Patiently Progressive

Digital lesson design is the focus of most all of our district technology professional development. For each PD we call teachers together (in person or digitally) to share strategies for building quality learning experiences for our students. Sometimes the focus is on the course content itself and how it can best be delivered. Other times our sessions are designed to familiarize instructors with tools to make the delivery of digital content better, as well as how students can demonstrate understanding and apply what they've learned. Regardless of the topic, PD experiences model best practice for teachers, giving them the chance experience these strategies as learners themselves. This is critical. As my YCS teachers are provided with increased opportunities to participate in digital learning experiences in the role of a student, I see more of these strategies transferred into the learning experiences they construct for their own courses. This excites me and makes me incredibly proud of their learning and overall willingness to evolve.

So what's next? As our district looks to provide true blended learning opportunities for students, the modeling will become increasingly important. Professional development that provides teachers a real choice in time, place, pace, and path will require a mind shift. It will look different. It will require a professional commitment to grow. Those 30 minute sessions that involve everyone coming to me to demonstrate, collaborate, and participate, or everyone access our online PD course and..., may morph into a very different structure that won't mirror the PD of our past. It will be a shift in responsibility, a shift in attitude, a shift in culture for all of us. Although it's only February, preparations for next year's professional development start now! I'm planning strategies for giving those who have taken things a bit slower, a means to catch up. At the same time I'm educating myself and preparing for the PD/instructional shift that's to come. And while progress is likely to be slow, I am excited to be patiently progressive. 

Read More

Tech Like a Yogi

I'm kind of a yogi now. My girlfriend Melanie has been telling me for months that I should take a class at the new studio that opened in our town, but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I decided to listen. It is awesome! Dare I say that it is the most impactful workouts I've ever done? There are a variety of class formats designed for different purposes, all providing participants the opportunity to destress, sweat, and stretch the body. Instructors do not demand increased performance from participants during yoga practice as often happens in other workout classes. Rather they use phrases like, "You may choose to extend your reach" or "Consider challenging yourself by...” empowering those of us in class to be in charge of our own growth. We are given basic instructions on the poses to perform, but these additional phrases guide us to customize our workouts for ourselves to maximize results.

Last week while attending one of the more difficult classes, the instructor encouraged us by saying; "Free your mind by closing all your unneeded and unwanted apps and windows". Wait, what? A tech reference during a yoga practice? That's when it occurred to me…Attacking PD like a yoga practice may be just what it takes to entice some reluctant teachers to stretch themselves and increase their integration comfort level. I realized this might be especially important when dealing with teachers new to our district that may have little experience with or knowledge of educational technology. (It’s that time of year after all.) Maybe our teachers need to be instructed to close out the extras and focus specifically on what they need as individuals to extend their use of technology. Maybe this is when the true value of the “stretch” will be felt, fostering the desire to learn more. While I've always tried to make PD stress free, admittedly I've been guilty of being the type of trainer that asked for a Tree Pose (creating full course digital content) when a Downward Facing Dog (creating digital content for only one course or subject) may be all some of my participants were able to handle at the time.  

So as I plan to welcome and train those teachers new to our district, as well as plan "practices" for our current teachers, I will work to provide more options for participants to stretch and grow themselves as individuals.  Sorry teachers, opting completely out of training cannot be an option as it is when it comes to attending yoga practices. I will however do my best to see that you walk away from our time together feeling inspired to stretch yourself a little further in regards to your integration practices and that you do so with a stress-free mind.  I'll try my best to be more, "Consider challenging your self by..." and less, "Come on, you're better than that!"  See...I am kind of a yogi now. 

Namaste

Read More

WeLearn...Boy, Have We Ever

For the past three years Yorktown Community Schools has hosted an IDOE Summer of eLearning conference. Each year I've had a front row seat to the conference planning process. The first year I was a presenter, but jumped in on the planning a week before the conference to help with the last minute details. The past two years I've served as conference coordinator, planning everything from the keynote speakers and schedule of sessions to the design of the name tags. I've done a lot, but I haven't done it alone. My small but mighty tech team, our media specialist, and even our superintendent have all worked tirelessly to see that our conferences have been successful. It is their dedication to detail that has made each event a truly professional learning experience for those who attend. Each year our attendance has grown and conference feedback has been positive from those who have attended. Last year we branded our conference "WeLearn", a title/theme that promotes collaborative learning and embraces the idea of making learning a game, complete with avatars similar to those on the Wii system. (Get it? ;) 

Each year our conference has featured topics that are important in the world of EDTECH. We have been mindful to provide sessions that meet the needs of our own YCS teachers as well as the needs of those in the neighboring districts whose teachers often attend. But aside from all of that, so much more learning goes on at WeLearn. Lessons about who WeAre, how WeLook, and where WeLack were learned by those of us doing the planning. That’s right we were learning too, even before we ever sat through a single conference session. These lessons cannot be documented with PGP points, but rather with wisdom that impacts how we function as a district as well as how we interact with others.

