Training and technology in US classrooms

This is a post by visiting blogger Lindsey Wright. Lindsey is from the USA and here she gives an overview view of technology and teacher training in the US schools context.   Lindsey regularly writes about web-based learning, electronic and mobile learning, and the possible future of education.

Training Teachers to Use Technology

Like a digital tidal wave, the techno-revolution has swept across classrooms worldwide and left laptops and smartphones in its wake in many places. While US schools have eagerly embraced teacher workshops to instruct science and math teachers how best to use new software and online resources, many English language teachers are not provided such training, and have searched high and low for meaningful ways to teach grammar and literature with computers, only to come up empty-handed. However, technology can of course play a meaningful role in the English classroom. With the proper training and professional collaboration, it’s possible for American English and language arts teachers to avoid the pitfalls
of poorly-executed technology lessons and merge English activities with technological innovation in ways that will reach students and create lasting moments of learning.

The Training

In the US, most public school districts take a “one size fits all” approach to training teachers to use technology in the classroom. If a SMART Board is available for use, every teacher gets the same lesson plan. The same can be said of PowerPoint presentation design, web searches, and educational software. Very rarely is training tailored to the subject, and most training that is so focused is usually in science or math.

However, there are a number of programs available at either an online school or traditional campus during the summer that seek to address the unique needs of US English teachers. For instance, EdTechTeacher.org, one of the leaders in
teacher technology education, offers a three-day summer workshop in Massachusetts titled “Teaching English with Technology,” which includes website and software education and instruction in how to use Web 2.0 technologies like
wikis, podcasts, blogs, and social networks. Similarly, many school districts provide online seminars for teachers at little to no cost, and often teachers from other districts can also arrange to attend these seminars.

Useful Tools for the English Classroom

For those who already have a handle on education technology basics, or who don’t have the time or resources to attend a seminar, there are a number of websites designed to help English teachers incorporate technology into the classroom. For instance, Western Michigan University’s English Education Program provides educators with everything from instruction on how to create a class website to listings of electronic text archives, as well as helpful tools. The site also features lesson planning advice to help teachers design web quests (guided explorations of themes related to a particular topic) and helpful tips for using the interactive components that are now a part of many textbooks.

Once again, EdTechTeacher.org is another great site that allows English teachers to explore how other language arts instructors are integrating technology into their curricula. Some of the many resources found on the site include links to
websites created by teachers, classroom blogs, and even podcasts showcasing the oral presentation talents of students. It also includes a section for interactive projects that can serve as inspiration for classroom activities. From student-run collaborative newspapers to creative writing posts requiring multimedia research, these projects offer students the chance to interact digitally while learning more about language, literature, and what it means to effectively communicate.

An Important Thing to Keep in Mind

With some schools in the US pushing to cram as much technology as possible into every lesson plan, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that not every lesson needs technology. Indeed, technology is only as good as how it is used. If students are learning the ins and outs of English grammar, there are plenty of technological tools to make the task more enjoyable, but marking a written text for word choice and sentence structure can still be an effective lesson. Teachers anywhere
shouldn’t let technology run the classroom. Instead, it should be kept as a tool to help enhance lessons when appropriate. At the end of the day, students should remember the lesson, not the technology that was used. If there isn’t an
apparent way to incorporate the technology in a meaningful way, don’t use it. By the same token, teachers shouldn’t eschew technology simply because they don’t have any ideas for its incorporation themselves. For English teachers in
America, this can be difficult in the absence of subject-specific technology training. US teachers often must collaborate with other teachers and seek help from their schools’ computer technology departments to obtain for themselves
the guidance and instruction in education technology that elsewhere has become a matter of course.

Teaching English with technology doesn’t have to be scary, and it doesn’t mean breaking away from writing, reading, and the other primary functions of language arts education. Rather, when technology is merged effectively into the English classroom and students are allowed to be active participants in generating new information through exploration, it is a way to create a richer, more meaningful experience.

 

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