Ed Tech Blog
It’s hard to find good help these days. Employees just aren’t loyal anymore. Why can’t they just do what I tell them to do. We often hear these complaints within our organizations. But this isn’t exclusive to corporate America. Educational facilities have the same employee challenges that other businesses experience. In fact, in our ed tech world, some of these challenges may run deeper because of the training necessary to get a staff member “schooled” as a technician, designer, or installer of equipment and projects for which there is little or no formal schooling.
How can you encourage employee engagement without compromising the rest of your team? How can you get more long-term productivity and loyalty out of your staff?
Discover what motivates (your) people: Discovery can be hard work and time consuming. But since your departmental productivity and project timeliness rely on your team, discovery is a worthwhile journey. Motivation isn’t always money. It could be growth potential, professional development opportunities, vacation time, a defined career path, recognition. Whatever “it” is, understand that it can be highly individualized. Don’t just observe your employees but ASK them what is important to them. Listen, outline, and then act on it. Motivating people is an ongoing process that should be revisited regularly.
Offer guidance: So often I hear that managers and supervisors don’t delegate work because “it’s easier for me to do it myself than to show someone else how to do it.” Well, you didn’t absorb through osmosis the knowledge necessary to perform that task. You were in one way or other given the opportunity to learn. Be secure enough in your hiring decisions (or if s/he wasn’t your hire, then your employee) to give guidance and allow that person to learn. The opportunity to learn is powerful (see #1).
This post was originally published on AV Technology and avnetwork.com here: http://www.avnetwork.com/news/0006/you-need-classroom-design-standards-&-it-may-just-result-in-a-raise/95459
1) Reduces training time necessary for faculty and staff: Consistency across classrooms offers you the ability to train end users on equipment that they will see in every...
Read more: You Need Classroom Design Standards & It May Just Result In a Raise
As we gear up for one of the largest AV shows that any of us attend, I consider how many trade show, conference, and seminar opportunities we are bombarded with, yearly. Do you find it difficult to determine which are worth your time? From which will you take the most useful information? What type of event gives you the best return on your financial investment?
The answers to those questions can be as numerous as the shows themselves. But there are a few things to keep in mind when planning your time away from campus:
-- Do you hold an industry designation which requires you to stay current? Is there an opportunity to receive credits toward your certification or for professional development? Shows and conferences which offer renewal credits give you great bang for your buck. Not only are you able to learn about trends, products and project, you can also check those credits off your to do list! Two birds….
-- What are the attendee demographics? Are they mostly peers or are their responsibilities varied? I find that the most worthwhile shows are those during which I am surrounded by others who do what I do on a...
Originally published in the Spring issue of SEEN (South East Education Network) Magazine: http://seenmagazine.us/articles/article-detail/articleid/4702/designing-modern-classrooms.aspx
(This is part one of a two-part series on designing the modern classroom.)Technology rich classrooms offer incredible benefits for both students and instructors. From fostering blended learning environments through collaboration, critical thinking and practical problem solving to flipped rooms centered on student engagement; the classroom that was focused on traditional teaching has evolved into active learning.
Often, when renovating existing or creating new classrooms, incorporating the technology into the room begins after the furniture placement and room configuration is set. Frequently this process creates an obstacle to the implementation of truly modern active learning classrooms that wasn’t considered or foreseeable when the room was originally laid out. Many schools have installed technology in just about every classroom as a result of grants they were awarded. Understand that these grants were issued following successful research indicating technology rich educational spaces increase assessment scores, collaboration and retention. Technology in the classroom is only as effective and useful as the environment allows it to be. Limiting the potential for interaction, engagement and collaboration will reduce or eliminate the advantage of having a technology rich classroom. The unfortunate feedback to...
Lecture capture system implementation has been growing over the past decade in both Higher Ed and K-12. Designing the right system with the appropriate equipment can be daunting for IT and AV tech managers. Like most new projects, one must begin by meeting with the department faculty and administration to ascertain what will be the ultimate goal for the material.
There are a number of reasons schools utilize this type of technology (some offering new revenue streams). Lecture capture is ideal for live-streaming e-learning and online/ distance courses. It can also be archived for viewing for flipped and blended learning paradigms or for continuity of learning plans (i.e. snow days or extended sick leave). Either way, with lecture capture the traditional learning experience is altered and typically enhanced.
Lecture capture technology allows flexible access to instructor based learning resources. Many schools offer a number of different recording locations and options to accommodate different teacher preferences and school budgets. Depending on the magnitude of the customized solution, lecture capture can:
- record the instructor’s video and/or audio
- incorporate any visual aids
- integrate presentations
- embed movies and annotations
The technology necessary for lecture capture can range from simplistic to broad, again depending...
I am using some of this post as part of a longer article about experimental technology-rich learning spaces. I know how much our readers love to know about what other schools are doing with their technology so I decided to share some interesting tidbits with our readers prior to the full piece being published. Here is the teaser:
I sat with a professor the other day who was part of a team of instructors, students, technologists and administrators who helped create, install and evaluate a brand new active learning space in one of their design buildings. I am still in awe, a week later, about how much prep goes into every phase of this project. Design and room planning, equipment evaluation, installation, instructional design, interactivity and feedback/ analysis. And even though this is the second semester that this room is being used for instruction, the work still continues to determine how to use the room, what type of activities/ interactivity results in the most student success, and if this room should be duplicated in other areas throughout campus?
Summary of room layout: the room is a large, long open space with windows on one of the long sides and...
Read more: Sneak Peek: Challenges and Successes for Custom Designed Active Learning Spaces