WeLearn has taught us who WeAre. WeAre a corporation that truly believes that access to technology provides students and teachers with opportunities that would otherwise not exist. Opportunities to connect, create, and facilitate learning using methods that mirror the world we live in. The caliber of sessions that our own YCS teachers present each year is evidence of this. It is no doubt thanks to the leader of our district who has developed and continues to promote our vision. Her leadership has a direct impact on the attitudes about technology of all stakeholders in our district. As a parent of three YCS students myself, I appreciate that.  WeAre preparing our students for their world.

WeLearn has taught us how WeLook to others. The saying "perception is reality" is spot-on in the world of education. The comments and feedback from those who have attend WeLearn show that Yorktown is viewed as an EDTECH leader in our area and in the state. Folks look to us as an example, which can be a both a blessing and a curse. While the compliments and recognition are great, it is added pressure on us to deliver. This poses challenges when hiring new teachers and administrators, developing professional development plans, and ensuring quality instructional practices in classrooms. Nothing changes more quickly than tech. Seeing that we are keeping up is a constant challenge, but we are committed to seeing that the way WeLook represents the reality of who WeAre.

Finally, WeLearn has shown us where WeLack in resources. Lacking in resources in not new in education. The conference planning process brings full attention to how lean we are administratively and in our tech department. We are fortunate to have access to devices in our district, but the number of people assigned to see that these work and are used well is very low compared to other districts functioning at our same integration level. This becomes clear each year during the six months of planning for WeLearn as we struggle to keep up with our regular assigned job responsibilities while taking on the second job of organizing this event. So why do it? That PD piece, the "use it well" part of our job. Teacher buy-in is often a battle that folks in a position like mine face. YCS teacher participation in this summer learning opportunity is voluntary. While not all YCS teachers attend, the number of YCS teachers and administrators who come to WeLearn has greatly increased over the past three years. This year we had five times the number of YCS employees attended than the year our conference debuted. While we are still not at 100%, WeLearn is inspiring and motivating a number of teachers enough that they want to attend in an effort to improve their tech integration skills despite the fact they are not compensated for doing so. It is this type of dedication that further illustrates who WeAre.

I'd like to thank the IDOE for providing us with this opportunity the past few years. Not only has WeLearn helped hundreds of Indiana educators improve their integration practices, but it has helped us as hosts learn more about our district. So whether you’re a WeLearn attendee, presenter, or a conference planner I guess our conference slogan applies.  iLearn, uLearn, WeLearn...TOGETHER. 

For a snapshot of this year's conference, check out our #ycsWeLearn Storify. 

Read More

Connect the Dots

Do you remember Connect the Dots; those fun little puzzles comprised of a series of numbered dots that when connected in order, revealed a picture? Connect the Dot books were a big thing in the era that I grew up in. In the days before handheld electronic games, car DVD players and Netflix, Connect the Dots and activities like them were all there was to do on long car rides and in doctor waiting rooms. I spent hours connecting dots to reveal everything from animals to buildings. With the help of the Connect the Dots folks, anyone could be an artist. 

I find myself playing Connect the Dots still today, each and every time I plan a PD session for my teachers. I share a concept or tech tool with them, then guide them to "connect the dots", to understand how what we've discussed impacts instruction and learning. Obviously teaching the tech is the easy part. It's making the connection to the learning process that can be more work to accomplish. Demonstrating how to make something work is very cut and dry, but leading participants to understand the impact of what is being demonstrated requires a variety of examples, as well as explanation, and evidence. It requires context, specifically context in terms of teaching and learning. That's where it gets difficult. You see, a classroom where the teacher really has embraced teaching the 21st Century learner and the integration of digital tools will look differently than one that has not. It has to! In these classrooms, both the teacher and the students are working differently than they have in the past. They are working interdependently to collaborate, produce, and share. There is no need for these types of activities when students are listening to sit and get lectures or completing low-level worksheets. The context for providing instruction to students is different, making it harder for some teachers to connect the dots. 

