Educational Technology Toolkit

Mrs. Smith,

I finished my teacher observations and identified one area in which the school needs improvement. When I visited classrooms, I saw great potential for growth in students’ achievements. Many teachers explained that they were concerned some students get “bored” during class and said they would like to integrate new and engaging strategies to encourage student participation, critical thinking and increase motivation. I could not help but think that on my observations I saw technology tools, but saw a few teachers using them or they used the same tool repeatedly. Most said it took too much of their time to plan to use it or they did not know how to use it properly. I am an advocate of technology. I have seen the amazing impact it can have on students’ progress. I think our teachers need some guidance and constant support on how to incorporate technology in the classroom to enhance their practice and empower students learning. About a month ago, I came across the book Untangling the Web written by Stephen Dembo and Adam Bellow. This book provides teachers with technology resources and gives them ideas on how they can incorporate technology into their lessons. I am suggesting we use this book as a professional development. The book has six chapters. Maybe we can divide each chapter and assign it to a grade level for them to present? This way, we will allow them to collaborate and learn from each other rather than just giving them a book they might not even read. I also want to provide them with a list of resources they can use to get started using more technology. I want to support our teachers and follow up with them in anything they need.

Please, let me know what are your thoughts on this.

Regards,

                  Mrs. Cramer