Shared Vision + Teacher Leaders = Effective Professional Development

At some point in our teaching career, we have experienced a workshop where we wondered how can we take what has been presented and use it in our classroom. I have been a presenter and was asked, “Do you expect me to do this with my kids? I would politely respond with yes. Many teachers attend workshops where they receive beneficial information; however, they are unsure as to how to implement the practice(s) within their classroom. This dilemma is heightened when dealing with integrating technology. According to Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013), “School leaders are experiencing a very challenging and exciting time. Clearly, the ever-present dramatic political, social, environmental, and economic changes occurring globally are requiring educational leaders at all levels to become conscious of guiding and directing institutional and academic relevant to the needs of this modern reality (Goslin, 2012)” (pg. 21).

 Regarding technology initiatives, it is important to establish a shared vision and identify and nurture your teacher leaders in order to reap the benefits of effective professional development. Having a shared vision places everyone on a leveled playing field, speaking the same language. “Having a clear direction and common language can ensure that a school is headed in the right direction. It can even be the key to turning around troubled tech rollouts”, (Culatta, 2019).

Nurturing your teacher leaders by trusting them to use their autonomy to produce positive results, builds confidence. Then allow them to share their knowledge with other educators. Checkley (2016) states, “When teachers accept this responsibility to their colleagues, they enter into what Lambert calls a relationship of “professional reciprocity.” Such relationships, she stated, help build a community of learners among educators, and in sharing “what they know about good learning,” these teachers assume the job of instructional leaders.” When teachers receive professional development from other teachers within their building, it removes the question “Do you expect me to do this with my kids?” Teachers begin to say, “If they can do it, I can as well.” Professional development provided by teacher leaders become an effective practice when there is a shared vision.

            [Battelleforkids]. (2016, February 5). Building the capacity of teacher leaders [Video File].         Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCSixaUh-UM&t=9s.

Checkley, K. (2016). Nurture good teachers, develop good leaders. Keeping Good Teachers, 6(9).

Culatta, R. (2019). Creating a shared vision. The Tech-Savvy School, 76(5), 26-29.

Talks, TEDx. “Empowering the Teacher Technophobe: Kristin Daniels at TEDxBurnsvilleED.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Nov. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=puiNcIFJTCU&t=7s.

Whitehead, B.M., Jensen, D., Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for Technology: A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

An Administrator's Role in Technology Integration

Many people have heard or have been told the old Proverb, “Do as I say, not as I do.” As educators, we know that this approach does not work. I love John A. Garraty’s quote, “‘Do as I say, not as I do’, is not an effective way of teaching anything.” This quote resonates with me as I think about an administrator’s role in integrating technology in teaching and learning. As an administrator of 21^st Century teaching and learning, it is important to be a role model for educators and students within your building. Providing a clear example of the expectation is a great way to motivate educators and students, as well as gain buy-in. Administrators do not have to be tech gurus; however, they must show that they are knowledgeable, willing to be a constant learner, and place technology integration as one of the school’s primary goals for student engagement and achievement.  According to Grady (2011), “Principals who are technology leaders showcase technology use during meetings. They invite teacher demonstrations of technology integration in lessons or integrated grade-level projects at staff meetings. Displays of student and classroom use of technology are prominent in their schools.” Lee- Anne Yerkey, principal of Sunray Elementary School, discusses her school’s goal for technology integration.

Contrary, some may believe principals are so busy that they may not have time to dabble with learning about the new techno savvy devices, apps, platforms, and displaying their technological skills on a regular basis. As stated by Edu Excellence, “There is no doubt that being a school principal is difficult. Everyone who thinks otherwise does not know the job. A principal’s job is hectic and demanding, thus, delegation is a must. This is a strategy that many have used for generations to manage their work.” Delegation works well for a school when it is done correctly. The school’s culture and climate become unbalanced when one person has too much control. Delegating decisions and assignments to teacher leaders empowers others and builds stronger leaders. According to Grady (2011), “One approach to facilitating teachers’ acquisition of technology skills is the teacher-to-teacher model of professional development.

