10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology

As previewed in my last post...

1. It’s never too late to start!
2. You don’t need to know everything…ask for help from others (students and teachers at your school, virtually, over social networks) that you know have successfully used a new technology
3. You don’t need to do everything all at once – make a goal to try one new thing each month (or semester, or year), while tweaking/optimizing the things you are already doing
4. Don’t introduce an app or technology just for the sake of doing something “technological”– (Alternative wording found from the original blog post we read: "Use technology only when it makes rich, real and relevant curriculum richer, more real and more relevant”)
5. Share what you do with other teachers – it’s the best way to get new ideas and get input to make your lessons even better. Corollary: Find a champion, that teacher who is most open to collaboration, and work together to create a knock-out finished product. Then, promote the heck out that success to encourage other teachers to utilize the library as a resource
6. Think about what your end goal is and then find the technology solution that will accomplish your goal (vs. asking yourself “How do I use this technology?”)
7. Have a backup plan (or two)
8. Think outside the teacher box – use the experiences of friends/family in other professions to uncover technologies you might not have otherwise thought of
9. Be organized! Create a system that will work for you to stay on top of new trends, tools, technologies, and best practices
10. Have fun!