Interview With Technology Director

To help me better use Web 2.0 tools, I reached out to a friend and fellow teacher of mine, Aaron Koleda, who I have learned many technology ideas from. Aaron is a technology director and 5^th-8^th grade technology teacher at a private school in Michigan. His Twitter handle is @aaronnkoleda, and many of his technology ideas can be found on his blog, edtechjunkies.com.

Here are the questions and answers from our phone interview on June 27, 2017.

1.     How did you decide which Web 2.0 tools to use with your students?

a.     I heard about other teachers’ projects and tools on Twitter. I found teachers that did projects I was interested in doing, and then used the same tools that they used. I also spent many hours exploring tools that I heard about to see if they would work in my classroom setting. I looked for tools that my students could easily use and navigate without much difficulty. I also looked for tools that functioned similar to other tools we had already used in class so the introduction would be smoother. I also made sure the tool had appropriate content.

2.     What obstacles did you experience and overcome to obtain permission to use such a tool or do such a project?

a.     My principal and I have a great relationship, and she trusts me enough to pretty much let me work autonomously. She has never really shut down with one of my ideas, but I still communicate my ideas with her to work through potential problems together. Although, when I or the principal have any hesitation or concern with using a particular tool with the students, we make sure to communicate ahead of time with the students’ parents to inform them of what the school plans to use, why it is valuable for their learning, and how they are going to use it to complete learning objectives. One time a parent didn’t want their child to use the tool I had chosen, so to accommodate that request I simply gave the student a different tool or method to show their learning. I always made it a priority to include parents ‘in the loop’ to the technology plan and worked with them as a team, rather than exclude their input.

3.     What advice would you give to a teacher that is interested in using the tools you’ve used and/or doing the online projects you’ve done?

a.     I recommend that teachers find and choose just one technology project that they would feel comfortable with experimenting with in their classroom. I say this because of how daunting the plethora and depth of web 2.0 tools is. I believe that the benefits from using at least one tool is much greater than the fear or lack of using it. Once a teacher is able to make one project happen, it will give them the confidence to do another successfully. I also recommend connecting with other teachers online that have successfully used web 2.0 tools, and reach out to them for help if necessary. I have had other teachers online walk me through technology challenges.

After the interview, I thought about what Aaron said and knew he had given me golden advice once again. He is actually the one that really inspired me to start using Twitter, and he was definitely right about its potential to connect me with talented teachers and amazing Web 2.0 tools for the classroom. Most of the Web 2.0 tools I currently use have been found as a result of a tweet or blog or email from a teacher using them in creative, effective ways in their classroom. Teachers trust teachers, especially ones that present at technology seminars! And the Internet (and especially Twitter) make it easy to get first-hand, up-to-date information from each one of them.

I have had the same challenges with implementing new Web 2.0 tools in my classroom as Aaron has. My current principal and technology director are very supportive of all my wild ideas, but help me think things through without rose-colored glasses so we can anticipate and mitigate any potential problems.

Aaron’s last point of trying out just one Web 2.0 tool is great advice, because every teacher is strapped for time, and we need to be careful what gets our attention, both for our health and our students’ benefit. Throughout the year I come across many great ideas and tools, but am very careful in choosing what and how many to implement in my classroom. It’s much easier to focus on one new thing each quarter or year, rather than overwhelm yourself with too many new things. That way you can build confidence in a tool and ultimately use it to its full potential in the classroom.