What is the role of the principal when technology is introduced into a school?

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 | education, technology | No Comments

When technology is introduced into a school, the importance of the principal’s role can’t be overstated – without strong leadership an investment in technology is in jeopardy.

What do we expect of the principal?  Let’s look at a few essentials:

Understand the technology: The principal must be convinced that technology will make a difference to teaching and learning.  Such an understanding will require a thorough knowledge of available technologies and how they support the pedagogy.

Give clear direction: It is not good enough to allow technology into the school.  Unambiguous direction must be given to teachers as to how and when they should use the equipment.

Create training opportunities: This entails more than identifying available training and arranging for sessions for staff members – the principal must allow teachers time to undergo training and insist that all those who are scheduled to be trained must indeed attend the sessions.

Monitor on an ongoing basis: Even after clear directives are given and adequate training is provided, some teachers may still not use technology at their disposal.  The principal can only gauge the successful use of the equipment if constant monitoring takes place.  The easiest way to do this is by taking a walkabout from time to time – this also gives the principal the opportunity to observe good practice, give commendation, or offer encouragement where needed.

Set the example: A good example is by far the best way in which a principal can promote successful use of technology.  People follow their leaders – teachers follow the heads of their schools.  Teachers will take their cue from a principal who is a technology practitioner.

Principals play a crucial role in successful use of technology – schools with such leaders are truly blessed.

Tags: principal, schools, technology, training

The road of least resistance is not always the best

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 | e-Learning pioneers | 2 Comments

The e-pioneer promotes the best – not the easiest – road.

Starting on the road of using technology in the classroom is a daunting task.  The story of two donkeys can be encouraging.

Two donkeys went on a long journey and were given a choice as to the load they had to carry. In front of them were two huge bags of equal size: one of them contained cotton and the other one sugar. One of the donkeys quickly chose the bag of cotton and the other one had to be satisfied with the bag of sugar.

After trekking for a couple of hours over a steep hill, the donkey carrying the sugar was near collapse, while the one who chose the cotton still had a spring in his step. Then they came to a river that they had to wade through. On the other side of the river, the donkey with the sugar load suddenly discovered that his load virtually disappeared. The other donkey was dismayed at the volume of water that was absorbed by the cotton and was later even more surprised at how reluctant the fibres were to release the water. One can imagine the ecstasy and agony of the rest of the journey.

The lesson from the donkey with the sugar is that the load gets lighter if one endures. Eventually the use of technology will make the teaching task a breeze.  Those who insist on a light load will get bogged down with old-style teaching methods.

The e-pioneer must spend time showing teachers the sugar – allowing them to taste it – at the outset of the journey.

Click here for more food for thought for e-pioneers.

Tags: e-pioneer, teachers, training

Standardization or customization?

Sunday, June 6th, 2010 | e-Learning pioneers | No Comments

The e-pioneer learns a lesson from Grandma’s jam.

Why does Grandmother’s homemade jam taste so much better than the stuff bought in tins in supermarkets?  Her secret is that she makes a small quantity at a time – cooking, stirring, tasting, adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that until it is just perfect.

With mass production you simply can’t expect the same results – in spite of some economic benefits, mass production has the disadvantage that gains in quantity are offset by a loss in quality.

The e-pioneer takes a page from Grandma’s recipe book when helping schools to introduce technology.

During the installation stage you may be tempted to use a generic infrastructure model.  While such a model may speed up implementation, it comes at a cost: the facilities will not be tailored around the unique needs of your school.  Grandma had a basic recipe – but she put an individual touch on each batch of jam she cooked.  E-pioneers use implementation models and templates in the same way.

The same principle applies when you’re considering a fast track training programme to make all educators computer literate. The cheapest and easiest way to train teachers is through distance learning. Yet, how palatable is this mode of training to teachers?

The e-pioneer is neither against standardization of implementation, nor against distance learning, but knows the wisdom of paying individualized attention to the needs of schools and educators.

Remember the success of Grandma’s jam: attend to the details so that every batch is just right.

Click here for more food for thought for e-pioneers.

Tags: e-pioneer, infrastucture, training

Should schools test teachers for technology proficiency before hiring them?

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 | Employment | 7 Comments

This is the question under discussion by a group of educators on the internet.  You may find the different viewpoints interesting and relevant to our South African education system.

One respondent said:

As more and more digitally proficient students enter our classrooms, teachers must have a basic proficiency in technology at minimum to keep students engaged and enhance learning. Studies show that today’s student does not always learn best by reading a passage and filling out a worksheet. They need to be engaged much like they are at home with social networking, video games, YouTube, and the internet (just to name a few). When teachers are frightened of the basic technologies, are they really the best choice for this generation? I would say “of course not!” Teachers need to have a basic understanding of technology and how to best incorporate it into their daily lessons.

