tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post2734916473075420214..comments2024-03-04T06:49:58.529-05:00Comments on The Nerdy Teacher: Where is the bar for teacher tech know-how?The Nerdy Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967718792957188554noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-84368088592042685102011-10-23T18:36:58.399-04:002011-10-23T18:36:58.399-04:00My name is TJ Wolfe and I'm a graduate student...My name is TJ Wolfe and I'm a graduate student. I was formerly a middle school teacher. I loved teaching and helping students, but wasn't prepared to help most of my colleagues with all of their technology needs. It quickly became difficult to teach and help colleagues at the same time. It was also incredibly difficult to see good and creative students get in trouble in their classes Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-11463956625424049572011-10-18T14:20:46.575-04:002011-10-18T14:20:46.575-04:00This is a great discussion. I think it's impor...This is a great discussion. I think it's important to meet teachers exactly where they're at, tech proficiency-wise, and scaffold their learning.<br /><br />That said...it's no wonder they're not excited about PD when the topics are things like Email 101 and Creating Folders. You've got to have basic tech proficiency under your belt before you can get to the really fun stuff.<Angela Watsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550253754211140493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-66714811884128742252011-10-18T13:55:54.063-04:002011-10-18T13:55:54.063-04:00Where is the bar is a great question. I understand...Where is the bar is a great question. I understand the other commentators frustration in teachers' lack of knowledge and lonely pd sessions. While I think it is good for teachers to know how to organize information (whether it is tagging or folders), I've decided to not get bogged down in basics but to try and entice them into the really fun stuff first. If I can win them over by having Dr. Joan McGettiganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06782791607822337402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-47777806534403463152011-10-17T10:55:52.138-04:002011-10-17T10:55:52.138-04:00The time has come to quit asking IF teachers are u...The time has come to quit asking IF teachers are using technology personally/for instruction and ask HOW they are using technology personally/in the classroom. If it is mandated it will be learned and used by teachers----but it will have to be mandated. Tech training without enforced attendance is a total bust. <br /><br />I agree somewhat that I don’t care how a teacher uses it personally until Twyla Feltyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06832721130205826758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-788663182423929962011-10-17T10:37:39.080-04:002011-10-17T10:37:39.080-04:00When I was Director of Tech for the past 4 years, ...When I was Director of Tech for the past 4 years, I was given the mission to bring our entire preK-12 staff on board with technology. I approached this as if they were my PBL classroom, gave them a driving question (Given the changes in the world over the past 25 yrs, what do our students need to know and be able to do to succeed?), had them work in small groups.engaged them with relevant contentAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01665064670450584027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-4719682516862522222011-10-17T08:55:23.614-04:002011-10-17T08:55:23.614-04:00@Rox Thank you for doing some leg work and lookin...@Rox Thank you for doing some leg work and looking for some facts to support what I thought.William Cunninghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15107980271986600048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-30845848050368043752011-10-17T08:52:38.153-04:002011-10-17T08:52:38.153-04:00After reading about how very important tech is in ...After reading about how very important tech is in the classroom (couldn't agree more) it almost hurt to think about how very aged the general curriculum is in many language schools.<br /><br />There just doesn't seem to be any demand for media/tech approaches when looking for English teachers . I eyed through http://www.teachergig.com (they have 100s of job listings) and not in a single Roxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15913001192487010867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-4447590012216716992011-10-16T19:04:58.903-04:002011-10-16T19:04:58.903-04:00I appreciate what browns! had to say. I agree that...I appreciate what browns! had to say. I agree that folders are not the vest to organize for everyone. The point with teachers is that they don't utilize tech. For those who barely use tech any training will get them using tech more often and for more things. We have to start small with many teachers. They may not be ready to use Facebook or Twitter, but they will use email. It's still @educatoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03208424095983730170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-27534248237339331202011-10-15T23:33:04.319-04:002011-10-15T23:33:04.319-04:00A great question, and one that I have thought abou...A great question, and one that I have thought about many times in the past. With so many resources available to teachers and students, there needs to be some expectations for educators. <br /><br />In my former school they offered PD a couple times a year on computer basics, html, etc. The problem was the PD wasn't mandatory and few participated. Only the teachers that had an interest would William Cunninghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15107980271986600048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-48583766469662778172011-10-15T21:14:05.641-04:002011-10-15T21:14:05.641-04:00My state does an annual survey of public school ed...My state does an annual survey of public school educators to determine their "tech literacy". Teachers are expected to pass annual proficiency requirements and participate in continuing ed. However, some of those courses offered are things like "MS Word 101", "Excel", "Visual Thesaurus", etc. Unfortunately, the rigor is not there yet.Miranda https://www.blogger.com/profile/14220392746820136505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-48107852927012625192011-10-15T16:29:45.939-04:002011-10-15T16:29:45.939-04:00Hi Nerdy,
I have been part of this conversation a ...Hi Nerdy,<br />I have been part of this conversation a number of times over the years.<br />I am a computer USER not a geek. Just like I am a bicycle / car / lawn mower user.<br />How I use my computer files, e-mail etc does not need to be prescribed for greatest efficiency by others. It simply has to work for me.<br />No one constant tells me how to use my bicycle / car / lawn mower!<br />Yes, IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7005114591173102634.post-64123651255741447562011-10-15T16:15:24.975-04:002011-10-15T16:15:24.975-04:00Ok, first of all I agree with your premis, however...Ok, first of all I agree with your premis, however I'd like to challenge you on the subject matter of your topic. Creating files folders. Teachers do need to be trained to stop using file folders, to stop teaching their kids like their brains are file folders. It is an old metaphor that doesn't line up with brain research. Instead, teach them to tag, label, or or otherwise create brownslhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05198976532825666094noreply@blogger.com