In my personal endeavors, I am slightly addicted to staying
connected utilizing social networking. I have brought my love for the ease of
use and instant connection utilizing websites like Facebook into my own
classroom practices. I have created a Facebook page, classroom website, class
wiki, a variety of webquests using www.weebly.com,
and established a “safe” online learning environment for my students using www.gaggle.net.
After using Gaggle with my Advanced Reading class, I
realized just how “neat” it would be if other teachers would begin to use this
resource with their students. I sent out an email informing teachers about the
resource while also offering my time to discuss any ideas, need for support,
and/or opportunities for collaboration. When I met with teachers during
planning time, I was met with great enthusiasm and what I assumed was the
beginning of something great. However, as time progressed, there were only
three teachers at my school who responded to let me know they would like access
to the school account to gain access to their own personal teacher accounts.
After considering Keller’s ideas for motivating learners, I
realize I gained the teacher’s attention and conveyed the relevance to their
teaching strategies; however, I failed to build their confidence or generate satisfaction
(Driscoll, 2005). So now, I am faced with the question: What can I do to
motivate the teachers on my staff? Like most schools, our staff’s ability to
use technology falls varies among individuals. We have the novice users who do
as little as possible, while also we have a few technology gurus who are highly
confident in their use of technology as instructional tool. As I noted, I
gained the staff’s attention and conveyed the instructional implications of
utilizing Gaggle resources; however, I did not consider offering any type of
training or hands-on experience to develop confidence in utilizing the tool.
Additionally, I could provide teachers with online resources to show how other
teachers have utilized this excellent learning resource.
To address the lack of interest and implementation, I could
create opportunities for teachers to utilize the platform to discuss and
introduce important administrative rules, ideas, and future plans. For example,
instead of using basic email and PLC meetings to discuss information, teachers
could access Gaggle to discuss ideas. I am currently planning a dance for the
upcoming school term. Gaggle could be used to share ideas, sign up for various
duties relating to the dance, etc. This activity will build confidence by
providing teachers with opportunities to use the platform in a non-threatening
way. As the teachers utilize the resource, they will see the use of Gaggle is
not only worthwhile but also engaging and relevant to today’s learners’
interests.
Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for
instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
