Dakota Christian Technology Standards

For some reason I thought this was due on the 4th not the 2nd and so this is late but what I have.

I am experiencing similar feelings to what Karla Te Slaa experienced when she first questioned the administration about where our School stood with regard to technology. The most relevant statement I got was that we are attempting to provide the technology equipment for the staff and our students. I realized that the entirety of our technology standards are linked to the personal efforts of the teachers in all of our grades and subjects.

Our Technology coordinator is constantly in communication with all branches of the school trying to provide the help he can. But, he is coming to me for advice concerning how to make the connection between curriculum and technology because he has no background in teaching or how to apply technology into a teaching method. He is unsure of the areas to focus our technology so we as teachers bear a huge burden in that region.

We are constantly following our Christian ideals by introducing our students into the world of public communication in the web, but trying to "reform" that world to honor God. One of the things that we are trying to instill in the students is appropriate and ethical behavior with regard to communication in the public world. Our students must comunicate in a Christian manor.

I find myself evaluating our efforts a DCS, and coming to the conclusion that we need more in-service time because teachers are doing their best to keep their heads above water with teaching, grading, families, and extra-curricular activities. I believe that adding the responsibility of incorporating more in depth technology will overwhelm and eventually crush any desire to use technology at all. I have talked with other teachers who have been involved in workshops or in-services at other schools and they were provided time to test the water of a new software or web-service with some "school time" rather than home time. I feel we need to construct some into our schedule at DCS. I hope that with this practice we can pass these skills on to the students and they will be able to implement them in furthering their education and ability to manipulate similar products in the future.