Supporting Teachers' ICT Curriculum and Pedagogy

"You will have to experiment and try things out for yourself and you will not be sure of what you are doing. That's alright, you are feeling your way into the thing." - Emily Carr

How might I support colleagues in my school community with some of their own ICT skill development? For starters, I need to attend more professional development workshops in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT). I am more comfortable on the receiving end of ICT training, and not so much in the administration of it.

I have started reading our school district Technology News site that is updated monthly. There are great links to new ICT resources and some useful tutorials that are specific to our school district platforms. Workshops are often promoted on this site as well as invitations to be part of ICT committees. This month's issue offers keyboard shortcuts and tips for passwords. Becoming familiar with the information offered in this site will be beneficial to me, my staff and my students. 

Carl Harvey has some powerful reminders for Teacher-Librarians

“Many schools and districts have made the mistake of placing technology into classrooms without a comprehensive plan for training teachers. Often, this technology sits unused or underused.” (Edutopia, 2007). As stated in the Edutopia Journal, How to Integrate Technology | Edutopia , educators need to seek out their own professional development opportunities in ICT. The comfort levels of educators using and teaching ICT on my staff varies greatly. We are supportive of each other, and especially generous in sharing skills but our experience is wide ranging and dependent on grade levels taught, as well as personal interests.

Surveying staff members about their comfort levels in teaching and using ICT, as well as collecting data about areas they are proficient and areas they would be interested in developing would be a great starting place. Knowing what ICT tools teachers need would direct me in my pursuit to support them further.

Establishing an ICT Team at my school would also be beneficial. We have teams for many other learning areas that meet once a month to discuss current successes and directions for further development. An ICT Team could direct what topics to present at monthly staff meetings, and Parent Advisory (PAC) meetings as needed. Working collaboratively as an ICT Team would be more impactful for our staff. It would mean that ‘many’ staff members could formally support staff so the responsibility doesn’t fall on one person. This would be a great place to try and discuss many of the resources and tutorials available from our school district. A team presenting ideas and asking for resources is also more likely to get funds than a request from an individual.

“Since it's clear that tech integration is here to stay, it is not a question of whether teachers integrate technology into their classrooms, but rather how to do it best.” (Edutopia, 2007).

Our school uses Microsoft Teams for most of its communications. A quick, and easy way to connect our teachers with useful ICT information would be an ICT channel. Journal articles, instructional videos, and links to great ICT teaching ideas could be added to this channel. Everyone on staff could comment and add resources. Our ‘collection’ of digital resources could be further supported with printed books in our teacher library. The Classroom Teacher’s Technology Survival Guide by Doug Johnson sounds like a great addition for further investigation. Johnson’s Blue Skunk Blog, and website Square Space also offers published articles and insights regarding ICT topics for teacher-librarians.

Carl Harvey created a useful poster titled Tools of the Trade: What Should a Teacher Expect a School Library Media Specialist to Be? Harvey reminds us that we need to be technology literate and be 'staff developers' to support both students and staff. 

It is part of our job.

"However, even with limited access, with careful planning, some risk taking, and an open mind, teachers can successfully use technology to enhance their teaching and bring learning to life for their students." (Edutopia, 2007). My staff has limited access to ipads and laptops but there is much we can do to support the instruction of ICT from our own computers shared on a large screen with students.

It's time for me to experiment, try things out for myself and 'feel my way into' my new role supporting others in Information Communication and Technology.

References

Johnson, D. (2012). The classroom teacher's technology survival guide. Jossey-Bass.

Johnson, D. Doug Johnson Website - Articles (squarespace.com)

Harvey, Carl. (2005). Tools of the Trade: What Should a Teacher Expect a School Library Media Specialist to Be? Library Media Connection. February, 2005. 

Person. (2007, November 6). How to integrate technology. Edutopia. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation