I challenged you — and I challenged myself on my blog post: http://jenuinetech.com/blog/?p=1235 to listen to teachers more…………so here goes:
Please enjoy Cherie’s post:
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I’d like to introduce myself. I am a Stage2newbie to the world of technology. Last year was my first year in the computer lab at my school. With jobs being cut back, I was happy to be assigned to my new position. But little did I know, how little I knew! My iddy biddy feelings were hurt when I overheard our tech support person saying, “Oh, no! and she knows nothing about computers!” Well its not that I knew NOTHING. I could email and use a web browser, and mail merge, and use some office documents, like Word, and Excel and powerpoint (a little). And I could play lots of games and run simple programs for the students. Never mind that my own high schoolers could run circles around me on the very basic desktop computer we had at home. And talk in a strange foreign language that only their techy friends could understand. Yes, a new, exciting world was about to open up to me, and I really had no inking even of the possibilities.
I came from teaching fourth grade most recently, so the first thing I did was set up the lab to make it friendly. And since I was going to marry the class lab time with individualized instruction for struggling students, I decided to call it The Cowboy Computer Class-(Where Kids Can Learn with Technology and Can Get Help to Catch Up, Keep Up, and Giddy Up on Ahead). Well, I had a vision, anyway. Next I had to get to know all of my equipment. I learned how to turn on and off all of the machines and what to do when they didn’t work like they were supposed to (besides panic, that is). Then, I had to establish all of my procedures and plan my curriculum for grade levels K through 6. We had 2 keyboarding programs to learn, a drawing program, and Kidspiration, which turned out to be a goldmine. With our school technology genius, Jen, as my cheerleader, I was off and running.
Through out the year, I tried lots of different things, some successfully and some definitely not to try again. But to sum it all up, I had an exciting year. Here are some of the things I learned:
1. There are lots of fun buttons on a keyboard and keyboarding skills are essential to teach and practice. Kids catch on really quick!
2. Paint programs have an amazing capability to draw out the artistic and creative sides of even the most distractable learners.
3. Programs such as Kidspiration can be used very effectively to supplement the curriculum in almost any subject matter as well as to directly teach subjects, such as writing, in an engaging way.
4. Computers, smartboards, ipods, and Web 2.0 environments are the tools of THIS generation, so it is time for me to catch up.
5. Internet safety is very important and my kids need me to teach them ahead of time what to avoid so they can make full use of technology tools with the wisdom and guidance of their teacher.
6. There are tons of resources available on the Web, that can be used to teach any subject. Teachers and students are willing to share a wealth of knowledge and experience that I could never gain on my own with the limited time and resources I possess.
This year I want to continue to grow and to share the marvelous discoveries I have made with my colleagues. I want us to move from doing “old things the old way” to doing some of the old things a new, more engaging, effective way with the tools of technology. But that’s not all. There are ways students can contribute to their own learning and the learning of others, when we teach them to use tools that we didn’t even have access to even a few years back. Attending some of the technology conferences and taking a peek at what some of my colleagues are doing has been truly inspiring to me. You know what? I think I’ve gone from being a NEWbie to a WOWbie! Next is a DObee. If this is something you’ve been thinking about it, why don’t you just jump in and get wet?
Cherie Daniel 11/19/2009
Hi Cherie,
Nice post and one to which I can well relate, although I must admit, I’ve been begging for the same job you were handed for 3+ years (just a weeee bit jealous here)! The learning portion, (yours) is the most important factor (IMHO). I rediscovered the joy of hard, active, out of the box learning when I was introduced to tech via and EETT grant five years ago. Enjoy your own learning -whatever the curve, and your kids will enjoy theirs as well.
Best of luck in the new school year for continued success!
Lisa
Great job, Cherie,
You have everything it takes – the enthusiasm of a good teacher and the willingness to try something new. Coming from a classroom background i think is one of the most important component of a good Computer lab teacher. Going in the door through the curriculum objectives allows you to pick and choose what will best compliment and enhance the curriculum. It sounds like your school is very lucky to have you. Hope to see you blogging more. we can all learn from you and right along with you. Thanks so much!!!
Congrats and I really liked your openness to doing “old things in new and more engaging” etc ways
Welcome to blogging Cherie,
The moment in this entry I could tell that you have the makings of a great instructor was when you discussed your naming process for the lab. Even though this seems less important than individual activities and instruction, this demonstrates to me that you have program vision. Your computer lab is not simply a room full of computers, but a vital integrated part of the entire school program.
I hope that you continue to benefit the students at your school and share your successes, failures, and reflections with the rest of us.
Best wishes!