Teacher Training

We are fortunate enough at our school to have 2 teachers and our librarian participate in the Library 23 things offered through the district. That being said, we realized the need for teachers to be aware of the tools that we have found helpful in this process.
We have proposed teacher trainings this upcoming year (2008-09) differently to our principal and she gave it the thumbs up.

1. We have already surveyed the teachers and received their input on interests.
2. Everyone will bring their own laptops with them to staff development.
3. Each month we will introduce a new tool: animoto, photostory, trading cards, wiki page, etc.
4. After explaining to the teachers a quick overview, it is time to “play”. Using the projector and laptop hooked up-we will walk them through the features and allow them time to explore and create with the expertise of the teachers/librarian already trained.
5. The teachers will have the flexibility to work on the project alone or with their teams.
6. This is the ideal time to use your librarian as an excellent resource. She also is an expert on copyright and fair use.


So in short
-we listened to the teachers.
-we are going to give the teachers an opportunity to use some technology without being intimidated or overwhelmed.
-we have built in time and flexibility.
-we are also capitalizing on the strengths of others.

The major difference will be the follow up and hands on training that has been missing from the equation. Many times we go to workshops to just think, "That was neat." but never have the time or assistance needed to complete the project.

We are excited to try this.