This is a draft and will be updated with presentation slides later in July, 2008
I was asked by Daniel Arkin some months ago to present at the 2008 Virginia Society for Technology in Education Instructional Technology Resource Teacher conference held on July 25 ,2008. My topic was chosen for me: places to share content online. I felt the topic was lackluster, and instead, changed the focus just a bit. Instead of showing Pageflakes, iGoogle, and PortaPortal (how these collectively allow you to share your own content is a bit beyond me), I felt I wanted to present on the importance of sharing content.
ITRTs and their Job
For the record, I see the ITRT position as one whereby the individual works in the trenches, alongside teachers, marrying technology to instructional strategies both individuals deem best. Yes, this resource teacher is there to make sure the technology gets used, seemingly no matter if it’s the right thing or not (that’s the fear of some, I am sure). But by in large, ITRTs find methods of communication, evaluation, and problem-solving that use an array of available technologies, including handheld devices, computers, interactive white boards, and of course, computers and Websites.
Part of that job of the resource teacher is:
- finding resources,
- knowing the best pedagogical practices,
- facilitating the experience,
- evaluating tools and resources,
- and sometimes figuring out how to adapt a technology towards educational means.
It’s not as simple, let’s say, as having a canister of pencils and helping students use those pencils through sharpening lessons, seminars on the correct grip, or penmanship drills. Not at all so simple. It instead might involve the adaptation of a collaborative, online writing tool (say, Google Docs) and how that can be used to improve the quality of writing of 10th and 11th grade English students. This new tool wasn’t designed for English teachers and high school classrooms. Nor was it designed to strategically improve the skill of writing. But the ITRT must examine what it can do, assess the concerns with obtaining student accounts, and and work with a subject matter expert on how best to use the functions of this tool to improve writing. So, the ITRT will discover, if she doesn’t already know, what the instructional problem is. There are certainly a number of things Google Docs offers that might be palatable: group collaboration, group review, facilitation of providing teacher feedback, etc. Ultimately, the ITRT, in partnership with the English teacher (or even alone) has to assess whether or not this new tool and the associated hardware is beneficial for improving writing. Inevitably, some find it does; others it does not. Some, they’ll encounter problems along the way, preventing a true assessment to be exercised.
In an ideal environment, we’d like to see ITRTs as:
- experts at using technology,
- models of the ethical use of technology,
- pedagogical experts in a wide variety of subject-areas,
- teacher coach and/or partner.
Of course, you may have other ideas, too.
Many of the ITRTs in Virginia are former teachers, so they have experience with technology, but many possess an expertise in pedagogy first. Others have found themselves more technically minded, and are weaker at the pedagogical aspect. The so-called TPACK model (formerly TCPK, see http://punya.educ.msu.edu/research/tpck/) definitely takes as its focus the intersection of content, pedagogical, and technology knowledge at the center. Since few individual possess all areas of knowledge equally well, the ITRT and teacher partnership essentially attempts to provide the “sweet spot” in the TPACK model in the teaching environment.
With this in mind, I find that sharing resources online serves a two-pronged purpose:
- Share content for the benefit of other ITRTs in the field (first list, above), and
- Make the best of the relationship in the teacher and ITRT partnership to help realize some of the conditions for an ideal environment (second list).
Sharing Content
We today participate in an online environment that presents the educator with a double-edge sword, to make an analogy. On the one hand, a seemingly limitless number of resources, experiences, and tools are available at our fingertips. On the other, our access may be limited, resources can be blocked by filters, and the sheer amount of new information being created on a regular basis is staggering, leading to confusion. In short, the downside includes the perception that simply evaluating new online resources could take up the full-time job of a team of educators.
This is why sharing resources must be done with caution: sloppily presenting pieces of what you do, what you create, or what you evaluate adds to the quantity of information. But the quantity alone is not enough. Because ITRTs do not devote the full time of their occupation to the evaluation of new resources, the quality of information encountered saves the resource of time. ITRTs should only share content when it ensures a quality presentation, that’s easily found, organized, and made freely available.
In short, when presenting information about the tools and resources you use, the ITRT ought to:
- Tell us about the resource (location, cost, accessibility),
- How the resource was used (be specific in describing its implementation),
- Evaluate the resource as an instructional resource (was it worth your time and effort? what made it great?)
Sharing quality instances of the resources you use as an ITRT is both a professional courtesy and benefit to others in your field.
Improving the Teacher/ITRT Relationship
While ITRTs already are sharing some of their expertise on the tools and resources they are using, the tools alone are many times unhelpful to teachers who lack the experience or technical knowledge to implement the digital resource. Not knowing how to use a computer program, or not having access to a new Read/Write style tool on the Web, can easily thwart a teacher’s best intentions. By sharing information online in an easily accessible, open format, the ITRT can better the relationship with classroom teachers and further extend the effectiveness of what’s being shared when observed by other parties.
During the collaborative teaching process, the teacher and ITRT must share some understanding:
- What will each individual’s role be in this collaborative teaching?
- What access to hardware and/or software is required?
- What will the final project look like?
- Why has a particular technology been chosen?
- How will student understanding be assessed?
Many well-done lessons that implement digital tools are also lessons that follow a constructivist, project-based approach. If this style of teaching is less familiar to the classroom teacher, it is vital that all the instructional objectives and expectations are voiced before the instructional process begins with students. Documenting details of the experience before, during, and after the instructional experience by both parties can provide for valuable professional development for pedagogical skills.
So, to conclude: sharing the resources ITRTs are creating, finding, and using with others in the field–both classroom teachers and other ITRT colleagues–is a good idea. A variety of online tools exist to make sharing easy and inexpensive. This presentation will detail some of my favorite collaborative tools.
Sharing Tools
In thinking about an idealized tool for sharing, here are some criteria:
- It ought to be easy to get content on the network,
- The content should be free and open to the public so its searchable,
- The content should be well organized (thing tags for multiple associations such as grade level, subject area, and learning objectives),
- Changes or additions should be easily tracked (RSS? e-mail subscriptions?),
- The content should be made easily available to a group of like-minded individuals,
- The tool should be flexible enough to accommodate the needs of all participants.
Thinking about your needs, in your school, in your school division will be paramount. Wikis blogs, and online collaborative networks all accommodate at least a majority of the criteria listed, above.
When evaluating online resources, consider the ease of use and access. Choose a tool that is blessed on your network, or one so compelling it should be blessed. Here are a few of my favorites:
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope I’ve convinced you of some of the importance in sharing your craft as an ITRT with others online. I feel RSS technologies support these principles. Keeping your pulse on what others are producing is as important as sharing your own content. Consider purchasing RSS for Educators from Amazon.
