Andrea+Vasquez-+Opportunity+for+Change

Andrea Vasquez

Opportunity for Change

I came across the opportunity for change when I was creating a science unit on plants. Our school is newly equipped with technology and I was looking to implement that technology in the plant unit. I stumbled across some mediocre Educational Technology resources and was quite disappointed that there were minimal lessons and ideas that would help implement Educational Technology in our district. I feel as though I possess the key that will unlock the world of Web 2.0 in our school. Teachers are not using the new technology to create dynamic and engaging units of study. They simply do not know what to do with it.

Our district has less than 7 sample lessons posted on the district website. They are primarily in PowerPoint and Excel. Teachers need to see that there are other mediums that students can utilize besides the Microsoft suite. Our district technology standards have a focus on limited applications, primarily Kidspiration and Microsoft. Teachers should know about Web 2.0 and the amazing things that they can create with their students. I will create my sample lessons to start a movement. Students can collaborate to create dynamic lessons. Skype is currently banned in my district and it would be interesting to pitch the idea that Skype is a great way for classrooms to interact. Teacher responsibility would play an integral role in the implementation of Skype in the classroom. I am planning on creating a curriculum that utilizes web 2.0 tools to display the learning, foster collaboration, and primarily to show teachers that there is magic in technology just waiting to be unlocked.