Overcoming+Fears

**Coaching Chronicle Name** 

**Written by:** //Gretchen Mar//kiewicz Karen Macks //Luis Melo//

=**// Overcoming Fears: //**=



Although the focus of our study is to explore areas of fear as they relate to coaches and teachers, we feel that our students face some of the same challenges. We post the following as evidence of modeling by the classroom teacher, followed by students using the same technology in a safe environment, with support from the classroom teacher. We suggest that at first, individual pieces of technology or individual apps be used, until students gain comfort, before moving on to self-motivated technology use. Feeling comfortable using technology requires baby steps and a great deal of practice.

=//Here are some ideas about how to overcome fear with respect to the use of technology://=

1.Take baby steps media type="file" key="YouTube - Etrade_ Talking Baby - Super Bowl XLII Ad.flv" width="360" height="270"

2. Be willing to make mistakes media type="file" key="YouTube - how to wash laptop.flv" width="360" height="270" 3. Be able to laugh at yourself. media type="file" key="YouTube - Hilarious Baby.flv" width="360" height="270"

=//**REAL LIFE!!!**//=

Here is an example of a teacher modeling a three-digit addition problem, followed by students successfully using the same technology. In this example, the document camera is the individual piece of technology.

media type="file" key="suma centavos.mov" width="300" height="300" student's example:

media type="file" key="Malcolm.mov" width="300" height="300"

=//Real life 2!!//=

The following two wallwisher posts illustrate an amusing tale. In an actual coaching session, the coach introduced wallwisher so that the collaborating administrator (in this case) could use it as a way to get input from faculty. The intended post is the first one, named "Clustering", but we did the second post together as a practice ("Dogs"). The collaborating administrator was excited to use the new technology, returned to her site and inadvertently posted the wrong wallwisher prompt. However, it was a great success because she showed staff it was ok to make a mistake and she was comfortable laughing at her error.

[|Clustering1]

[|Clustering2]

=//IDEAS FROM OUR COLLEAGUES://=

a) Response to Luis' group working on Fear of using Technology: Let's try this again, without all the original post: 1-What were your fears when you heard about integrating technology in your classroom? One fear is that the students will have greater skills than the teacher, they often have more time to spend figuring out how to use equipment, and have little patience with the fumblings of teachers. 3.- What would give you confidence in the use of technology? In my case, the more opportunities that I can have trying things out in the safe environment of a group of like-minded peers, the more confidence builds. R. S.

b) I am afraid of making mistakes...teaching mis-information. To use more technology I would love to have a link to a person who knows more than I do either on IM or with e-mail. J.W.

c) 1. That there was too much I needed to know to begin would be a fear.2. I don't have a funny excuse, I just have excuses. Don't have time, don't have the knowledge and excuses never work.3. I think that just being comfortable with knowing that I can't know it all and that there is always more to learn would help with my confidence. K.M.

Thanks for all your input....

