Technology is so vast and constantly changing, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Rather than attempting to learn everything and ending up quickly overwhelmed, I encourage you find yourself a few great tour guides.
What do I mean by tour guides? Fellow educators who have mastered maybe one or two areas that you are interested in trying in your classrooms and have social media and blogs which you can connect with them. You probably already have peers in the district or maybe people you have met at PD courses, or even on your pinterest boards that you could start with.
Remember, smart teachers don't reinvent the wheel. Would you take the book Make Way for Ducklings and copy the entire text and attempt to sketch the drawings on your easel board? I hope not; you would just read the book and use your board for a few questions or main points. The same goes with technology! If you find a source who is blogging a lesson plan incorporating podcasts into ELA and they spark an idea for a similar lesson you can do to with your own class, do it! Even better, afterwards let them know with a comment that they helped inspire you.
Remember, collaboration is a key part of education, so don't try to stand alone on an island when it comes to technology. One of my dear colleagues, Ms. Marks, has a great blog and has refined her screencasting abilities to teach educators in her district tech tips. When I saw her first screencast tutorial a few years ago, I didn't spend hours figuring it out alone. We sat down together for about 10 minutes and she showed me the software she used and a few quick tips. I was able to go home and practice recording myself that same day! I did learn quickly that the sound of my own voice sounds much younger to me than I really am ;) but I also learned how to make effective screencasts of my own.
Remember, take the thirty extra seconds and connect with other teachers, so we can help one another innovate and get Wi-Fired Up!
What do I mean by tour guides? Fellow educators who have mastered maybe one or two areas that you are interested in trying in your classrooms and have social media and blogs which you can connect with them. You probably already have peers in the district or maybe people you have met at PD courses, or even on your pinterest boards that you could start with.
Remember, smart teachers don't reinvent the wheel. Would you take the book Make Way for Ducklings and copy the entire text and attempt to sketch the drawings on your easel board? I hope not; you would just read the book and use your board for a few questions or main points. The same goes with technology! If you find a source who is blogging a lesson plan incorporating podcasts into ELA and they spark an idea for a similar lesson you can do to with your own class, do it! Even better, afterwards let them know with a comment that they helped inspire you.
Remember, collaboration is a key part of education, so don't try to stand alone on an island when it comes to technology. One of my dear colleagues, Ms. Marks, has a great blog and has refined her screencasting abilities to teach educators in her district tech tips. When I saw her first screencast tutorial a few years ago, I didn't spend hours figuring it out alone. We sat down together for about 10 minutes and she showed me the software she used and a few quick tips. I was able to go home and practice recording myself that same day! I did learn quickly that the sound of my own voice sounds much younger to me than I really am ;) but I also learned how to make effective screencasts of my own.
Remember, take the thirty extra seconds and connect with other teachers, so we can help one another innovate and get Wi-Fired Up!
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