For my Blog post, I want to throw out the question of what will really transform our teachers, our classrooms, and at some point our schools? The IMPACT grant is a wonderful opportunity, but the grant, in all actuality, will be just a small part for the culture changing result we all are striving for at this time. We can talk about transformation, vision, culture and mission, but the bottom line is whether we can support and train out teachers to use the technology that we are learning about.
I personally have grown because of our current class. It is because i have had to make myself explore and experiment with new technologies I have never had the chance to "play" with before. Somewhere between the state and federal mandates, school level initiatives, parent conferences, diabetes training, meetings, PLC's and bus duty, our teachers are expected to gain the confidence and expertise to change their teaching. Somewhere between having a family and trying to have a life outside of work, our teachers (and administrators for that matter) are going to have the time to collaborate and network to use new ideas and lessons.....
This is my point....we have an amazing opportunity ahead of us. We have the chance to make a few improvements to our buildings, give our teachers some new tools, and hopefully create a culture of hands-on technology users and students excited to learn and create. But with all of the excitement, lets not lose sight of mastery. Let's not forget the old adage of "being a jack of all trades and a master of none." And let's not forget that in order to teach and create a classroom of exploration, discussion and excitement, the teacher has to be the expert and have the skills to solve problems and maintain control at the same time. To many times I have seen passion and excitement create a mediocre classroom because the teacher can't harness the "teachable moment" because they either lack the skills or training to master the tools they are trying to use. Let's be careful to train and master as we go. Everyone needs time to mature and become competent when they are leaning new skills. I hope for all of our IMPACT schools is that we will focus on a few good skills, imurse ourselves and teachers in them, learn to use what we have effectively, and change our schools...not end up with a lot of new toys and a school full of good intentions.
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