I know Cindy and I had some discussions about this at Tech Camp this summer.  So, you are a tech savvy teacher.  Maybe you are a classroom teacher, tech coordinator, media specialist–but your groove when you are planning instruction involves technology in some capacity.  You know that technology is not a replacement teacher.  It’s not just a fancier version of a work book page.  You use technology as a creative tool–your kids MAKE things with it.  They collaborate with technology.  You, as a teacher, collaborate with others using technology.  To you, it’s nothing to whip up a Google doc, a wiki, or a blog post.  You might have kids using these same tools.  Podcasts and videos are not anything new to your students.  If some or all of these apply, you could say you are sufficiently uninhibited and going where most teachers in your school have not gone before when it comes to getting tech going for your students and yourself.

But how do you get that teacher who still resists using an online gradebook to his/her standard old green paper book to use a wiki?  Or make a podcast?  Many teachers we work with still have trouble with email attachments and logging in to required programs.  How do we get these teachers to feel inspired with the potential technology has for making things easier, more meaningful, and cooler?

I’ve come up with a couple ideas.

1. Offer choices.  Don’t throw a whole bunch of ideas at one time, but giving teachers choices (just like students) makes things seem easier.  We are going to push having some sort of online presence for all classroom teachers this year.  Last year, introducing blogs was pretty disastrous.  Only 3 or 4 teachers out of 30+ actually got their blog to the post-”new blog” status, updating fairly regularly and using it as part of their classroom “stuff.”  This year, we revisited the blog and also introduced the less intimidating idea of a classroom wiki.  You know, it’s just like a web page only more than one person can have access to edit and post.  Some wanted to use their old TeacherWeb pages (which they foot the bill for) and that is fine, too.  I feel like more teachers jumped on board this time.  Not all, but more.
2. Teach the teachers first.  Give teachers time to get used to new technology or new ways of doing things before pushing for those same ways or technologies to be applied in the classroom.  For example, get teachers to collaborate on a wiki first.  Once they feel comfortable with it, they can better see themselves using it in the classroom, or having their students making wikis.
3. Encourage “one thing at a time.”  Trying to do a blog, a wiki, podcasting, and iMovie, for example, is TOO MUCH.  Encourage teachers to start small.  Set a goal for one semester to get comfortable with blogging, for example.  Then, have students respond to teacher blog posts.  After that, move into having students creating blogs for projects.  Maybe the next semester, move on to another tool, like wikis.
4. Start a PLC.  Get teachers together who you feel are already doing these things, or are comfortable with technology.  Meet together or use a wiki to collaborate and start planning some really cool projects or ways to use technology in the classroom.  Once you get some good stuff going, make it visible.  Show it off.  Let everyone else see the possibilities technology can bring to the table.  This in itself might help get some more teachers interested in learning new things and using them in the classroom.  We’re trying to get something like this together at our school.
5. Share resources.  If you find something good, share it.  Maybe everyone knows about it already, but they probably don’t.  Don’t be shy.  Send a mass email to the faculty if you find something handy that someone might desire–open source software, a great website, an inspiring article.  You never know who will get a sudden spark of inspiration.  Sometimes all it takes is one thing to get you hooked and looking for more tech ideas.

That’s all I have thought of (and done so far).  If you have any more ideas, please share.