purpose was primarily to see the level of our technology skills, but also to see what kinds of on-site training was needed. 

The majority of the technology training at my school is provided via a hands-on approach and focuses a great deal on instructional technology in the classroom.  Most of the training is done during after school training sessions at the school level.  However, occasionally, district mandated trainings also take place during planning days or sometimes after school, and our district also has ongoing Web-based training.  With these sessions, we must complete the on-line training and then take a survey.   

One particular approach that I find productive is when the sessions are geared towards working  with teachers in specific departments or grade levels on how to integrate multimedia presentations and electronic content into everyday teaching.  This is helpful because it is quite different to teach a 5^th grade class opposed to a kindergarten class.  It has also worked to have teachers create online homework sites and web pages to reinforce and expand classroom teaching and learning experiences as well as a way to keep parents informed.

One of the main problems that I see in having productive technology staff developments is not having consistency or ongoing training and coaching.  I would improve this by keeping the initial assessments in place as well as varying the training by having both on-line and hands-on training available.  However, I would have a dedicated date each month for technology training. For example, one Tuesday each month could be dedicated to technology professional development.  I would see what technology works with our curriculum, and further enhance how to use technology to support dual language learning since our school is continuing to build our IB program. 

The technology training has many strong points at my school.  In comparison to some of the other schools where I spoke to colleagues in the same district, my school is making the effort to train teachers and faculty and/or staff in technology whereas some schools are not focused on technology training at all or it is very minimal.  However, realizing that all teachers do not have the same needs will be the biggest challenge in working towards differentiating the technology training. 

Safari Montage - Media Management Solution

I am currently the Media Specialist at my school.  We use Safari Montage to manage our digital library. The district purchased a license to this site.   We have access to thousands of videos from PBS, Reading Rainbow, Khan Academy and Disney, just to name a few. Safari Montage also acts as a "cloud" by allowing students and teachers to store and show over 50 types of files. Teachers and students may either search the site for videos on specific topics or search Destiny Quest. A Safari Montage app may be downloaded to most mobile devices.

Safari Montage is very new to me. The school district I previously worked for did not have a subscription to this site. I am really impressed because it can include images and videos created by teachers and students as well. Recently, I uploaded our News Team's Halloween Broadcast. Students and teachers are able to log in to Safari Montage and view the video.  I prefer this option over YouTube because it is a safe environment for us to include videos that portray our students. You must have a user name and password to view any of these digital resources.

In the next couple of weeks my goal is to stream our live news show broadcasts through Safari Montage. I have someone coming to help me do this. Currently, news shows are streamed through televisions. Streaming through Safari Montage would eliminate the need for televisions in classrooms. The news shows may be viewed on Smart Boards.

I also planned a lesson for my 5th grade classes on creating and using QR codes.  For their assignment they must create a QR code for the resumes they create. My challenges are where can we post resumes safely on the web and how do we create a code that does not compromise the format of the resumes. I've decided to have students save their documents on safari montage. This will protect the students work from the general public and provide a URL for students to generate a QR code.

Unfortunately, this is an expensive option and not a realistic choice for an individual to consider using in the classroom. However, if you are looking for a digital resource library to use school/district wide, I recommend considering Safari Montage.