Last month I mentioned the breakout session on Second Life in Schools at the Blandin broadband conference. One thing that struck me was that the teachers at the community colleges received no training in how to teach in Second Life. Maybe it works for some but I just don’t thank sink or swim approach works well for everyone.

So I was delighted today to read about how Goodhue Public Schools is handling technology in the classroom. They hired Carl Anderson, a technology integration specialist, to help teachers integrate technology into the classroom. He’s available for the teachers, he team teaches and he provides training on new tools.

What a good idea!

Ten or more years ago, I provided training to teachers on how to use the Internet. The training was free but they weren’t paid to attend. I thought that was unfair. Also while I feel like the teachers learned a lot – our computer lab was not necessarily the same setup as they would have at home or school. We weren’t on hand when they needed support mid-semester. Goodhure has a much better approach.

Having the equipment and the broadband in place is only half the battle. Teaching people how to use technology makes it accessible. Our tiny example at home – my husband (a teacher) got a cell phone for Christmas. This isn’t his first – but this time it comes with lessons from our 10 year old about how to set up and retrieve voicemail, how to text and how to set an alarm. So I have high hopes for a spouse I can reach by phone soon.

Check out the Goodhue Public Schools web site for a taste of how they are using technology.