THE 12 STEP PROGRAM
"Hello. My name is Caroline. I am a Digital Immigrant. I have always been a Digital Immigrant. But I want to change. I am willing to change. I want to improve my teaching skills. I want to make my classroom an exciting learning environment. I want my students to be excited about learning. I am ready to accept the twelve step program.
- Step 1. ACCEPT. I accept that I am a Digital Immigrant. I was not born into the world of technology. I was not raised with technology.
- Step 2. CHANGE. I am ready to change. I am prepared to learn new strategies and adapt technology in to my classroom.
- Step 3. LEARN. I am ready to learn. I want to learn more about the uses of technology and how to incorporate technology into my classroom. I will research technology and its uses in the classroom by reading websites, blogs and wikis.
- Step 4. ACT. I am learning that blogs, wikis, and podcasts are an easy, fun and powerful way for my students and myself to communicate with the world. My students and I are able to share our knowledge, ideas and information with others around the globe.
- Step 5. PARTICIPATE. I participate in social networking through wikis and nings. I am an explorer and analyzer of information throughout the world wide web. I am a collector, a consumer and a producer of information.
- Step 6. SHARE. I can share my new knowledge of technology with my students. I can create new lessons that incorporate the school's curriculum with the tools of the internet. I can share these new tools with other teachers. I can collaborate with my colleagues on the uses and advantages of using technology in the classroom to enhance student learning.
- Step 7. DEMONSTRATE. I can demonstrate safe ways for my students to share their knowledge and ideas. I can demonstrate the power of learning through collaboration.
- Step 8. CREATE. By modifying my current curriculum to incorporate technology, I can create an exciting learning environment. I can create interesting lessons plans that require students to research and publish their findings through a class blog.
- Step 9. COMMUNICATE. I can communicate to parents the daily activities, lessons, and homework by using a blog or a wiki. I can use these formats to showcase a student's work and progress. To enhance a lesson, links related to the curriculum can be added to the wiki.
- Step 10. ADVOCATE. I can be a strong advocate and proponent of using technology in the classroom to the administrators of my school, district and to the community. I can lobby local community leaders and school board members the advantages of technology instruction in the classroom.
- Step 11. IMPLEMENT. I can help to implement new strategies and policies about the advantages of using technology in the classroom.
- Step 12. LEARN. I can continue to learn all that I can about technology and how to use it effectively in the classroom. Technology continues to change and improve. To keep up with these changes, I must continue to gain as much knowledge as I can in order to be an effective teacher. Learning, for students and teachers, never ceases.
This is my 12 Step Program to become a better, more effective elementary teacher.
