Staff Development Tips - Week of 3/27/00
Welcome to Week 2 of Tips on Staff Development. I'm always pleased when I
can get some consistency in my life, so week 2 is very important to me!
If you ever need to discontinue these weekly updates, just reply to
cates@techtamers.com and I'll be glad to remove you from the list.
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Customize your Environment
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Last week we reviewed my first principle for taming technology - Make
Technology Fun. The second principle is to Customize your Environment.
This is really hard in a classroom environment. But let's do a little
creative brainstorming...
Could you change the desktop pattern for your computer?
Could you change the default font in your word processor? (Think of how
many times you've changed the font manually to your preferred font!)
Could you create a template for the letter to parents that you send every
week?
Could you create folders at the desktop level for the items you use
consistently? At least put shortcuts to the applications you need.
From a staff development perspective this can be a rich area for workshop
material. Everyone is more comfortable in their own environment. If they
can add some "homey" touches, they'll enjoy it more. Maybe it's a picture
of their family on their desktop; maybe it's a custom cursor. Regardless
of the application, by showing your attendees how they can control their
environment they get a sense of power over their technology. They begin
to "own" it. And when they own it, they use it.
Consider sending customizing techniques and tips as part of your staff
development or faculty newsletter. Everyone likes learning in small
"chunks".
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New Resource
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Sometimes "new" resources are really old ones we've forgotten about. For
example, have you used Classroom Connect's Classroom Today? No? I think
it's one of the best sites on the 'net. While you can subscribe to get
the full range of materials, there is still a lot available on the free
side. Each week there is a specified topic, with questions, activities,
and links to related resources. You can search archives for past topics,
too. Check it out today!
http://www.classroomToday.com
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Remember when...
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We know that spaced repetition of material works to improve retention.
That's why it's so important that you provide some type of ongoing
support for your workshop attendees. One of those resources might be a
weekly update like this newsletter. Another might be an ongoing
discussion group where you can post questions and answers. But how do you
get started?
I use a service called egroups.com. It's easy to use, easy to set up,
reliable, and it's FREE. As you create your group you can make it an
announcement only group or you can make it interactive. You can make it
moderated (where you have to approve each posting before it's sent to the
others on the list) or unmoderated. As members enroll they can choose to
get all of the emails in their inbox as they are sent or get a weekly
digest version or just read it online. That's one of the reasons I like
it so much - it's customizable. So if you don't yet have the support you
need in your district to start listservs and email newsletter, use a free
one like egroups.com.
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Thanks
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Thanks for sharing a few minutes with me. I would welcome you input and
ideas on resources to features and tips to share. Email me at
cates@techtamers.com.
See you next week!
Jeanette S. Cates, Ph.D.
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