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Technology in Education is a rapidly changing phenomenon. It seems like every year there are new developments that can help students achieve higher standards. The problem is that it is often difficult to keep up with these trends. The TIE Conference offers teachers, administrators, media specialists, and educators from all over the Western Region an opportunity to attend workshops and presentations to learn more about technology integration, as well as how to integrate these new technologies into the classroom.
After leaving the teaching profession in 2000, I spent a year researching careers in the field of education technology. I envisioned working for a software company that specializes in supporting educators. However, after 9/11 the job market was not favorable for making a career change. On the plus side, I did extensive research in the education technology field, and became quite familiar with this growing industry. After an unsuccessful ‘hiatus’ from public education, I decided to re-enter the teaching profession with a focus on becoming a technology teacher. I no longer wished to be in the classroom, but instead wanted to help teachers integrate technology. The perfect job opportunity became available at Sagebrush Elementary in 2002, when I was hired as the school Technology Specialist. I attended TIE in 2002 before I officially began my employment in order to prepare for the responsibilities of my new position. In 2003, our school used part of their "Professional Development" budget to pay for my registration to attend. In 2004, my application to present was approved, so there was no registration fee required. One of the benefits of being a presenter at TIE! The title of my presentation was, "PowerPoint: More Than Just Slide Shows."
TIE provides opportunities to pick and choose workshops based on the needs of the attendees. Classes range from discussion groups for Administrators to workshops aimed specifically for primary teachers. TIE allows participants to pre-register for 3-hour classes in the morning, so I chose workshops that included learning some software that was available at my new school, along with strategies to help teachers integrate technology. Not only were the workshops catered to my interests, but there were also vendors from various education technology companies. This offered me a unique opportunity to speak with representatives from the very companies I had applied to for employment the year before!
As with my experience at previous TIE conferences, some workshops were better than others. I learned to avoid presentations given by company representatives as these usually involved a ‘sales pitch’ to purchase their products. After teasing participants with hands-on practice with a program like Adobe Photoshop, schools then have to decide whether to spend the thousand dollars for a site license. I purposefully chose sessions that were being led by actual teachers. I have found that these sessions provide the most useful information since it’s coming from colleagues in the same profession.
Among the highlights of 2003 was: “Technology
Integration for School Leaders.” Since I was now regarded as a ‘school
leader’ in regards to technology, I found this session very interesting.
While the participants were mostly building and district administrators, it
was interesting to hear the challenges facing districts as they move towards
technology integration. I spoke with principals, district technology coordinators,
and specialists. We all agreed that teacher training and administrator support
were the two most important factors for successful technology integration.
Other courses that interested me were geared towards learning more about website
design. Since starting in the ILT program, I would like to learn as much as
possible in this field in order to support the staff at my school.
The highlight of the 2004 conference was having my first opportunity to present at TIE. I thoroughly enjoyed being an instructor, allowing me to share my knowledge and expertise with others. I have since been asked by my district to continue offering this same workshop as part of the district's Curriculum Integration Series sponsored by the Office of Technology. The other highlight was having more practice using blogs, which I used to record my week at TIE.
After attending TIE in 2003, I returned to school in August with a variety of new ideas and activities I’d like to share with staff. The “Technology Integration for School Leaders” session included CD’s containing articles, web sites, and surveys that can be used to help determine the technology needs of teachers. I shared several of these articles with my building principal. Other sessions offered more tips on website design, like creating quick Flash effect for inclusion on a website. I have already incorporated some of these techniques into websites I’ve designed. In the Fireworks session I learned how to create animated GIFs, which I’ve also used on our school website. Some sessions presented information that I have not had a chance to use, like Image Blender and Math Keys, but plan on revisiting these later in the school year.
In 2004, I started the school year having students in 4th and 5th grade create non-linear PowerPoint presentations, which was the topic of the session I presented at TIE. The objective of this lesson was no only to teach students PowerPoint, but learn how to search the Internet effectively by using specific search terms instead of general ones. For example, the product students were creating was called "My Favorite Things" in which they would use only pictures to show their favorite foods, animals, and sports. When using a Google image search, I modeled for students how a search for just "dogs" would take much longer than a search for a specific breed, such as Boston Terrier or Labrador Retriever.
I always enjoy the
energy at TIE. I’m glad the location was moved from Snowmass to
Copper Mountain. It is now much closer to Denver, making it easier to
attend. The Cyber Café is a wonderful place to visit websites
mentioned at various sessions, as well as being able to check email consistently.
The Exhibitor Hall is a great way to talk to representatives from hardware
and software developers. The opportunity to meet new people with similar
interests and backgrounds is one of the things I like best about TIE.
After having the opportunity to present at TIE in 2004, I will continue to
apply to become a presenter. I plan to offer other sessions such as using the
Classroom Performance System (see my other project on CPS in the portfolio),
Assessment and Technology, and more advanced PowerPoint skills like adding
narration to a self-timed presentation.
Responsibility
#1: Continued improvement of professional practice that requires
critical inquiry,
professional development, and reflective practice
I fulfilled this responsibility
by attending TIE as a way to better serve the needs of teachers and administrators
at our school. As a Technology Specialist, it is important to learn new
skills, dialogue with others in the same position, and attend workshops
and conferences in order to stay current with the ever-changing world
of education technology.
I will continue to fulfill this responsibility by becoming a presenter at future TIE conferences in order to share my knowledge with others. Then, I will take a more active role in facilitating technology integration in the classroom.