Collaborative


 * UPDATE Final Wiki Activity** - (Due May 6) Please download and read the Educational Technology WebQuest. It explains the WebQuest activity. Your job is to evaluate the WebQuest activity and make suggestions for improvement on the collaborative page. I modified the assignment so you can spend additional time on your websites. I like how you started this and hope you can give me suggestions for improvement. I can use your descriptions in the WebQuest as well.


 * Assignment:** The Wiki Starter will be the editor for this assignment and get the ball rolling. Your work is to continue the story from the first paragraph I have written. Each Wiki member should take a turn and continue the story with a new paragraph that will be consistent with what has been written before it. Once the group goes around the starter will either finish it or continue for another round if the story is robust enough or there are only three or less Wiki members.

The teachers at //Connecticut City High School// (CCES) finally got what they wanted. While the principal, Mr. Simpson, has given them enough technology to fill two schools, most of the teachers are not able to use it and have been calling for training to finally learn to use this stuff. Mr. Simpson has relented and hired a group of grad students from CCSU to come in and provide workshops and training for a week.The pay is good, $500 per day per trainer and the group, Dennis, Gina and Lena were expected to make significant changes in how technology would be used after the training week was finished. However, the group immediately identified several problems they had to deal with. The first problem was that the principal wanted all the training put online.

This was definitely an issue, because Mr. Simpson did not take into account that the teachers at CCES were all at different levels in terms of technology. This school was composed of a diverse group of teachers, 40% having been in the system for well over twenty years, 25% between ten to twenty, and the remaining were all young, enthusiastic and eager to learn first to fourth year teachers. As can be predicted the older generation teachers were not very willing to change their ways, or learn new technology for that matter; they were quite content delivering instruction from a pile of yellow tinted crumpled and overused paper. No use and no time for computers! When asked to complete a computer experience survey, the remaining staff showed interest in learning new technology, but their knowledge varied from little to highly skilled. As can be seen, this was challenge of great proportion. Dennis, Gina and Lena didn't waste much time preparing for the task at hand. First, they needed to communicate with Mr. Simpson and explain clearly that an online course was not the ideal route to take, a hands on live classroom setting would be much more effective at this time,(perhaps online would work for those few highly skilled only).
 * Lena **

**Gina** Dennis, Gina and Lena presented the results of the computer experience survey to Mr. Simpson. They advised against online training for each aspect of the new technology because it doesn’t accommodate all learning styles, especially the veteran teachers. They need to see an immediate purpose for using such technology. The training group sat down and discussed first what type of technology was necessary to provide professional development. New software used for attendance or grading can be done using written tutorials with screen shots and online video tutorials using [|www.screenr.com]. Teachers may have access to such tutorials when ever necessary on the schools website under “Teacher Resources”.

More complex software such as Smartboards will require a presentation, tutorials and hands on approach. The training group needs to put together a presentation for a school professional development on technology. As part of the presentation there needs to be visuals such as online tutorials as well as a written screen shot tutorial. The presentation will focus on effectiveness of technology in the classroom and most importantly show how easily and effortlessly it can be done. Dennis Dennis, Gina and Lena created a plan for the five-day professional development for CCES. We have divided the workshops in five sessions. Day one will be conducted in the auditorium. The teachers will be introduced to their new Mack book Pro notebooks. The teachers will create a longing and register online. A writing tutorial will be given to the teachers to help at school or home. The tutorial will be a copy of the PowerPoint presentation on Mac 101. There will also be a video tutorial available online for teachers using [|www.screenr.com]. Each day a written tutorial will be provided for each workshop, followed by a video tutorial using [|www.screenr.com]. This will help for different learners styles and levels. Day two will be set up in the auditorium for the introduction to Power School program for entering data and grades online. Day three the teachers will be introduced to smart board training and its applications. The teachers will be introduced to the free tutorial online tutorial provided by Smart Board Company. Day four the teacher will be in the auditorium with their laptops to be introduced to the use of wikispaces for the class and staff use. Today the teachers will be assigned to four groups, Mac 101 / Power School / Smart Board / and Technology in the Classroom. Each group is responsible to place tutorials of their group online. This will accomplish the goal of Ms. Simpson of putting information online. Day five – the teacher will have a workshop day, to gather and place information on their wikispaces to publish information online. On day five there will a separate workshop for the technology leaders at CCES. Dennis, Gina and Lena expressed to Mr. Simpson that the staff needed continues support through the year. Mr. Simpson accepted and created four stipend positions for the technology leaders. They will be trained in each topic to provide further support throughout the year. Surveys were given each day at the end of each workshop using goggle docs. The data collected expressed what the staff feels they need more training. This information will be given to the technology leaders to further develop professional development through the year. Mr. Simpson was happy with the format of the professional development in such a short time. He was glad to see the information was placed online.