If schools test teachers for technology proficiency before hiring them it will certainly do away with a lot of extra training.  Of course, this will only happen if principals and those responsible for hiring are convinced that technology proficiency is an important requirement for teachers.

Tags: teachers, technology, training

How much will interactive whiteboard training cost me?

Friday, January 22nd, 2010 | IWBs, training | 3 Comments

When technology is introduced into a school, school management must budget for adequate training.  As a rule of thumb, the amount earmarked for training must not be less than the amount spent on the technology.  This principle also applies to interactive whiteboards.

“But then interactive whiteboards will cost us an arm and a leg!” a school manager may lament.  And this is not an understatement.
 
Fanciful stories are told about the origin of the expression “an arm and a leg”.  One of them is that, in times past, artists based their charges for portraits on the number of arms and legs that appeared in the picture.  This is a fallacy. The idiom was coined during the last century – it is used to stress how outrageously expensive something is.  A similar saying is “to give one’s right arm”, indicating that you are willing to sacrifice your dominant limb – something very valuable – to reach an objective.  It follows that paying an arm and a leg for training means that you are making a considerable sacrifice to gain the required skills.

Your school, or education department, should be prepared to make a financial sacrifice to empower you to use your interactive whiteboard.  During the planning phase of an interactive classroom, training costs must be factored into the total cost of ownership.

But what about you – the teacher?  Is it expected that you also sacrifice an arm and a leg?

It may not be required of you to pay for training courses, but when training is available it is expected that you should sacrifice time to benefit from the opportunity.  Often training is offered after work hours, over the week-end, or during vacation periods.  You will also need time to practise.  This is where you need to make a sacrifice.  Time and effort are the two things you should be willing to sacrifice for the sake of your professional development.

It is difficult to put an exact price tag on interactive whiteboard training – circumstances differ.  But don’t hesitate to make a personal sacrifice when you have to learn new technology to become a better teacher.

Click here for more information about interactive whiteboards.

Tags: cost, IWBs, training

Whose responsibility is it to help me become a skilled interactive whiteboard user?

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 | IWBs | 3 Comments

The short answer to this question is that it is a shared responsibility – with you as the main player

Since the school decided to have an interactive whiteboard installed in your classroom you may argue that the school and the principal are responsible for your training.  There is some validity in this view.  Principals must see to it that adequate training opportunities are created for you.

The interactive whiteboard may be in your classroom as a result of a decision by the education authorities (the Department).  In this case you can rightly expect the relevant authority to arrange for training, in addition to providing the equipment.  Nobody with a sense of responsibility will spend funds on technology tools without planning for relevant training.

Suppliers of interactive whiteboards benefit from the sale of their products.  It is reasonable to expect that they too should share in training activities.  Principals are wise if they consider vendor training opportunities prior to deciding which brand of board will be acquired.

The principal, the education authorities and the vendor share the responsibility of providing interactive whiteboard training.

But there is a difference between training and becoming a skilled interactive whiteboard user.

The responsibility to develop skills to use the interactive whiteboard lies with you.  If you are a professional teacher, you should build expertise in the tools of your trade.  True, an interactive whiteboard was not part of the toolkit when you received your initial training, but technology is now a part of a modern classroom.  It is your responsibility to keep up with new trends. Only you can make yourself a skilled practitioner.

When training is made available, it is up to you to make use of it.  It is also in your interest – and in the interest of your learners – to go beyond the training sessions.  Make time to explore the functions of your technology tools on your own.  Talk to your peers.  Join user groups.  Surf the web for ideas.  Put all your knowledge to work in your classroom.  This is the only way in which you can help yourself to become a skilled interactive whiteboard user.

Training courses can open your eyes to see the possibilities of technology.  It is only you who can open your mind to see the need of becoming a skilled user of technology in your classroom.

Click here for more information about interactive whiteboards.

Tags: IWBs, training

Am I not too old to learn how to use a laptop?

Sunday, May 17th, 2009 | laptops, training | 2 Comments

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks – I am too old to learn modern technology,” you may say if you are a senior teacher.  When you say that do you really believe it?

Are you using a cell phone?  How old were you when you learned to use it?  Perhaps you felt the same way about a cell phone a few years ago as you are feeling about a laptop at present.  But you learned to operate a cell phone – at first just to make phone calls.  Later you discovered the value of a text message (SMS).  Now you may use it to take pictures of your grandchildren, or many of the other features your mobile device offers you.

Think about a laptop as just a bigger cell phone.  If you conquered a cell phone, you can conquer a laptop.  It all depends on how willing and eager you are to learn.

Many teachers in their fifties, sixties and seventies have already mastered the use of laptops and now proclaim that they can’t imagine life without them.  If you are a life long learner, this is what you will do – continue to learn new things as they come your way.

