I decided to approach a couple of teachers to ask how they use new technologies and web 2.0 tools in their classrooms. David and Sheila are both elementary teachers. Sheila teaches at a school that has a very low free and reduced lunch population while David's school is a Title 1 school. The perspective on using technologies at schools of varied socio-economic situations is helpful to see that teachers at both end of this spectrum deal with the same questions and challenges when incorporating new technologies into their classroom.
Selecting a web 2.0 tool
David and Sheila both agreed that when it comes to selecting web 2.0 tools, it typically happens through recommendations of colleagues or in the case of these tech-savvy teacher, they on occasion go out searching for new resources that try to accomplish something specific in the classroom. David also felt cost was a very important factor when it came to identifying new web 2.0 tools. Communication with parents was one of the more important reasons for searching out web 2.0 tools as well. David also brought up the point that these tools are only helpful if they make a classroom teachers life "simpler, better or easier". If they don't accomplish one of these three things, teachers likely won't be interested.
Obstacles and obtaining permission
When it came to getting over obstacles when using web 2.0 tools, David and Sheila had a few different things for teachers to be aware of. David's number one obstacle was cost. It's difficult to approach administrators with a cost for something if the technology is unproven. Technological obstacles due to district hardware, software or network capabilities were another major obstacle to consider. A web 2.0 may look and work great at home or a conference, but it's only a helpful tool if it works on the school computers and network. Sheila commented that it's always easier to use web 2.0 tools that are district approved. This way the correct parental permissions and releases are taken care of. Web 2.0 tools that require student accounts can be tricky. Teachers are often times making "dummy" accounts for students to use or encourage parents to create accounts with their children.
Advice to teachers
David and Sheila both offered some great advice when it comes to incorporating new technologies into the classroom.
- Find other teachers who are using this resource and take the time to observe or mimic how they are using it.
- Don't be afraid to jump into a new technology, especially one that you feel will make your job easier, more efficient or more engaging for your students.
- Find resources that offer a mix of high student engagement and is not taking up more time on the part of the teacher than they were spending before.
- Incorporate technologies that allow you to do multiple things. You may find you can minimize the amount of technology in your classroom if one resource allows you to do multiple things!
- Start using the new technology early on in the school year so it can become part of your classroom routine.
- Build in time to model and "train" the students to use these technological tools. The more time you put in on the front end, the more it will pay off down the road.
This is great insight from two "techie" teachers who teach in very different types of schools within our community. Hopefully this will provide some things to consider as you think about the next web 2.0 tool or other technology that you choose to incorporate into your classroom.
Visit some of David and Sheila's technology resources below:
David's Edmodo Class Page: bxad87
Sheila's Edmodo Class Page: eg7nll
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