Mactechteacher's Favorite Links on technology from Diigo

Does Technology Pay? Investing wisely takes discipline.

By Michael Simkins

Early in my career as a principal, tech-savvy teachers in my school led a charge to replace blackboards with cutting-edge whiteboards. Over the course of a couple of years, we retired all our frumpy old chalkboards and replaced them with shiny new whiteboards. What changed as a result?

Some changes were immediately clear. For example,when we threw away our chalk, staff and students who were allergic to the dust breathed more freely. The teachers and parents on the school council felt justifiably proud; they had brought our school forward and up to date.

On the other hand, we also learned that the cost of each of the colored markers required to write on the whiteboards was considerably greater than the cost of a piece of chalk. The markers didn't last any longer than chalk, they gave off fumes (which some complained caused headaches), and once in a while someone would use a permanent marker on the whiteboard by accident, ruining the surface.

Results in terms of student outcomes were not so easily identified. Did standardized test scores improve because we taught with whiteboards instead of chalkboards? Did attendance improve, and were fewer students tardy to class? Was there a reduction in the number of new students referred to special education services? Did fewer skilled, experienced teachers whom we would have preferred stay at our school request transfers to other district schools?

Who knows? It never occurred to us to identify — let alone track — the specific changes we would expect as a result of spending literally thousands of dollars of scarce school discretionary funds to purchase and install a specific educational technology. Shame on us.
Calculating the Advantages

Conservative estimates indicate that in the past five years U.S. schools have spent more than $25 billion on various forms of technology, including the still-popular whiteboard (or course, it's interactive now and requires a computer and "pens"). According to Mar

Tags: technology

Posted by: mactechteacher

T.H.E. Journal Online: Technology Horizons in Education

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:46:06 -0000

Professional Development in Technology, 2008

Jim Gates is fond of quoting from Camelot: "If you want to be happy, learn something." As a technology trainer for Pennsylvania's Capitol Area Intermediate Unit, Gates spends much of his time trying to help teachers learn a very specific thing: using technology to improve curriculum.

Many of the professional development strategies that Jim Gates uses— incorporating technology into curricula, bringing teachers together at conferences, providing mentors so that technical assistance is always available— are espoused by CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G), which monitors the state of educational technology, offers technological advice, presents a vast array of hardware and software products, and provides customer support.

Chris Rother is CDW-G's vice president of education. She sees some recent major shifts in the types of training in technology that currently exist for K-12 teachers and staff:
The biggest shift has been away from regularly scheduled professional development sessions to a just-in-time approach to professional development. With this new approach, teachers regularly communicate with an on-site instructional technology specialist, enabling them to quickly and efficiently address any questions or issues. This is the most effective method to ensure that teachers are constantly engaging and integrating technology. The instructional technology specialist's ongoing assistance and support encourages teachers to try new teaching methods and reinforces material taught during more formal professional development sessions.

This shift to accessible professional development can't be emphasized enough. It's no longer sufficient for teachers to attend a workshop, learn a slew of computer applications, and then be expected to use those applications when they return to their classrooms. Educators like Gates are continually making the point that professional development needs to be always accessible and always relevant: The technology is a way to make the instruction more engagi

Tags: technology

Posted by: mactechteacher

Ed Tech Resources | Applied Technology Online

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:10:16 -0000

Tags: EdTech Education Technology

Posted by: mactechteacher

- StRUT Home

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:20:39 -0000

Tags: technology

Posted by: mactechteacher

Techlearning > > What Are You Doing In That Computer Lab? > February 1, 2008

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:55:11 -0000

Comments:

Great article on use of computer lab time.
posted by mactechteacher

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

What Are You Doing In That Computer Lab?

Larry Ferlazzo

from Educators' eZine

Tags: computer_lab technology

Posted by: mactechteacher

Web 2.0 for the Classroom Teacher

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:38:40 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Web 2.0 for the Classroom Teacher
An Internet Hotlist on Web 2.0

Tags: technology web_20

Posted by: mactechteacher

Funding Your Technology Dreams

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:58:44 -0000

Tags: grants technology

Posted by: mactechteacher