- Get comfortable with failure and be prepared to do it in front of adults and students and to learn from it.
- Let the students be in charge - give them a tool/resource and let them figure it out. You don't have to have it mastered before presenting to students; they'll figure it out quickly!
- Listen to the students and learn from them and with them.
- Not everyone thinks and organizes information in the same way - provide a variety of options for students to choose from to demonstrate their understanding. Don't try to make them work in your box.
- Always have a Plan B. You never know when the wifi will go out, etc.
- You don't have to use every single tool you hear about. If you start feeling overwhelmed, try choosing to implement one new software/tool/website a month.
- Use Twitter. It's an invlauable PLN and quick way to connect to customer service when you encouter issues with certain sites.
- Go see other teachers teach. Sometimes, the best ideas come from seeing other teachers use technology in their classrooms.
- Let students BYOD (bring your own device). They have their cell phones anyway, why not teach them how to use their powers for good?
- Encourage others and share your frustrations; don't isolate yourself!
What would you add to this list?
Amanda- This is all great advice! I particularly like #2. It's not in my nature to let students figure out a particular app, tech tool, etc. (I always like being in control), but allowing let them drive this process has been a really positive move in my classroom. I often let them choose the tool/platform for how they will demonstrate mastery, and they really appreciate this freedom (and run with it).
ReplyDeleteI guess one piece of advice I would add is to seek out the content-specific technology knowledge that is associated with the subject that you teach; i.e. blogging in a science class likely looks much different than blogging in an English class. This helps ensure that you're using each technology to its fullest potential. This information is more difficult to find online (unlike general tech advice for educators), but it's worth the time seeking it out.
Amanda, I would add that you shouldn't assume because the students know how to use the technology, that they can use it for productive reasons.
ReplyDeleteI love your list Amanda, and your perspective. My two favorite things on the list are #1 (get comfortable with failure) and #5 (always have a plan B). Often, the only thing that is predictable in class is that nothing is predictable.
ReplyDelete