Don’t run away. Jump in!
With the variety of e-learning tools emerging just about every day, the digital world sometimes can be overwhelming. In fact, some people may simply hear the letter “e” attached to any word, or “blog” or “technology” and run away screaming “I just can’t take anymore!”
You’re not alone.
Many educators find the topic of ‘technology in the classroom’ a buzzword that carries little clout when it comes to actually implementing new tech-y tools in their curriculum. And who can blame them? Every year it seems there’s some new e- fad and perhaps you first-handedly have witnessed the rise and fall of many a computer program in your career. However, there’s a culture of learning that has emerged over the past 10 years or so that has become e-ngaged, e-xcited and e-namored with the new learning styles technology has e-nabled teachers to implement. There are several resources out there that will help you gain tips, tricks and resources in bringing your curriculum to the 21st century.
Take baby steps
Remember, you don’t have to become an expert in one day. Begin by using that amazing tool at your fingertips: Google. Search for blogs or social networks that are directly related to your subject matter or field. For instance, if you’re a science teacher, you’d search for “science teacher blogs” or “e learning high school.” If you’re an elementary teacher, search for “elementary school e-learning” and “classroom technology.” Usually, finding a few good web sites or blogs related to your field will lead you to additional resources.
Subscribe
Most web sites or blogs either send out an email newsletter or you can subscribe to their content using RSS. RSS stands for “real simple syndication.” All you need to receive updated content is 1) Find a feed reader. There are many RSS feed readers available. The most common one is Google reader (and the one I use). 2) Sign up. When you find a blog you’d like to subscribe via RSS, click on the RSS icon, select the Google reader option, and then add the blog to your feed reader. When you pull up your reader on the web, the blogs or web sites you’ve subscribed to display on the reader. Every time content is updated, the news will be updated in your reader.
Use social media networks
By connecting with others who are like you, you’re exposing yourself to a wealth of up-to-date expertise and resources. Before I was working for a college, I had very little knowledge about e-learning tools out there. Over the past couple of months, I have become well informed simply by using Twitter. Twitter is probably the simplest social network. It’s almost like text messaging, only on the web. You may “follow” people who are of interest to you. When I started searching for technologically savvy educators, I googled “Twitter teachers MN.” I found a few people that were of interest and then I started following people that they followed. Soon, I had a feed running of about 100 tech-y teachers that have provided me links to various web resources for teaching and learning using technology.
Remember, you don’t need to become an expert overnight. You wouldn’t expect your students to jump from basic math to calculus in one week, would you? Take a little at a time. Read and search. Bookmark and subscribe. Before you know it, technology won’t be such a scary thing.
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