Training teachers to keep up technological change needs to be constant and if possible self directed so teachers can get the training they need to achieve the goals they want to achieve.
Wrong kind of training – Technical rather than pedagogical
Training needs to be delivered by pedagogical experts who can give teachers hands on experience of using technology to learn.
Wrong kind of training – Not relevant to teaching context
Training examples need to be applied to the materials and content that teachers actually need and have to teach as part of their syllabus.
Wrong trainer
Training needs to be balanced with a critical eye so that teachers also understand the pitfalls, problems and limitations that accompany the use of technology.
Wrong tech
Schools need to be wary edtech hardware vendors. The lifetime of most edtech hardware tends to be pretty short and like mobile phones, the new model can make previous models look tired and old fashioned very quickly.
Lack of syllabus integration
Technology can’t be an add on or extra work. It has to be integrated into and help them with the material they have to cover in the classroom with their students.
Lack of consultation
Teachers need to be part of the selection and procurement process to ensure that they are getting the technology they want and need.
Lack of support at the chalkface
Tech support needs to be delivered in a way that serves and supports the teachers rather than the other way around. Teachers do need to be trained in how to articulate and describe teach problems with accuracy.
Lack of infrastructure
Before investing in classroom hardware schools need to make sure they have sufficient connectivity infrastructure to support the modes of use that teachers will apply with it.
Unrealistic expectations
Technology needs to be applied with an understanding of how it can enable a transformation in students’ pedagogical experience and teachers’ pedagogical practices.
Unnecessary
In many cases teachers see the technology as a hindrance or unnecessary to achieving their aims and in some cases this may be correct.
Yelp-like review site for teaching tools, where it is asking professors to review and comment on how useful various digital services were in their classrooms
The hope, said Mr. Rascoff, is to reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy and effort that each campus goes through to purchase new technologies — and to streamline the process of obtaining the right tools by asking the faculty to weigh in.
The biggest advantage of the learning-technology commons, Ms. Martin said, is that she will be able to connect with professors in similar disciplines on other campuses and more easily find tools to use in her classroom.
++++++++++++++++
What are your thoughts? Would you like such service on your campus?
With an emerging Millennial workforce, organizations are struggling with an influx of new business requirements being defined by consumer based solutions. Expecting engaging content through social and fun applications, organizations that cling to traditional methods of communication, learning, networking and certification will find themselves challenged in their ability to attract and retain top talent.
Join this webinar to discover best practices on how to develop engaging content, including:
Key trends in learning engagement
Effective design of course material
Tips and trick on making content interesting
Time 11:00am ET
Audience: Enterprise
Presenter(s): Jeff Salin, Senior Instructional Designer and Team Lead, Creative Services Department, D2L
PicLits is a site for finding creative writing prompts. PicLits aims to provide inspiration for writing short stories. PicLits tries to reach this goal by providing users with images upon which they can build their writing.
February 11, 2016 Pixar in A Box is a free online course created out of a partnership between Khan Academy and Pixar Animation Studios. The course introduces learners to the fundamentals of the art of animation. More specifically, learners get to experience first-hand knowledge of the techniques and methods Pixar engineers use to create movies and animations.
“We now need to train everybody to understand the basics of computer science,” she says, “and I don’t equate it to just coding. I equate it to principles of thinking.”
There are ways of approaching problems, for example, or of structuring data, that help students program more effectively and more thoughtfully.
Here are five different ways to apply the same rubric in your classroom.
1. A Rubric for Thinking (Invention Activity)
2. A Rubric for Peer Feedback (Drafting Activity)
3. A Rubric for Teacher Feedback (Revision Activity)
4. A Rubric for Mini-Lessons (Data Indicate a Teachable Moment)
5. A Rubric for Making Grades Visible (Student Investment in Grading)
How often have we heard that students believe grades to be arbitrary or capricious? Repeated use of a single rubric is good for both students and instructors. Switching roles between author and editor results in students’ increased familiarity with the process and the components of good writing. Over the course of the semester, students will synthesize the rubric’s components into effective communication. The instructor, too, will shift from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side,” answering fewer questions (and answering the same question fewer times). In other words, students will gain greater independence as writers and thinkers. And this is good for all of us.