In the past couple of years I’ve seen huge changes!!
In NB, all teachers have Notebook computers..I think this has been the catalyst for change. This past year has seen a major shift. Teachers have notebooks, large pockets of students have them as well. We also have wireless access (thin in some cases, but present), and we presently are working in Professional Learning Communities. The primary focus this year is on Common Assessments.
I think in my position as a Mentor, my largest focus will be in working with Administrators to create a technology plan with SMART goals to take inventory of what the schools have and where they want to go. Within that focus, I see me setting up training sessions to teach schools (not just interested individuals) to use the Portal to increase efficiency and communication in schools.
I’m not sure if you all have a Portal where you are, so I’ll expand a bit on this. The Portal is a sharepoint site within the firewall that allows for a common provincial workspace, as well as several sub spaces for schools and curricular teams. The new version (should be on-line by this spring) will allow student access to the Portal, as well as the addition of Blogs, Wikis and the ability to RSS feed.
The other thing I need to try and do is to stay focused! There is so much out there right now and really, not much direction comes to Mentors as far as the specifics go. I think it is very important that I stick to the school’s Tech Plan and the agenda of the PLC. I would rather do a top notch job at fewer initiatives/ideas, than a half baked effort at numerous initiatives. It is essential to stay focused on teaching and learning and not just on what’s new and exciting. (funny..I'm on my way to a meeting so that we can clearly define what are the essential technology learnings for our teachers, students and admin...should be a good discussion!)
In NB, all teachers have Notebook computers..I think this has been the catalyst for change. This past year has seen a major shift. Teachers have notebooks, large pockets of students have them as well. We also have wireless access (thin in some cases, but present), and we presently are working in Professional Learning Communities. The primary focus this year is on Common Assessments.
I think in my position as a Mentor, my largest focus will be in working with Administrators to create a technology plan with SMART goals to take inventory of what the schools have and where they want to go. Within that focus, I see me setting up training sessions to teach schools (not just interested individuals) to use the Portal to increase efficiency and communication in schools.
I’m not sure if you all have a Portal where you are, so I’ll expand a bit on this. The Portal is a sharepoint site within the firewall that allows for a common provincial workspace, as well as several sub spaces for schools and curricular teams. The new version (should be on-line by this spring) will allow student access to the Portal, as well as the addition of Blogs, Wikis and the ability to RSS feed.
The other thing I need to try and do is to stay focused! There is so much out there right now and really, not much direction comes to Mentors as far as the specifics go. I think it is very important that I stick to the school’s Tech Plan and the agenda of the PLC. I would rather do a top notch job at fewer initiatives/ideas, than a half baked effort at numerous initiatives. It is essential to stay focused on teaching and learning and not just on what’s new and exciting. (funny..I'm on my way to a meeting so that we can clearly define what are the essential technology learnings for our teachers, students and admin...should be a good discussion!)
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