Professional Development on the Cheap and on the Web

In looking for the best practices in Educational Technology I've come across two websites that have been excellent in developing my knowledge and understanding of technology integration. These two tools are Google for Education Training and EdWeb.net.  These are fantastic resources to better your teaching practice as well as strengthen your resume.

Our school has been in the process of "Going Google" for a little while now and the expectations for us to be working more and more using Google Apps along with our other software are rising.  Google has created an easy to follow curriculum that covers each of the main areas that teachers can use Google Apps to enhance learning within their classroom.  Each of the lessons are between 5 and 15 minutes to complete and many include step by step videos to help you master each skill.  

 From every lesson I have gained at least 1 thing that has made using Google Apps more accessible and effective.
After completing the lessons, for a small fee of about 100$USD you can take an exam to become a Google Certified Teacher, which would would be highly desirable to many schools.

I'm not really sure how I came across EdWeb, but I must have subscribed to their postings at some point as they send me once a week the schedule for their webinars.  When I see a topic that I am interested in I reserve a spot for the scheduled time and EdWeb sends me reminders of when to log on and join the live webinar.  In the live webinar you have the ability to post comments and questions to the presenter as well as all of the other participants are online.  If you happen to miss the live session you can watch the recorded video at your own convenience.  Each session is around 1 hour in length and totally free.  After each webinar you receive a certificate of completion.

Along with the webinars EdWeb is a social network bringing a community of educators together to share their experiences.  

Stay Calm and Just Keep Learning

  

Wow Google is Cool!

Before coming to Brasil I had never used the Google Apps to any extent other than doing Google Searches ("Just Google it" is the now definitive ending to any disagreement).  It seems that a lot of people are in the same boat as me.  I have been spending some time going through the brilliant and easily accessible tutorials of the Google suite through Google for Education.  There is so much more that can be done than finding out what the one armed drummer of Def Leppard's name is.

I'm not sure which came first Google Apps or Google for Education, but Google Apps are suited perfectly for use in schools.  The abilities to collaborate, communicate, organize and inspire are all tied seamlessly together.

The Core Apps of Google are built on the need for collaboration and they are a good place to get started using Google.  They are:

Google Drive

Google Docs

Google Calendar

Google Sites

Gmail

and Google Search

In subsequent posts we'll look at the ways to use these different apps to enrich learning, engage students, and organize everything.

What I want to be able to do as an Educational Technology Integrator

I've been reading a lot of what other tech integration specialists are doing in their schools and it all looks so fantastic.  There are so many ways to use technology in the classroom to support teaching and learning that it can be difficult to know where to start.  I thought it would be important to write out what I want to be and do in the school community, then start taking the steps to make these ideals a reality.

I want to be Inspiring and Inspired : The whole draw for me with technology is that it is inspiring.  Students and teachers are able to see significant growth through ever changing means.  I want to, through my own practice, demonstrate to teachers that they have the capabilities to fully engage their students and enrich learning.

I want to be a Resource and a Resourcer (maybe a resorcerer) : Once the system is set up, I'd like to be a bookable resource that teachers can schedule for 1-to-1 training or curriculum consultation, for individual class lessons on Internet Safety, Digital Citizenship... where I am leading the class, co-teaching, or supporting the class teacher.  I also see myself spending a good amount of time researching apps, hardware, teaching techniques... that will help teachers enhance their lessons.

I want to be a Connector : I do not hold all of the knowledge about every app or piece of equipment that will be used in our school, but there are experts all around us.  I think it is a critical aspect that I am finding the abilities, previous experience, and passions of the staff in order to reach towards our goal of creating a community of learners.  I'm really looking forward to finding out teachers strengths and helping them connect with teachers who may not have these strengths but are looking for ways to be develop their own teaching practice.

I want to Continually be Learning : I want learn how to code, I want understand the games that the students are playing, I want to take Google Educator courses online, I want to explore different apps ... because if we demonstrate a passion for learning our students soak these attitudes in and there is just too much out there for us not to strive to know as much as we can.

I hope to be these things and I'm sure more will arise through this experience.


The Resorcerer,