10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology

Ok, PLEASE help me out. I'm trying to create some materials for pd and want some input. Let's start at the bottom with our email-only, Powerpoint-loving colleagues (nothing wrong with that, just want to help them advance!). What do these teachers need to know in order to teach effectively in today's technology environment? Your list can have MORE than 10 (or less, I guess, but who can think of less than 10?!?) Doesn't have to include only 2.0 tips, could be Office, etc.
Thanks so much, I know every single one of my CR2.0 colleagues has a wealth of knowledge to share :-)

Edited to add: I put the replies together in a "transcript" for those of you wishing to use it for PD. Published it as a GoogleDoc here - http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddx5s2vf_14nk6spfgj

Tags: pd

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Permalink Reply by Emily Hughes on October 25, 2015 at 4:58pm

I would like to discuss how using technology to communicate with student' parents is important.

Most times the involvement of the parents in the student's education is very depended on the parents. As teachers, we will be expected to see parents who want a hand in everything their student is doing, or we will see parents who are fully unaware of what their student is doing in school. Either way, a teacher needs to inform his or her students' parents about what is going on. A few ways a teacher can do this is by simply sending out a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly email announcement wheel to the parents about upcoming events the students are participating in. On the note of emails, a teacher can quickly send an email to a students' parents if their child is excelling in an area, or if their child has been misbehaving. It is a quick way to inform parents of their students' progress during the day. Another idea to use technology to interact with students' parents is by having a classroom website. This website will inform students and teachers about upcoming events and past events, it can even have a private tab that displays the students work. This way the parents have access to see what their students are writing about and you are in communication with them. Using technology to communicate with your students' parents is an important way for teachers to use technology.

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Permalink Reply by Catherine B. on October 25, 2015 at 8:38pm

In regards to number two on this list, I think it is more important than ever that teachers teach and display good and smart practices online and with technology.

In dealing with social media, some of the most important aspects of that should be demonstrated and taught are how students should respond to hateful comments or online bullying. They should also be taught to be mindful of the images and other things they share on social media and also learn the importance using the privacy settings and not allowing just anyone to see who and where they are . Teachers should also demonstrate these things in their own personal use of social media.

In regards to students using online resources in the classroom, they need to learn how to make appropriate and thoughtful responses on forum posts and in the comments sections of articles. They also should learn to respect the opinions of others and remember that when they make hatful comments they are not attacking a computer, they are hurting a persons.

Finally, students should be encouraged to post and share their own ideas and creativity.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathon Newkirk on October 25, 2015 at 8:40pm

I will be discussing number 8 on the list.

Knowing what technology is appropriate for each age and grade level is extremely important in educational technology. This is because as a teacher, you do not want to use high school technology for a elementary classroom. When a teacher uses technology that is not age appropriate, chaos starts in the students' brains. When the student start to panic, learning is not happening. When the students do not learn, the teacher is not successfully doing his or her job. Using age appropriate technology makes a world of difference in everyone involved in the classroom. This means that the teacher is being successful in making sure the students are learning, the students are taking something away from the lesson, the principal is happy, and it leads to the parents being happy that their kids are being educated properly. There are many technology friendly apps out there to use in every classroom from 1st grade to senior level high school students, just search for them. If you search it, you will find it. Make the technology fun and inviting for the students and yourself. Enjoy the use of technology in the classroom, do not look down on it because the students will notice and it will not be fun for them anymore.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kerr on October 25, 2015 at 10:28pm

Concerning number 4 on the list:

There are many different platforms for teachers to take advantage of as they create lessons. A majority of resources come from online website-based services. The top two places to look at when looking for effective tools to guide a lesson would be Google and Microsoft. Both of these provide web-based services that the student can work on at school and continue at their homes if they run out of time. Google’s tools such as Google Docs and Google Forms even provide a service that allows students to work on a project together over the Internet in real time regardless of their various locations. Microsoft also provides platforms to make such as OneDrive that can give cloud access to students at the teacher’s discretion for access to files like Powerpoints, PDFs, Word Documents and video and audio files. Furthermore, teachers can use services provided by developers that operate independently from major corporations. Programs like Cartoonist, Animoto, and Prezi are effective and versatile presentation programs that will engage students more than a standard Powerpoint or overhead projector.