So, last Thursday was my elementary school's back-to-school night. This night is normally stressful enough, but schedule it on the 3rd day of school with a broken copier, and the stress level goes through the roof. Needless to say it was a pretty busy week.
I spent the weekend before putting together a nice PowerPoint presentation of some new things that were going to happen in the upcoming school year. My big push was going to be showing the parents some of the new technology that I would be teaching the students how to use. I picked a couple to show. I wanted to show an introduction to Voice Thread and explain to parents a project I wanted to use with it, in which they could comment on their student's project from home.
I spent the weekend before putting together a nice PowerPoint presentation of some new things that were going to happen in the upcoming school year. My big push was going to be showing the parents some of the new technology that I would be teaching the students how to use. I picked a couple to show. I wanted to show an introduction to Voice Thread and explain to parents a project I wanted to use with it, in which they could comment on their student's project from home.
I also spoke to my parents about created a classroom Acceptable Use Policy that is at the level of my students, using the PB Wiki my group created in a previous class as a model. I really want my students to understand internet safety before we move into any of the new tools that I want to use.
I also wanted to show off our newly mounted LCD projector and Tablet PC's, which had been hooked up over the summer. Well, when I went to test my LCD projector, I found that the most basic of functions related to the installation was overlooked-power. How do you use an LCD projector without a power source you ask? Well, you don't. So here I was wanting to show all of this great technology, and I was upstream without a paddle.
This is the same experience I have been having with my district since I started taking classes in the LIDI program. Everytime I want to try something in my class, it fails. However, I did present this information (sans technology) and got a GREAT response from my parents. They were so excited to hear that I wanted to incorporate technology in a positive way. So, I am determined to carry out my goal for the year-despite the roadblocks that might be in my way.
2 comments:
Just a thought: Maybe the way you want to go is to use a technology out of school (since you can't access it in school) like a wiki to communicate with parents and students and also to collaborate. You'll have success, share w/ the principal, etc and then they'll unblock it. What do you think?
I agree with you that it can be frustrating using technology when the actually install is completely out of your hands. I have had similar experiences where I am ready to go and then something happens that is completely out of my control.
I would be interested in seeing the acceptable use agreement that you developed. This is something that I have also struggled with as a teacher. I have found it difficult write the expectations that I have in student friendly terms.
Thank you for introducing me to Voice Thread. I had never heard of this tool before. I am anxious to explore it some more and see how I can use it in my classroom.
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