 Based on Rogers’ “Diffusion of Innovations” (2003) approach to implementing change, the model focuses on teacher demonstration of instructional activities to other teachers. In the case of acquisition of technology skills, a teacher demonstrates use of technology in instruction to an audience of teachers. The teachers in the audience are provided the opportunity to implement and experiment with the technology." This approach gives teacher leaders an opportunity to show others how they are integrating technology, and it allows time for teachers to work through the kinks. This approach must be accepted by administration and teachers must feel comfortable trying new things. An administrator who sets the expectation of technology integration and shows that he/she is open to change, can adapt to new ideas, is open for others to take a leadership role in the process, and models the new things he/she learns will gain the respect and cooperation from his/her faculty and staff. Whitehead, Boschee, & Decker (2013) states, “To be successful in our increasingly technological world, it is evident that all educators and learners must be skilled in the use of technology” (pg. 17).

  

References

Eduexcellence (2017). Keys to effective school leadership - Delegate and prioritize. Retrieved from www.eduexcellence.org/blog/334/keys-to-effective-school-eadership-delegate-and-prioritize.

Grady, M. (2011). The principal’s role as technology leader. Retrieved from https://www.seenmagazine.us/Articles/Article-Detail/articleid/1800/the-principal-8217-s-role-as-technology-leader.

Whitehead, B.M., Jensen, D., Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for Technology: A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Voxer Chat Experience: BYOD and its effect on the Digital Divide (Chat 3)

Voxer Chat 3 topic was on the effects of BYOD. Bring Your Own Device is a great initiative that should assist schools with their lack of devices for students; however, it can create a greater digital divide.  We concluded that for BYOD to positively affect schools, administration must put plans in place to tackle issues before they arise. Christi King uploaded the image below that displays the digital divide as the haves and the have nots.

      

            Utilizing Voxer has equipped me with another digital communication device that I can share with others. Listening to others’ perspectives to different topics allowed me to gain deeper insight on a given topic. Voxer is a great way for administrators to provide PD in the form of analyzing professional readings and working collaboratively.

Voxer Chat Experience: School Culture for Multiple Generations (Chat 2)

School Culture for Multiple Generations was the topic for the second Voxer chat. Each group member chose to discuss a generation and how individuals from that generation are affected by school culture. Additionally, we discussed the role of the administrator and how his/her beliefs or misconceptions regarding a generation affects his/her decisions. Each member provided an infographic that displays important information regarding their chosen generation. We concluded that as administrators, we must be open-minded, accept and address the differences that are prevalent amongst the different generations within our building.

Image uploaded by Samantha Bain

Image uploaded by David Sheffield

Image uploaded by Tracy Johns

Image uploaded by Lisa Lavender

Voxer Chat Experience: Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century Student, Teachers,Leaders, and Schools (Chat 1)

Experiencing Voxer Chat this semester has opened my eyes to a new way of communicating. During each chat, my group members shared their viewpoints on a given topic, by first sharing a voice thread and then sharing their resources and other relevant information. Our first voxer chat included information regarding meeting the needs of the 21st century learner. Jennifer Towle gave an impactful summary of our topic that included the need for thinking outside of the traditional assessment paradigm, if we want to evaluate 21st century skills. Technology plays a major role in educating the 21st century learner and it must be integrated into assessments as well. The video shown below was shared by Tamika Whitt. It shows how educators are integrating technology within the learning environments, where the technology can be used to assess students' skills. According to Samantha Bain, timely teacher feedback is an important part of using digital tools for assessment purposes. With that being stated, having an administrator who understands the important role technology plays in educating the 21^st century learner is vital to a successful integration process. An administrator who acts as a  model for teachers and students is an  asset.

Why Coding?

