Post date: Oct 5, 2014 12:52:44 AM
After 13 years of teaching sixth grade math and science, this year I moved out of my classroom and started the new job of full time Technology Coach. Reading Digital Habitats by Wenger, White, and Smith, is an excellent resource I can turn to to better serve my community of practice. In the last few weeks I have been emerged in a new world of technology stewardship (now that I have read this book) and I like it! The chapter on Orientations - how communities learn together - is really my focus right now. Since every teacher received a new laptop this year, we are all learning how to maximize it's capabilities. Our district has provided some other new tools to help teachers and students get future forward in their use technology use. Not just for games and word processing but also for communication and collaboration. When reading this book I kept saying to myself, "That's what I need to do!" or "Hey, I've tried that!"
Page 85 of Digital Habitats talks about Orientation 5: Access to expertise, which is relevant to my community because we are striving to find ways to use our technologies and learn more about them. But many of us need to find those with certain expertise to help us accomplish our goals. (Reminds me of playing a video game and needing someone to show me how...Thanks MALT first semester.) The table on page 85 provides the different activities and tools that can provide access to expertise within the community. I am working on this at my site because I want to gather and streamline resources to make it easier for teachers to get the information they need. I don't want technology to hinder their creativity, I want it to maximize their creativity.
I like the term "Tech Steward". As stated on page 30, " Tech stewards can have an impact on their communities and their organizations by shaping and sustaining the conversation between and organization's IT department and the community". I am an advocate for the needs of teachers and students and will collaborate with my organization's IT department and other stakeholders to foster amazing uses of technology in education and beyond. New mission statement? I think it's a work in progress.