If there is one thing that I've learned by working in my integration specialist position for the past year and a half, it's that teachers tend to be a literal people. Most are very willing to take the tools that are presented to them during our PD sessions and put them to use in classroom, based on examples they were provided. However fewer teachers are able to generalize what they've learned and apply it to a variety of situations to have a greater impact on instruction. It comes back to context, and for those of us who provide professional development, it is our job to provide that context for our teachers. The lack of context is not the fault of the teachers. After all, many of the things that we are sharing had not been part of the educational world until now. We have to help teachers connect the dots. As a young child I could easily connect numbered dots to form an image of a dog. I had seen dogs before, and their simple form required no more than 20 points. It was more difficult however, to complete a Connect the Dots of an image like the Eiffel Tower. I had no context for its intricate design, and the amount of numbers it required to me to connect was a big job for a five year old. It is no different for teachers. They don't just need training on how to use tech tools, but they need shown how to integrate these tools into the context of instruction. In my opinion, the best way to accomplish this is to put the teachers in the role of a learner, using what I've shared. Doing this illustrates the effectiveness of the concept or tech tool they've been presented. It helps them "connect the dots". I've asked my teachers to participate in flipped PD, chats, self-paced online PD, and more, all in an effort to help them see the new possibilities for instruction.  By learning in the format that we want them to teach, they have context, and they seem to appreciate it! The trick is to make this process as simple as creating a dog, yet as impressive as creating the Eiffel Tower. 

Read More

"PDG" PD

Thanksgiving is over, and it's back to the daily grind. It's the busiest time of year, when all educators try to cram as much as we can into the three weeks leading up to Christmas. For me, it is attempting to fit all of the PD sessions in that I need to in a short month. The part of my job that I enjoy the most is providing professional development for our YCS teachers. I guess I enjoy it because I get to put aside the paper work assignments that try to monopolize my time, and be a teacher again. Sure, the players in the game have changed. Instead of planning activities for folks in the kindergarten crowd, I now tailor my lessons to those who are a little more advanced in years. The most interesting thing about the shift in my instruction is, it really isn't different at all.  As a primary teacher, I had the privilege of exposing my young students to the ways of school. The content was NEW to them, the procedures were NEW to them, and the possibilities for learning were NEW to them. The professional development that I provide for my teachers is no different. I am introducing them to the NEW ways of school; NEW tools, NEW techniques, NEW expectations. Things have changed, and we are no longer teaching in the same format we did just a few years ago. I do my best to keep in mind that all of this "NEW" can be overwhelming to my audience. Teachers have experienced so much change and uncertainly in recent years. It is my hope that when my teachers come into a session with me, they forget the stress of all the "NEW" that is being introduced, and focus more on the fun of broadening their understanding and skill set.

As a teacher you often wonder if your students learn from and enjoy your lessons, as much as you had hoped. You anxiously await feedback that will reassure you that you are doing a good job, or even help you to do a better job with the next session. Every great once in a while a teacher gives you a little something that you hold onto for those times you need reassurance the most. My all time favorite feedback on a session came from one of our teachers who is less than enthusiastic about having to attend regular sessions with me. "Hey, Holly", he said. "That was pretty damn good." Those words were music to my ears, and ones that I remember with a smile each time I think about it. These words, all be them a bit gruff, let me know that this teacher, a teacher that doesn't typically buy in, appreciated what I was sharing. In these words I heard, that this teacher's time with me was well spent; he benefitted. As teachers, that is what we all want to know. Are our learners satisfied with their learning experience? Are our learners walking away from us with the ability to apply what they have learned? And perhaps most important of all, are our learners walking away from us with the desire to take what they have learned to the next level? This is the true test that our instruction and method for sharing has been effective.

So as I am planning my PD sessions for December,  I'm referring back to my time in the classroom, and remembering how those kindergarten learners were in the same situation as my teachers. Both crowds like to be engaged (especially this time of year). Both crowds like to walk away from our time together eager to have the tools and skills to apply what they have learned. And something they never let me forget. Both crowds like a little candy sprinkled on the table to nibble on when they are learning. That, my friends makes for "pretty damn good" PD. I'll let you know how December sessions go!

Read More