injenuity

Posted by Jennifer on December 26th, 2007 in Uncategorized , General, Presentation, ProfessionalDevelopment, Professionalism

During my long commute today, I had the pleasure of listening to the Ed Tech Talk, Ed Tech Yearly 2007 Podcast. I appreciated the reflections on 2007 and the predictions for 2008. I suspect the crew to be spot on with some of the predictions. One topic that emerged from the conversation was the frustration faced by teachers at the inconsistency of technology and the challenges that brings to the classroom. May teachers are unmotivated to try new tools because they worry it will cut into instruction time when the tools fail.

I used to always tell teachers to be prepared to teach with just a pencil and paper if you have to. Then I faced a teaching situation where the technology failed, and I did not have pencil and paper! I now have a new strategy that is based on eliminating as much of the linear nature of lesson planning as possible. Naturally, there are some things that must be taught in order, but I think you will find, upon closer observation, that may of your objectives can be taught out of order or even at the same time.

When you divide your lessons into smaller chunks, you gain flexibility and can adapt more quickly when technology fails.  When you count on the structure of a linear outline to guide your presentation, you are at the mercy of the technology.  This is one reason I prefer to present from a Web site, rather than a PowerPoint.  If something goes awry, I can quickly jump to another part of my materials.

Here are some thoughts:

• The biggest secret is to know your material inside and out.  This strategy will not work if you are not prepared or knowledgeable.
• Print your lesson plan, objectives, outline, presentation script, etc. and rearrange it to see if there are other ways it would work.  Lump some of the items together and think about how they could be combined.  Divide others into smaller segments and see if it works. Use a concept map if you would like to do this exercise electronically.  Imagine how you would teach if you had to begin in the middle of the lesson.  How would you return to the material you missed?
• Think about how you can paint a mental picture of your content without any flashy technology tools. Fill your mind with stories and examples to use when the technology fails.  Can you create a story or case study that covers multiple points in your lesson?
• Give yourself two minutes to assess the nature of the technology problem.  Send someone for assistance and then start without the technology.
• If your presentation is about technology and the technology fails, be prepared to quickly move forward by sharing examples and stories.  Don’t describe what the tool looks like or what you would be doing if the technology worked.  Share stories!
• Don’t complain about the technology, the venue or the support staff.  Be the professional that you are and show that you are just as dynamic without a big screen behind you.