I have been thinking a lot about what basic technology skills faculty should know. We’ve surveyed our faculty on basic tech skills, and have a good idea of what people know and don’t know, but what Technology skills should they know?
The reason I ask this question is that we have half of a professional development day in February to work with our entire faculty on technology skills. Our plan now is to run 4, 40 minute sessions on the basics: word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, desktop publishing, e-mail, information literacy skills, laptop hardware optimization and troubleshooting and configuration, and a number of other ‘basics’. We are planning lessons that demonstrate and allow participants to practice 2-4 skills, walk them through an Atomic Learning Lesson (if applicable), and give examples of the use of that software in a classroom.
NETS has a long list of skills that beginning teachers should have when entering the classroom. This list is well above the performance point of my faculty.
In order to learn something new, faculty (for that matter – anyone) must feel a need and be engaged. How do we get the second and third wavers to be engaged when teaching the basics? Nancy White asks these types of questions often.
Here are some of the other questions running through my head:
If you were running a seminar for faculty who have a wide variety of technology skills, what would be the core goal of each session that you teach?
Just thinking through my fingers: Start with the learners, know their skill set, and teach them what they need to get to the next level, even if that means configuring windows and file management.
What skills/applications would you teach?
Word vs. Google Docs
Do you have links to examples?
Our lesson plans will be posed here: Tech at Collegiate when complete.
Thanks for your time and thought.
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