Page 75 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

CHAPTER 11 • Leveraging Technology for Teacher Efficiency and Effectivenes

VOICES OF EXPERIENCE

Sheri Edwards, teacher and technology director Nespelem School
Nespelem, Washington, sheri@nsdeagles.org
Is your school emerging into the journey of infusing technology
into lessons? Does the process seem overwhelming? It did to
our school district, but after attending an OK2Ask session on
schoolwide literacy, I understood that our novice tech teachers
(those not tech savvy) needed a slower approach.
As a Google Apps for Education school, our staff needed some
introductory sessions on the tools they would use most. Because of the session,
I chose only three tools to introduce (email, calendar, blogs) over six sessions,
which would benefit teachers’ communication with each other and with families.
In addition, the session model used by OK2Ask provided a template for each of
the six hour-long sessions at our school: Expectations, Exploration, Explanation,
Engagement with Explanations, and Expressions (reflect and assess).
In an OK2Ask session, the processes of expecting and exploring help participants
feel comfortable and ask questions about the technology. A demonstration (expla-
nation) provides the background for engaging with the tool. Finally, participants
express what was learned and evaluate the tool, strategy, resources, or process
for use in the classroom or school.

I was uncertain how to help my colleagues manage the changes that technology
was bringing to our school. Taking a free webinar about using technology eased
our journey and saved time, travel, and money. I learned a strategy for imple-
menting technology tools throughout the school and a process for presenting the
professional development to staff.

Online learning can provide convenient, targeted professional development
because the training can be individually accessed and managed. With online
coursework, teachers can access just-in-time help, often provided in effective

264 Integrating Technology in the Classroom

Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Tools to Meet the Needs of Every Student 75