A: Well, it's probably because they all have day jobs! No seriously, teaching to a high standard of excellence using all my current knowledge is a full-time job. Learning new technology is just too time-consuming and as soon as I've mastered it, it's out of date and I have to start all over again. "I was just getting comfortable with XP and now we're into Version 7—why learn that because now they're talking about Version 10. I wish it would slow down some!"
From the Head's viewpoint, how many innovations are your faculty mandated to carry out this year? What's the message we are sending as Heads to our teachers? Do your teachers, help students before and after school, talk to parents, entertain donors, attend events? Where does it end?
First, limit the number of innovations/initiatives each year to a maximum of two per faculty member.
Second, don't roll out ANY technology without first providing intensive training for all faculty involved and promise continuous support for at least the first 12 months.
Third, pay for faculty to visit each other and other schools so they can be inspired to do things in their own classrooms.
Fourth, make technology a grassroots enterprise. Roll it out with your early adopters so that they can demonstrate its value in their own classrooms and make their colleagues say: "I want to do or have that!"
Fifth, once most faculty are on board, make it mandatory and let faculty go who won't get on the bus.
Here are some great proponents of forward-looking teaching you might like to look at:
Urban School of San Francisco
Carolina Friends in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Calhoun School in New York
Putney School in Vermont
The Cambridge School of Weston, Massachusetts
Here are some sites that might be of interest:
curriki.org to see what other teachers are doing
aleks.com for math technology that can partner with the teacher
independentcurriculum.org for progressive teaching
lausanneschool.com Laptop Institute at Lausanne School for using computers in the classroom
Note that the 21st Century paradigm is for technology to be neither master or servant but partner.
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