After a recent staff development about incorporating technology, a few staff members were upset that they were required to create an action plan for using what they'd learned at the in-service in their classroom. Teachers are notorious for using cliches all the time as excuses for making changes. The excuse that I keep hearing is "adding more on to our already full 
plates". That phrase (or something similar) has been used at nauseum anytime an expectation is set forth on a teacher. I say, those "plates" SHOULD be full; full of good teaching practices. Unfortunately, time is a detrimental factor when teachers try to embed all these strategies in their teaching practice.
In order to be an effective teacher in our building, one should be doing all of those things that are agreed upon by staff or set forth by administrators (district or building). I think of that plate that teachers keep piling things on, as one of the cafeteria trays from the lunchroom. Each space is dedicated to effective teaching strategies that will enhance student learning. The tray for our building most likely looks different than those in other buildings, but I would assume that they are all similar throughout our particular school district. It's important to have all the spaces of any teacher's tray filled in order to be the most effective in the classroom.
Technology integration is something that has been fought with a lot of resistance in many elementary school buildings. In today's society, the meaningful integration of technology should be a space in any teacher's tray, but most teachers are not willing to try to put anything in that space. As we go through an All You Can Eat buffet line, most people try to put as much on the plate as they can. So why not fill a plate with as many effective teaching strategies as possible? Once we have digested some of those strategies from our plate, that leaves the opening for more to be added to fill that emptying space. As teachers, if we don't keep digesting (learning), our students aren't geeting the quality education that they deserve.
