Multimedia Instructional Tools

From the outside, it's easy to look at the overwhelming number of tools available to teachers and expect all of them to be an expert in several different things.  From the inside, we see this overwhelming number of tools and many of us feel-overwhelmed.  To see a comprehensive list of everything we could or should be using gives me a true reality check.  I come back down to Earth, i fall from my pedestal where I look down all of the bad or "computer illiterate" teachers.

 To tackle these tools, a teacher needs a few things.  First, the time and patience to try them.  Just looking at the list I know that, given time, I could use several in my class, the problem is, where do I find that time.  Most teachers are not keen on adding more to their already full plate.  To rework plans they've honed for years and incorporate something they have never seen before.  In my case, to find time in the summer, around working a part-time job, going to school, and raising three (soon to be four) kids.  Time is something we all simply have to make.  We must take these tools and break them down-one at a time.  Second, we need guidance.  Just like all our students need a push in the right direction, a spark, something to get them started, we need the same thing.  Many of us have complained of our seemingly limitless resources but no training in how to actually incorporate them into our class.  We need some facilitation in order to get us going.  Online tutorials can go so far, but it is more relevant to see how others in the same profession are using these tools.

Hopefully, given time in this course and beyond, this toolkit can be explored and put to use in the class.  This week I will go through several more tools and try to turn them into actual resources to expand real lessons-things I can begin to use in September when school begins again.