Teaching in the
igital Age
Brian Puerling M.S.,NBCT
Director of Education Technology
Catherine Cook School
Chicago, IL USA
Overview
• Curriculum Mapping/Technology Skill Mapping
• Reflection and Evaluation
• Approaches to Professional Development
• Introduction to technologies
• Individual Teacher and Staff Support
• Maintaining the Vision: Hiring Process
Curriculum
Mapping
• Identifying essential questions and
understandings
• Identifying skills to learn now and in the future
• Planning for now and the future
• Building on prior knowledge, skills, and
experiences
• Connecting the disciplines
•Threading units of study
Example Curriculum Map
Month
September
October
Essential
Unit/Investigation Questions/Understandi
ngs
Families
Neighborhood
Each family is different
Possible Learning
Experiences
Children bring in
photographs of their
families to share with
class
Class goes on a
Neighborhoods can be
neighborhood walk and
made of homes,
scavenger hunt, taking
businesses, parks, and
photos of particular
more
items
Technology Skill Mapping
•
•
Identify (technology) skills needed to
participate in certain technology related
activities
Determine where/when these skills should be
taught/introduced
Example Technology Skill
Map
Month
September
October
Technology
Technology
Skill
- a photograph is a
moment in time
Digital Camera (point - awareness that
& shoot, cell phone, photographs can be
iPad, etc)
taken with various
devices
-
Digital camera
- Look through view
finder
- Push correct button
to take a photograph
Activity
- Show photographs
of last year’s class
- Model showing a
photo of your own
family
- In small groups,
invite children to help
take photographs
outside
Professional Development
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Faculty/Staff Meetings
Grade level meetings
Conferences
Webinars
Book Clubs
Twitter Chats
Discussion Boards
Professional Learning Network (PLN)
Technology Team(s)
Faculty/Staff Meetings
•
•
•
•
Share success/challenges
Introduce new programs or devices
Discuss progress and next steps
Discuss/revist curriculum mapping and
technology skill mapping
Grade Level Meetings
•
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Time given during the school day
Teacher led time to collaborate and reflect
Meet with other support staff
Discuss planning/maps/next steps
Conferences and Webinars
•
•
•
Time provided to deeply explore new ideas
and strategies
Get inspired and motivated from those who
are doing it right way
Develop frameworks and structures for
teachers to bring ideas back and share
•
•
Book Clubs and Discussion
Boards
Identify a book and deeply explore over time
•
Employ a structure which recognizes
participate transformation
Conversation can be:
•
•
•
In person
Blog
Discussion boards
Twitter Chats
•
•
•
Get quick ideas
Get inspired
Meet new people from
all over!
#1stChat
#KinderChat
#ECEtechchat
Professional Learning Networks
(PLN)
• Empower teachers to recognize their own learning
styles
•
Develop their own PLN:
•
Example PLN may be:
•
•
•
Participates in a book club with teachers from
another school
Meets regularly with grade level team
Reads and participates in a variety of early
Introducing Technology
• Consider background of
children and families
• Consider age and
development
• Consider features of the
device(s) being introduced
•Consider the most basic
navigation skills
Introductions should
include...
• Showing the device
• Exploring background
knowledge and prior
experiences with device
• Modeling how to
handle it
• Discussions of what it
will do in the classroom
Introducing applications to
children
Supporting your Teachers with
Introducing Technology to
Children
What are some ways you could help prepare
your teachers to intentionally introduce
technology to their children?
Reflection and Evaluation
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•
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Individualized
Discussion with supervisor
Discussion with students
Committee of teachers
•
Consider inviting parents
Reflection &
Evaluation
✤
Ongoing reflection
✤
Intentional practice
•
•
•
•
•
Individual Teacher and Staff
Support
Meet them where they are at
Start small
Goal setting
•
Creating a plan
Supporting teacher initiatives
Technology Teams
We are all on our own
journey...
What do you do at
home?
Do you use a digital camera?
Do you have an iPod/mp3 /CD
player?
Do you use a cell phone?
Do you use a computer?
Considering this, what skills
do you have?
How could that transfer to the
classroom?
Goal Setting
Example for
General
I want to be less
afraid of computers.
Example for
specific
1. I want to learn how
to create a newsletter
on my computer.
2. I want to learn how
to scan in artwork to
create a photobook for
my class
assess your skills
what do I know
how to do
what do I want to know
how to do
How will I learn
these new skills
© Brian Puerling, 2011
Publishing with iPads
Find a teachers’ entry point
into comfortable trying
something new.
Sharing with a Publishing
Party
• Families invited to
join the celebration
• Writers showed both
forms of published
work
• ebooks shared with
families
Support Teacher Initiatives
•
•
Teachers embrace challenges at varying rates
and quantities
Motivated teachers may find something they
want to try
•
Support them and invite them to share
Maintaining the Vision: Hiring
Process
•
•
Hire people who support your commitment to
technology
Ask the right questions
Maintaining the Vision: Hiring
Process
What are some questions you
could ask in an interview?
Sustaining the Vision: Hiring
Process
• Interviews 1,2, and perhaps 3
• Hiring Committees: Teachers, Tech Support,
Parent
•
•
Multiple perspectives
Teach a lesson, reflect with committee
it is good to unplug
Brian Puerling, M.S., NBCT
Director of Education TechnologyCatherine Cook
School, Chicago, [email protected]
@bpuerling