Polly Brake

      I enjoyed Mrs. Brake's presentation on being a technology coordinator. I can tell she is truly passionate about the job she is doing and this is always a positive thing to hear! You could tell this by her urging us to soak up all learning experiences, such as seminar, webinars, classes, books, etc. A good teacher never stops learning. It really struck me when she was talking about offering technology classes to the teachers and faculty at her schools that no one was interested enough to attend her classes. I think it was a smart thing for her to begin offering incentives in order to boost attendance, but it really bothered me that the teachers at her school were so disinterested in technology and had such a negative attitude toward allotting time for learning and personal development. At the school I am teaching in now learning opportunities are viewed in a positive light and are something to look forward to. I can attribute this to the positive supportive administration, but also to the teachers desire to further their teaching skills. Our technological world is changing everyday, and I think it is our job as educators to stay up to date on the latest technology so we can then teach it to our students. I was also really pleased to see in Mrs. Brake' presentation that she offers a variety of resources to the staff at her school. Having such resources can really help and support teachers who may not be as technologically aware. Overall I thought this was a very helpful and informative presentation.