NCET Conference ’08

A couple weeks ago I attended and presented at the North Carolina Educational Technicians (NCET) Conference held in Greenville, NC. The presentation was entitled, “Who’s in Your Circle? Collaboration in the 21st Century -Taking Web 2.0 to School” There were about 50 participants in the session, mostly technicians or those working in the technology department. I created a wiki to present and demonstrate information on the Web 2.0 tools that teachers are using or wish to use in their classrooms.

The conversation that took place during this training was extremely valuable to me as a facilitator and one who trains teachers on the integration of technology. Many times I hear from teachers how hard it is to integrate technology when the tools they want to use are not accessible to them because of filtering constraints. I’ve often told teachers to continue advocating for those tools and to find ways to demonstrate their need in addressing 21st century skills. On the other end, I know those in charge of filtering are required by law to do so and many times do not have classroom experience or knowledge in the use of the many tools that are out there. There is a communication gap here.

We all know technology is moving at the speed of light these days and new tools are developed daily, and if used appropriately can allow students the opportunity to develop the 21st century skills they will need to successfully live and compete globally in a digital world. These new tools allow for connections, communication, and collaboration with others.

Those present in the session expressed appreciation for being shown these tools and how they could be used in the classroom as well as having a location (the wiki) to go back and explore further or even to be able to use to share with those back in their districts. Many said the session helped them in understanding things teachers need as well as offering ways to make many of the tools available. This will give them more ability to convince administrators and teachers the importance of exploring these tools personally and professionally.

What I took away from this session as a facilitator was the need for more communication of technology needs versus teacher needs. One participant stated that he will go back and start a dialogue with his department on how to make tools safely available to teachers and students. One referred to it as much needed “bedside manners”. I’ve always said the technician is your friend. Invite him or her to your classroom. Make them a part of your team. Communicate your needs in a non-threatening way. Say “Thank you.” After all, we are all in this together for the students.

Web 2.0

I’ve been very busy lately listening in on sessions at the K12 Online Conference, participating in Webcast Academy and preparing for a pre-conference session on Web 2.0 to be held in Greensboro, NC the week after Thanksgiving. I have found many, many great uses for Web 2.0 tools for educators and most of these tools are free. The tools I will be using with participants include: blogs, wikis, google docs, Skype, Yugma, social bookmarking sites and others. I will be using a wiki to conduct my training and a blog for participant reflection. I created a spreadsheet on google docs that particpants will be editing and I have a couple of teachers around the country that will be skyping in during the session to share ways they use these same tools in their schools and districts. I’m excited about this conference session because participants will get hands on experience with these tools. My goal is that they find at least one to integrate into their classroom.