Chasing the cutting edge: Snoqualmie Valley teachers train up in latest technology

Published 2:15 pm Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Justin Talmadge’s first name scrolled across his chest in blinking LED letters, announcing his role as a handholder, early adopter and pathfinder for technology in education.

A member of the TILT, or Techonology Integration Leader Trainer, cadre, Talmadge’s job on this August afternoon was to inspire a couple dozen classroom teachers, counselors and resource room instructors on ways to integrate Skype, an online video-calling program, into their lessons. About half of the group had used it before, so the Skype integration was a new thing for many listeners.

But it didn’t take long for the group to start coming up with their own ideas.

Rose Wildes, a seventh grade resource room instructor at Twin Falls Middle School, knew right off the bat that she could connect with her daughter Mary, an English instructor in Japan. She wants to make their two classes penpals.

For the most part, teachers are excited about what technology brings to class.

“But it’s also daunting,” said Wildes, a self-described computer geek. Technology changes so much.”

Young people are already pretty savvy with the latest tech, said Dana Fowler, a sixth grade teacher at Twin Falls Middle School, who planned to attend the technology kickoff day Wednesday, Aug. 24. Tech-levy funded training, like last week’s two-day Twin Falls seminar, was all about getting the adults up to speed.

“We have the equipment. We’ve made the investment,” Fowler said. “Now, the investment is in getting us trained to use it.”

The more media that students are exposed to, the better they’ll be prepared for the workforce, she argues.

“They’re more pliable now,” Fowler said. “They can learn it so fast. They’re able to advance with it so much better. But if we don’t let them see it until they get to a job, they’re going to be at a disadvantage.”

Back in class, Talmadge dims the lights and shows a video of another classroom, where Skype is connecting learners across the globe.

“In this day and age, it’s not always feasible to take kids on a bus, pay the admission fee, the cost of gas, when you can do it virtually using the technology,” Talmadge said.

He used Skype to video conference his students with a buddy who was teaching in Africa.

“To actually be talking in real time with someone across continents… they’re fascinated by that.”