A. Describe at least three
possible reasons why the project had very little effect on the instructional
practices employed by the teachers. Each of the factors mention in this chapter
as to why earlier forms of instructional media ( i.e films, radio, television)
had very limited effects on instructional practices.
Like many practices in education, schools jump on board without making
sure all of the people involved in the execution of the new practice are willing,
equipped, and able to go along with the new idea. Teachers, whom typically end
up being the front men for the new idea, are not always invested in ensuring a
favorable outcome. Another factor may be the prevailing attitude of, “if it isn’t
broke, don’t fix it.” Change is difficult for many people. I am always very
impressed when I see a seasoned teacher light up at something new and
innovative. This is not a common attitude. Furthermore, when teachers feel like
they are forced to try something which is out of their comfort zone or requires
additional. Teaching is an art. No artist likes to be dictated to n how to
handle their medium.
B. Describe at least two
strategies that could have been employed to help mitigate the factors that you
think contributed to the minimal effect this project had on instructional
practices. Indicate why you think each of these strategies might have been
helpful.
First and foremost I think that
getting teachers on board early in the process of researching a new system is
important. Many teachers feel they are only called in after things have already
been decided, their opinions being only a taken into consideration for show. By
having teachers represented early on in the process shows a measure of good
faith and allows for meaningful input from those who will be on the front end
of implementing the new process.
Secondly, proper training of all
who will be using the new system offers more support. Many times a trickle down
method is used in training. A few people IT and some administrators get
trained, then, to save money they distribute the information to other staff.
Eventually, newcomers are left to fend for themselves. Yes, I am living it
right now!
Getting all the stakeholders
invested early and proper training can go a long way towards building confidence
in any new system.
Photo Sharing:
I have used different photo sharing sites. My first was Photobucket was used to share pictures of my knitting. Later I tried Flickr. I also use Picasa, by Google, to organize my pictures. It also has a feature allowing me to upload pictures and to share them. This made adding pictures to my blog very easy.