¿            Gain perspective!!

Ask yourself these questions:

-       Did I use technology?

-       If I did, did the technology enhance the lessons? If not, why not?

-       If I didn’t use technology, how can I use it this year to enhance and/or reinforce what I teach? 

¿           Get organized!!

o       Go through old files and delete those that are useless or outdated.

o       Group remaining files in folders by subject and/or topic.

o       Back up important and regularly used files.

o       Check all Favorite Internet sites, delete those that are no longer valid or useful and organize remaining favorites by subject or topic.

¿           Take a course!!

o       Take an online course to learn about teaching and learning with technology.

o       Attend local workshops. Check for classes in the Schultz Center Portal.

¿           Network with peers!!

o       Join a listserv, such as Classroom Connect or Teachnet to network with teachers around the world.

o       Contribute to a discussion or message board.

o       Subscribe to a mailing list or newsletter.

¿           Explore the literature!!

Subscribe to online or print publications to learn more about integrating technology into your teaching and student learning.

¿           Experiment with software!!

o       Explore new software programs to use with your students.

o       Choose the best programs and decide which lessons might fit best with each.

o       Design student instruction sheets for simple projects or activities. Easy, short, step-by-step directions will allow students to use the software independently.

¿           Use Timesaving Technology!!

Locate, install, and practice using technology that can make your job easier.

¿           Create a classroom climate!!

o       Visualize the climate you want to establish and organize your classroom accordingly.

o       Provide technology-related activities for each unit of instruction you plan to teach.

o       Decide how often and under what circumstances students will use technology.

o       Post a list of rules!

¿           Punch up existing lessons!!

o       Take a look at the previous year’s lessons and decide which ones can use more punch or a technological boost.

o       Explore lesson plan archives to see what other teachers are doing.

o       Search the Internet for web sites that complement and extend your already successful lessons. An educational search engine such as netTrekker can help narrow the search and provide more efficient use of your time.

¿           Plan something new!!

o       Locate tools that will make learning more exciting, interesting, and relevant for students.

o       Learn to use technology that extends the power of the computer, such as a scanner, digital camera, video camera, and projector.

o       Plan lessons to teach students to use those tools to enhance their own curriculum projects.

o       Work with a partner to plan new curriculum units or lessons.

o       Design new curriculum incorporating technology.

*Adapted from www.educationworld.com.