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It
really was a busy summer for teachers upgrading
their skills for successful classrooms coming this
fall. In Greater Essex County Program
Department's offerings alone, over 550 teachers
were involved in a myriad of professional
development sessions.
From a
computer perspective, all of the computer workshops
were full, with a waiting list. Teachers were
involved in multimedia creations with Hyperstudio,
learning the techniques of a new integrated
software package Clarisworks, refining their
Internet searching techniques and creating
webpages, and taking a first look at the new
Ontario Curriculum Planner.
And that's
just at home. In addition, teachers were
upgrading professionally by visiting the various
sessions offered by the teacher federations and
participating in upgrading courses offered by
Faculties of Education. There were even those
who paid to register in offerings made by
commercial endeavours. The winners will be
our students who will be exposed to new software,
new techniques, and a sophisticated approach to
learning using the technology.
The October
issue of MacHome contains an interesting quote that
puts it into perspective.
"Computers
don't teach kids. Teachers who learn to use
technology effectively will see a marked increase
in student performance. Those who don't will see no
change," says Dr. Howard Pitler, principal of
Brooks Middle Magnet School in Wichita, Kansas.
It doesn't
have to stop with the new school year.
Various workshops and minicourses will be available
for particular computer programs and
techniques. You can get the Computer
Professional Development Catalogue from your
staffroom or by clicking here.
I'm proud to
let you know that the website GEC Computers in the
Classroom is now part of the Ontario
Teacher's Webring.
Click and check out the others in the
webring.
And we got
our first award! The website is now the proud
recipient of an award from Charmayne's
WebKat.
I'm a Web Kid Approved Teacher!
There are a lot of exciting
things that will happen this year. Secondary
Schools have a new curriculum and General Brock
will have a new building. Many schools have
new computers and, with the help of OSAPAC, we
always have new software.
Best wishes for a successful
school year.
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