An extract from The Khanya Story may be of encouragement to you:

There are some teachers who may feel
  Too old for a new trick
Old dogs rebel – protest and squeal –
  Their painful wounds they lick

The opposite is often true
  – Life is not always grim –
Old ducks sometimes learn new things too
  And dogs can learn to swim

Oft older teachers do excel
  And learn an IT skill
All apprehensions they expel
  Not yet right o’er the hill

While you are still able to teach, you are not yet over the hill.  The education system needs your experience, passion and commitment – and above all, your example.  When you get the better of your laptop, you will be setting an example to the younger teacher generation.

Click here to find answers to more laptop related questions.

Tags: laptops, learning, training

Where will I find time to learn how to use my laptop?

Saturday, May 16th, 2009 | laptops, training | No Comments

“If my school does not allow me time off to learn how to use the laptop, I will never be able to learn,” you may say.

Wrong attitude!

If your school allows you time to learn to develop laptop skills, perhaps by arranging for training sessions, you should accept the opportunity with gratitude and make the best use of it.  But if no such provisions are made, it would be in your own interest – and that of your learners – to make time to master this tool.

“But I am too busy,” you say.  It is true: teachers are busy people.  But so are all professional people.  Yet people in positions of specialization make time to develop skills required by their profession.  You should do the same.

It may be necessary for you to take half an hour here, and twenty minutes there, to learn and practise new skills.  Don’t think that you always need long stretches of time to be able to learn.

Take a lesson from the baboon in the African fable.

The baboon came across a field of pumpkins that were ripe for picking.  He took a stone and knocked a hole in the largest pumpkin in the field – just big enough to put his hand through.  Scraping around the inside of the pumpkin, he filled his fist with seeds –his favourite food – but then discovered that he could not get his hand out.  He pulled and thrashed until he realized he was stuck.  A wise old baboon came by and said to him: “Be satisfied with half the quantity and it will be easy for you to pull out your hand.”

The moral of the story: do not attempt too much at one time.  Create opportunities to learn whenever you can, such as:

break times

free periods

TV time that you could sacrifice

weekends

school vacations

any learning opportunity that comes your way.

Don’t try to devour the whole pumpkin in one go – be satisfied with a few pips at a time.

Click here to find answers to more laptop related questions.

Tags: laptops, learning, training

Must I learn to touch type?

Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | laptops | 1 Comment

If you’ve never worked on a computer before, or did not take typing lessons, you won’t be able to touch type.  Even many experienced computer users never acquired this skill.

What is touch typing?  It is typing without looking at the keyboard to find the right keys to press – through practise the fingers are trained to locate the keys so that the person typing can read from a text and type at the same time.  This skill can be compared to dancing – an accomplished dancer’s feet automatically follow the music.

Touch typing is indeed a valuable skill if you work a lot on a keyboard.  Typing with two fingers in a hunt-and-peck fashion is easy, but slow and tiresome.  Once you’ve mastered the skill of touch typing, you will be able to type:

much faster

more accurately

while you are reading from a document, or looking at the screen of your computer.

It is not difficult to learn to touch type.  A typing teacher on your staff may be able to help you.  Free typing tutor programmes are available for use in your own time.  Don’t give up if your fingers are dumb in the beginning – over time they will loosen up and obey you effortlessly.

The dividends that learning to touch type will pay you are illustrated by Aesop’s fable of the farmer and his sons.

A father, on the point of death, wished to be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it.  He called them to his bedside and said, “My sons, there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards.” 

The sons, after his death, took their spades and carefully dug over every portion of their land.  They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labour by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.

The moral of story: sometimes the rewards for one’s efforts are indirect.

In itself the skill of touch typing has no merit – you will find a real treasure when you reach the point where your fingers translate your thoughts into text.

Click here to find answers to more laptop related questions.

Tags: laptops, learning, skills, training

How can I cope with the many things I have to learn?

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 | laptops, training | 2 Comments

There are indeed many facets of your laptop that you will learn about over the course of time.  Once you’ve made a start, you may feel overwhelmed and be tempted to give up, owing to the sheer amount of material you have to work through.

Take one step at a time and you will get there.  If the goal seems impossible, take courage from Aesop’s fable: The Crow and the Pitcher.

A crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a pitcher which had once been full of water, but when the crow put its beak into the mouth of the pitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it.  He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair.  Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the pitcher.

Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the pitcher.

At last, after dropping many pebbles into the pitcher, he was encouraged when he saw the water level rising.  After casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his life.

The moral of the story: little by little does the trick.

You do not have to learn everything at once.  Learn what you can today, try to apply it as soon as you can, and pebble by pebble, little by little, you will get to the point where you will be reaping the rewards of your efforts.

Giving up is not an option.

Click here to find answers to more laptop related questions.

Tags: laptops, learning, training