June 2002 — Features
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From Black and White to Color: Technology, Professional Development and Changing Practice
Consequently, we infused all of our first-year professional development activities with a classroom management structure. Professional development sessions were rarely, if ever, held in a lab. Instead, we placed teachers in a classroom or library with one to four computers, thus approximating their own hardware constraints. They were grouped, as students would have to be to use technology, assigned specific roles within the group and given their task, which they had to complete together with one computer. These classroom management models, the most prominent of which are described below, were designed so that teachers could replicate them in their classrooms. The classroom management structures and the professional development activities can be downloaded from the SEDL Web site at www.southcentralrtec.org/alt/alt.html.Learning stations model (teacher-computer ratio: 13-to-2). Teams of four to five rotated through three different "learning stations" to gather data and information for their project. In one particular application of this structure, one station used a digital camera to gather images, another station used a simple electronic spreadsheet to analyze data, and a third station used printed materials about the community. Each of the stations had roles for every team member as well as instructions for completing the tasks at that station.
Navigator model (teacher-computer ratio: 4-to-1). Using a road trip analogy, teams of four to five were assembled and given role cards. The "driver" controlled the mouse and keyboard, while the "navigator" helped the driver operate the computer. "Back-seat driver 1" managed the group's progress and "back-seat driver 2" served as the timekeeper. The navigator attended a 10-minute to 20-minute training session in which the facilitator provided an overview of the basics of particular software. Once trained, the navigators returned to their teams and instructed team members in use of the software. The navigator could only give instructions; they could not touch the mouse or keyboard. The rest of the team rotated "driving" the computer so that everyone had a chance to use the software.
Facilitator model (teacher-computer ratio: 6-to-1). This model was useful for carrying out more complex projects that required different skill sets and levels of expertise. The designated facilitator had some experience with the software in use and showed the most novice users (students) how to use the software application to create a layout for a final product. Like the navigator in the above model, the facilitator had to instruct verbally without touching the mouse or keyboard. As the facilitator worked with the layout group, the content group worked without a computer to create content for the newsletter or report. All group members, with the exception of the facilitator, rotated through the layout and content groups to ensure each member gained experience with the software and the content.
Collaborative groups model (teacher-computer ratio: 7-to-1). In the collaborative groups model, each small group was responsible for creating some component of the whole group's final product.