Coding is a process that requires logical thinking. In our digital world, students need coding and it should be taught in conjunction with other subject areas versus in isolation. According to Brookhouser and Megnin (2016), “Coding is a fundamental skill to open the world in ways we are just beginning to imagine”. So, the question stands; why coding? Because it is a fundamental skill, coding enables students to understand why things work the way they do, through problem-based learning, it closes the achievement gap between affluent and disadvantage students, and it makes students “think” about thinking which results in gains in other subject areas.

            Teaching coding starts with presenting a problem and working collaboratively to find a solution. If teachers do not have the right mindset, they may feel incompetent when trying to teach coding. When teaching coding, teachers must act as facilitators, guiding the students through the process. This enables students to explore, think, create, and gain confidence. Additionally, this process allows the teacher to learn from his/her students. Because students are involved in recognizing patterns, deriving meaning from abstract symbols, developing logical strategies for tackling challenges, building and testing algorithms, trouble shooting, and following complicated steps to a conclusion, Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) concludes computer science empowers students to tackle the problems of the world.

            In addition to students’ ability to think logically and translate their thinking process to other subject areas, coding lessens the achievement gaps. Paul (2016) states the persistent achievement gaps in our own country between white and affluent students on the one hand and minority and disadvantaged students on the other are closed with the help of coding for all. Some may ask the question, “What does coding look like within the classroom?” Mitch Resnick, one of the creators of scratch, description of a class consists of students working collaboratively to solve problems based on their interest (passion project). These digital projects will be housed in a student portfolio, so the teacher can monitor students’ progress.  What are your thoughts?

References

Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class. Irvine, CA:  EdTechTeam Press.

Merrill, S. (2017) The future of coding in schools. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/future-coding-schools.

Paul, A. (2016). The coding revolution. Scientific American, 315(2), 42-49.

Social Media

Social media, an internet -based platform, enables its users to communicate with others around the world by sharing images, videos, and other content. It has a major impact on society because of its prevalence and will gain power as technological advances continue and its users increase. What does this mean for 21^st century students and educators? Many teachers will have to change their mindset regarding the way they teach writing, and students will have to become digital citizens with a purpose for writing.

The video I have chosen is a TEDx Teen video. “Forget What You Know”, Jacob Barnett. In the video, Jacob, an eleven -year old, discusses his journey as an autistic student. His use of digital storytelling captivates his intended audience. According to Hicks (2013), “Digital storytelling-combining one’s own narration with images, music, sound, and sometimes video footage-has become an incredibly popular way to engage students in the digital writing process. As previously stated, teachers will have to realize digital writing, such as story-telling, covers each part of the writing process. An introduction must be created to gain the audience attention and set the tone. A clearly developed main idea, along with details and examples must follow ending with an appropriate conclusion. Throughout this process, students will brainstorm, edit, make revisions, and publish their digital writing. Hicks (2013) states that MAPS heuristic requires us to help students think about how, when, and why they are producing messages for different audiences.

For students to be successful digital writers, they must be taught how to be mindful readers and writers. Turner and Hicks (2017) concludes, “To build students’ mindfulness in social media spaces, we first need to help them see their participation in those networks as real reading and writing. Additionally, we must help assist students by nurturing their passions.  According to Rozzo (2016), “A Passion Project is essentially any task-based activity that is centered around the students’ interests. Students are more likely to remain engaged when class materials are applicable to their lives.
   
 My second video is from Ethan Gamer, a popular kid-gamer. Throughout his video, he provides a visual and descriptions as he plays a version of Roblox. Many kids watch his videos to learn different tips and tricks. As an educator, I see the writing process written all over his video. Again, this goes back to changing one’s mindset. Ethan has a passion for games, so channel that passion and structure his thinking to create “how-to” videos. Social media has opened the doors of possibilities for 21^st century teaching and learning; we must embrace it.

References

Hicks, T. (2013) Crafting digital writing: Composing text across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Rozzo, A. (2016) Student YouTube channels for any level. Retrieved from https://edtech.worlded.org/student-youtube-channels-level/.

Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann