Time Management

Time- I need it!! I have been a lurker on this forum for a little bit, and that isn't by choice...it is because of time constraints. I have the time to multi-task and scan through here while I am doing many other things- but haven't had the chance to reply. With that confession out of the way- I thought I would seek help, advice, or any useful tips you have about managing tech and time.
This is my first year working with technology for an elementary campus. And I love technology, but since I don't have my own classroom and am trying to teach/reach teachers on how to use technology in their classroom, I often feel like an invader.
So, how can I be most effective at teaching the teachers to integrate technology- without burdening their also full schedule? I have experienced that when I play with the technology, I learn it faster and see how easy it is to use. But- trying to get teachers to take that time- it feels like a burden to them.
So- hi and help :)
Cassandra

Tags: management, time

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pemberton on November 3, 2009 at 10:24am

Cassandra,

I've been in your shoes! First thing to do is identify a teacher need that the technology can fulfill. It may be that they plan a lesson on Predator and Prey and you find a lesson at http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/prof/Lessons/LESS-SCI-PredPrey.... ... or the teacher is concerned because she has no pictures available of the Famous Americans she wants to teach, and you turn her on to http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer .... Perhaps a teacher has some readers who are lagging behind others, and she wants to find something special to catch their attention, and you can suggest http://wwww.educationalsynthesis.org/books which personalize a story to the reader to ncrease interest and comprehension.

Now, admittedly, I am tooting my own horn here, listing solutions that I have on my website, but the concept is that you get to know the teachers well enough to know what their future plans and needs are, and locate the sources for them online. Help them develop the plan to use the technology in class, and if possible, be around to pitch in whenever problems arise in the first several times a teacher does it.

One final suggestions. Most teachers have a subject or area where they are weaker than others. For many it is math or science. Get to know what those low spots in your teachers are, and find online resources to assist them become better teachers.

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Permalink Reply by Cassandra on November 3, 2009 at 10:28am

Anne-

Thank you for your reply! I think I will have to check out your website, those look like great resources.

I appreciate your advice and look forward to testing it out!

Cassandra

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pemberton on November 3, 2009 at 11:10am

By all means, check out my website at http://www.educationalsynthesis.org and find the areas that will be most useful to your teachers. For the Kindergarten teacher who are teaching the alphabet, there are a lot of resouces - some mine, some links to the work of others. There are many games they can play to learn to recognize the letters and some common objects that begin with those letters. The My Own Books includes a set of books for the alphabet that can be personalized to each student in the class, if desired, or personalized to one student for each letter, and read to the class. I started making games for the kids to pair the letters and pictures, but haven't finished them as yet.

In the math section, there are a number of worksheet makers that let the teacher create as many unique worksheets at each level of computation as desired. The worksheets begin with counting shapes and performing the operation, then move to the numerals. There are also concrete worksheets for numeration and printable shapes for sorting by shape, size and color. When I do the stats each month, I see the popularity of the printable math manipulative, including the fraction bars. I just finished making a page for printing out cuisionaire rods.

With the holiday season upon us, be sure to check out the holiday pages and the resources for online activities, coloring pages, music and more.

Also, let your teachers know that if they identify an area that needs some resources, just let me know and give me enough time to create something to fit the bill. The Predator and Prey resources came about because a teacher I used to work with said she was having trouble finding resources to teach this concept to special ed elementary students. In the past week, I've done the resources for teaching carnivores and herbivores. I'd love to hear how it goes in actual use.