Sunday, May 20, 2012
Week 1 CEDO 599
This first week is the beginning of the end of my coursework toward earning my MEIT. The focus of this final class is to use the knowledge and skills I've developed over the past two years to implement technology into my work.
Something I've always tried to do in my role as supervisor is to develop systems to standardize and streamline processes and systems. My staff is spread out among several remote sites, and with that structure comes logistical issues; especially when it comes to communication. I've created a company intranet to help promote a better, more consistent platform for sharing company-wide messages in lieu of e-mail. While this implementation has proven to be an improvement, I have found it has some limitations related to interaction and my staff's ability to interact with one another.
I would like to expand and improve upon what I have already started with the company intranet. I know I will need to have more than one site linked together due to storage space limitations on my current site. I envision a Home site with links to other sites, each with a purpose/theme. Because I want to promote collaboration among my teachers, I plan to create a site that has a wiki feel that will allow for easier give & take among the staff.
This is a pretty ambitious concept, but I think if I can pull it off it will be a value add for my teachers and will be used as a medium to connect a staff that is spread out across the city! Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sounds like a big project but certainly doable. The principal at my school has developed an intranet system that allows teachers and staff to share information and track student progress, demographic info, grades and other info. Let me know if you would like to take a look at it as you formulate your plan to expand your current intranet.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chris, I would be very interested in seeing the system you have in place. As an aside, we are also looking to migrate to a new database system to collect our student demographics, test scores & progress info. Is the system you are using something developed in-house? Or is it a tool that was purchase & customized to meet your school's needs?
DeleteThanks again!
I think another part of your strategy to promote collaboration would be to investigate a social networking site. It would allow users to follow other's posts, and support the wiki by having them express their thoughts and opinions as well as posting facts. I am thinking of using a similar strategy for training videos. The trick will be to find a free software platform that will let us do this. If I find any good possibilities I can let you know.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, John. I have tried to incorporate a discussion board process in the past but had little participation. I think it needed to be a little more user friendly and easier to access in order to promote use. So, my challenge is going to be trying to develop a well-organized & easy to use intranet system that my teachers will feel comfortable using and won't be deterred from taking it to the next level of collaboration, rather than just accessing it for information...
DeleteSue---
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a fantastic idea. By having a "home base" for your staff, you can connect them in a much more efficient manner than standardized emails. My suggestion would be to make sure you include some staff in-service time into your 30 hours of project creation. Whereas wikis might seem commonplace for most, you want to make sure to leave no one behind.
Where do you work Sue that your staff is spread out over various remote sites?
ReplyDeleteI think collaboration with teachers spread out is difficult. I currently am teaching online BUT there isn't a lot of collaboration that goes on.
I definitely think having a "home" site where people can share things OR promoting online collaboration sessions is a great idea.
Have you ever looked at Quia.com? Although it's a pay site (if you want to get the most out of it), it is a website that allows you to create online assessment tools. The cool thing is you can access other teachers assessments and copy them to your profile and then modify them. If you created a Quia account for each department, they could create and share activities. It's super easy and painless. I used it a couple of years ago for my Japanese classes.