August+2010+-+Activity+2+-+New+Teacher+Academy

August 2010 - Activity 2 - Technology Training for Teachers New to LPISD

One of the first activities of the beginning of the year is the New Teacher Academy. In this training session, we discuss important information about our district's technology resources. We take this opportunity to distribute information related to district software/hardware resources, district software standards, opportunities for technology integration, file management, network and account security, anti-virus protection, and accounts necessary for teacher productivity (Aesop absence management tool, Eduphoria for PDAS and professional development, web-based email, eSchool for attendance and gradebook, and Atomic Learning professional development resource).

In past years, my internal focus has always been on getting the new teachers logged onto the network merely from a teacher productivity stance. I have found that this year, by focusing on the Technology Facilitator Standards and the tools I have developed in the Concepts of Educational Technology course, I was much more aware of the underlying reason for this training. I was able to see past the basic need to access email and other productivity tools and begin to focus more on encouraging teachers to integrate technology in their curriculum.

New teachers are generally eager to get logged on. By the time they arrive for our training, which occurs at the end of Day 2 of their district introduction, they are feeling overwhelmed and are just glad to have the opportunity to actively //do// something they feel is directly connected to their teaching duties. I especially enjoyed this year's session because of my shift in focus. I worked with a small group of high school teachers, two of whom will be teaching Spanish. I taught Spanish for a number of years and can readily find a way to integrate technology into the foreign language curriculum. In this case, I already have plans to work with the junior high Spanish I teachers on plans to create podcasts for practicing vocabulary and important phrases. We may expand the project to include video so students can see the words as they hear them. I was able to share this project with the new Spanish teachers, at the same time giving the other teachers some insight into the kinds of activities I can help them integrate this year.

These sessions are always upbeat and fun, full of great questions and helpful interaction.

__ISTE Technology Facilitator Standards__ I.A. - Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology (as described in the ISTE NETS*T).

II.D. - Plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.

V.C. - Apply technology to increase productivity.

V.D, - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

VII.A, - Use the school technology facilities and resources to implement classroom instruction.

VII.C. - Participate in professional development opportunities related to management of school facilities, technology resources, and purchases.

VIII.A. - Identify and apply educational and technology related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in guiding the use of computers and technology to education.

VIII.C. - Apply effective group process skills.

__Resources__ Engels, J., and Lambert, L. (2010). //La Porte ISD New Teacher Academy.// Retrieved from []

Williamson, J., and Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards.// Eugene: International Society for Technology in Education.