One of the great things about attending a conference, even when you attend sessions on things you’ve done, or have already been involved with, is the renewed sense of energy you can grab from those presenting. I’ve been attending the Educational Technology Leadership Conference for Virginia’s schools this week in Roanoke. Today I attended several sessions that got me excited about things we’re already doing. But new energy, new angles, and new variations make these topics exciting, once again.
I attended a session by three ITRTs in Norfolk on using wikis. They, along with their teachers, were excited about using wikis to maintain resources for their curriculum maps, in addition to sharing Smart notebook resources.
A few tips:
- Don’t be afraid to share ownership with all teachers. You don’t need to police the wiki.
- When managing resources, be sure to implement a keyword tagging system. It will make finding resources of interest easier in the future.
- I’d recommend a wiki platform that allows a generic password for write access, but also allows authors/editors to identify themselves. We use with with PMWiki and I really like that combination.
I also attended a session from Powhatan that detailed their new procedure for handling TSIP requirements for teachers. The TSIP, or Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel, is a Virginia-licensure requirement for teachers and administrators. Established in 1998, it calls for teachers to have basic technology skills before obtaining a teaching license. But many feel, with it being 10 years old, it needs a revision.
Powhatan County is changing the whole concept by collecting teacher artifacts demonstrating their exhibition of NETS-T standards. So, in a sense, by saying their teachers are “NETS-T aligned,” they ought to also be TSIP-approved.
I applaud Powhatan, as I think their plan is helping their teachers acquire some of the skills necessary for addressing 21st century learning styles. But I also wonder if all the “work” is necessary to satisfy a rather simple state requirement?
There are some things I compare to the driver’s license. It should, by design, be more difficult, or less difficult, than obtaining a driver’s license. It all depends what we’re talking about.
Preparing kids for the 21st century (the type defined by Thomas Friedman) should be a “harder than” driver’s license pursuit. But, demonstrating your ability level with technology? Something tells me that should be easier.
We do G21 goals in Goochland, and we likely have a simpler TSIP process. Powhatan’s route likely fits their staff and environment. Either way, each of these two districts are going after some of the same goals. I appreciate the fact that the definitions and requirements for TSIP are ultimately decided by the individual school divisions. They allow us… flexibility.
Finally, ETLC is over tomorrow, but it was great to see so many familiar faces. Thanks to those of you who made the session on G21.