"Life In The 21st Century"

Getting teachers AND librarians on board with successful technology integration into the classes and libraries is something that should be a high priority. Not because computers can replace teachers or librarians but because the future of our students depends on it. Whether we want to believe it or not, we educators are responsible for ensuring, nurturing and fostering the skills resulting from information literacy. It is as important as reading and writing. The following article has great tips for adminstrators that should apply not just for teachers but for librarians too. The Five Essentials of Technology Facilitators: Successful On-Site Help for Technology Integration By Cheryl Whitfield over at Educational Technology Ray Schroeder The following blurb centers around the qualities needed by an administrator for being an effective technology trainer in schools.
"We have implemented this in 23 schools across the state and are, therefore, in a unique position to offer suggestions about the characteristics of successful Technology Facilitators. Based on our experiences and the lessons we have learned, the persons hired for these positions should be: (1) Experienced educators, (2) Enthusiastic technophiles, (3) Effective trainers, (4) Eager mentors, and (5) Exemplary administrators. No one person will meet all of these qualifications, but the more of these qualities the person possesses, the more successful he/she will be on the job."
Oftentimes, we hire people who have the skills for training teachers, but they don't make the teacher comfortable in this new learning environment. It's easy to "scare" your trainees if you expect too much too soon. What we've done here successfully is have "one on one" tech time with the teacher and the technologist. And what I have experienced a lot is that teachers and librarians know far more about technology integration than they have been getting credit for. I think it was Jesse Jackson who said, Each ONE Teach One...it works.