This school year has seen the implementation of this blog for the purpose improving communication between and among staff members at Speas Elementary school. The flexibility of the blog has greatly reduced the usage of e-mail for communication and has allowed staff members to comment on items found in the bog. This function has given staff members to choice of being identified in their comments or to comment anonymously. The entire staff has then had the benefit of being able to read comments deepen their own understanding of an issue.
While the blog has been very functional, the true impact of these technology workshops has been in what I see daily when I go into classrooms. Technology has moved from an add on in lessons to the vehicle for orchestrating student learning. Not a day goes by that I don't see SmartBoards in use, Photo Story presentations, and web-based content and delivery systems in use with classes or entire grade levels. Teachers have researched many different web-sites and found and enormous amount of exciting and engaging material to stir student interest and help deliver content. Student and experienced teachers alike have adapted technology to their disciplines. It is in used continuously in our ESL classes. It has been merged with our focus on Marzano's High Yield Teaching Strategies creating lessons that foster and employ graphic organizers; understanding similarities and differences; and aided in unique ways of summarizing or note taking.
Good teachers have enhanced their existing skills and developed new ones during the course of the year. There is an excitement around its use as a tool in the classroom. Classes without Smart Boards have asked repeatedly when they will be receiving theirs. All this has come about as a result of learning what was available and how it could be used to benefit children.
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