922D3Russell,+Lee

 =Deliverable #3=  This letter is addressed to the [|Superintendent of Newport Public Schools], as well as, the Principal of Thompson Middle School.

In 2008, Don Knezek the CEO of [|The International Society for Technology in Education] made a clarevoyant statement about the importance of educators utilizing technology as a teaching tool. He said "The digital-age teaching professional must demonstrate a vision of technology infusion and develop the technology skills of others. These are the hallmarks of the new education leader." My goal in writing this letter is to offer you, and others, a technology proposal that will "develop the technology skills of others".

According to the Newport Public Schools Technology in Education Plan (2007-2009) all teaches must: A. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology (as described in the ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students) B. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.

I firmly believe that all teachers and para-educators within the district can meet the aforementioned goals by creating and maintaining their own [|wiki]. Put simply, a wiki is an online site where teachers and students can collaborate their ideas. The most famous wiki is wikipedia. [|Registration] is completely free and only requires the educators to create a user name and password. Having utilized a Wikispace for three months I can personally attest to how this collaborative tool has enhanced my pedagogy. Moreover, I have not heard anyone who has used a wiki express dissatisfaction or displeasure with the site.

Here is a very simple explanation of a wiki

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Here is a former sixth grade teacher sharing his thoughts on a wiki media type="custom" key="3654593"

The goal of this letter is to make the administrators in this district aware of this powerful teaching tool. I realize that the process of implementing this technology might be difficult. One roadblock might be computer access. There are some schools within the district that have a computer lab with dozens of computers for student use. Inversely, there are some classrooms that contain only one computer that is designated for teacher use. A second foreseeable obstacle is educating staff on the benefits of a wiki. As a beginning teacher I have seen firsthand the antiquated teaching style of some of the educators in the district. A lecture and note taking format is useful in secondary education, but not at the elementary and middle schools. Making these teachers aware of the open educational movement will be a struggle because many of the terms and jargon used in their description will be unfamiliar.

One way to overcome these obstacles is to attack the problem internally. One suggestion would be to offer Professional Development to staff in order to explain and educate the participants on wikispaces. Furthermore, I would be more than happy to collaborate with administrators to assist in facilitating an informal training session on wiki's and wikispaces. At your discretion, you can offer Professional Development credit hours to participants who attend these training sessions. I would suggest holding these training sessions in a computer lab so teachers can register immediately and begin using a wiki the next available teaching day.

In summation, the goal of this letter is to influence the decision making powers within the district. By doing so, we can begin to create awareness of this valuable teaching tool. Administrators have the power and authority to make decisions that will meet the needs of ALL children. I firmly believe that exposure to an online site for collaboration between teachers and students is a way to meet all learning styles. It is free, technologically advanced, user friendly, and can "develop the technology skills of others." 