Blog Post #5

Leaders are experts in communication, but... Technology both limits and enhances
communication
When a choice is available, always go the personal route. Why set-up a chatroom if
all the involved students are local? A leader should weigh the pros and cons of these
types of asynchronous conversations and remember that developing interpersonal
skills is a normal task for college students. On the hand, leaders should take
advantage of technology that enhances communication, such as listservs, which can
reach hundreds of students in an instance.

Being a “teacher leader” in the area of technology use with students who
have ASD and related disorders means more than just knowing resources. To be a
“teacher leader” you need to be willing to explore and learn about resources for
students and their needs. It is vital to try new resources and put the time in so you
can effectively implement the piece of technology. One key part to be a teacher
leader is that you need to be able to communicate the piece of technology to
others. Leaders are experts in communication but know when to ask for help.
Technology does enhance communication in so many ways. It allows for people to
connect instantly and takes up less time. It can translate languages, help individuals
who cannot speak, help individuals with visual impairments communicate. Those are
only a few of they ways it enhances education and helps “teacher leaders” and
students. However, it does hinder communication in several ways. Often individuals
would rather use technology than personal communication. I think of my students and
several coworkers who email before speaking in person. Even when we share
classrooms. Individuals are also becoming dependent on technology. So, when wifi or
technology does not work it sets students up for frustration. Overall, technology has a
multitude of ways that allow us to be “teacher leaders”.
Through this course I feel have gained resources to help me on my journey
to becoming a teacher leader. The readings, projects, and resources shared have
helped me make progress towards my Leadership Goals. I have learned the
importance of new resources and how they can be selected. It is critical to put the
time in to research and practice using the resource before teaching it to students
or staff. One thing that I think will help me be a teacher leader is SETT
FRAMEWORK. SETT allows you to break down the resource to explore and share it
easily with others. The resources explored ranged in level of tech (LT, MT,HT).
Through the course I have learned ways to share resources with staff in meaningful
ways. The weebly site makes it easy to disseminate information and tools with others.
My favorite part of the course was Virtual Reality. VR was new to me and I had so
much fun exploring it, VR is a great resource that can be used in the classroom.
Technology is something that is always changing and as teacher leaders we need to
keep up to date and ready to learn.