09+Helpful+Resources

=Where to Go for Help= =How to identify technology experts= Teachers often find it useful to invite people from outside the classroom to offer their expertise on projects. Experts can serve as resources for the teacher and students, expanding the depth of the project. In addition, experts might be trained in areas that classroom teachers are not. These experts can be particularly helpful in the area of technology use and integration. Technology experts can help teachers explain computer programs to their students, design Web sites, troubleshoot problems, organize a technology club whatever the technology needs are in a classroom, a technology expert can help solve it! Here are a few ideas for locating technology experts in your community. Some may be new and others may be familiar: Think about your community. What technology resources are there that teachers in your school can tap into? Use the following chart to record the resource, the contact information, and possible projects for which it might be useful. For many of these resources, you can locate the contact information on the Internet.
 * 1) Help on desktop (Left-click **Start**menu and select **Help**.)
 * 2) Teacher mentors
 * 3) Information technology (IT) contact in school
 * 4) Student technology experts
 * Let the rest of the faculty know about your project. You might be surprised to learn about the technology interests of your colleagues. When one teacher planned a project on the stock market she was pleasantly surprised to learn that her colleague had a great deal of experience using spreadsheets and offered to teach the skills to her students.
 * Inform the parents in your school of your technology needs. You never know who has a parent, grandparent, cousin, or neighbor who might have technology skills that would enhance your classroom project. If you neglect to inform the parents about a project, or do not note that you are in search of outside expertise, you may never find out!
 * Check with your school partners. If your school is engaged with any community partners such as the local bank, police department, or grocery store, these organizations can serve as pools of technology experts.
 * Use the Internet. This is where the rest of this activity will focus. Use the worksheet provided to create a plan for finding experts via the Internet.
 * ~ RESOURCE ||~ CONTACT INFORMATION ||~ POSSIBLE SUPPORT ||