Hooker's analogy of technology like baby steps highlights one of the important elements of staff development for technology. Because people truly are coming from ALL different experience backgrounds with this, the coach must first find out where each teacher is. Some teachers will be ready to run, or will have the desire to take what they know, even if it is at a stumble, and take off. That's me! I need baby steps too, but I want to be where
RISD introduced the SAMR model to us 3 or 4 years ago as we were trying to use more technology in our classrooms. The hard part was that we learned the definitions and could tell you what each level included, but none of us really had experienced the challenge and reward of getting much further than modification. Reading Hooker's explanation of how the redefinition was honestly, a little discouraging. While I was excited to read a very specific, detailed explanation of how a teacher would go about getting her students to that level, I don't know many teachers here that would feel comfortable with the YAG, district calendar, to allow time for this. I know it doesn't really take that much more time, but like PBL's here, many will feel the need to cover the content as a whole group to make sure the students get the information. As I read The New Pillars of Modern Teaching by Gayle Allen, I absolutely understood it is imperative to make that philosophical shift for the good of our students. And how cool would it be to have the experience that these two teachers did in the classroom. But I don't see the opportunity for it happening. Having said this, as part of the STEM for All grant with TI, I see my school benefiting from a focus on just this. Hopefully, we will see the transformation with baby steps.
Chapter 6 included lots of ways to implement the TPACK model, remembering the importance of "blending technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge." It's cool to see that our campus already does several of the examples suggested. Our badging system was a huge success this year. We can tweak it a bit by adding the new district technology systems, such as TRS, and requiring a minimum of badges or badge growth. We could even take it a step further. As discussed in another book study I am participating in, we could have a Trailblazer or Pioneer get a badge for helping another staff member earn a badge. This would encourage collaboration with other teachers- maybe within a PLC- as well as allow fellow teachers to be the experts. I also love the student-led app presentations. We have a student tech team in place but haven't really utilized them as well as we can.
As far as sharing our learning, I love the idea of the weekly PLC time to share an article or app, etc. We always manage to fill our PLC time with important stuff, and with all the changes in the curriculum this year, I am not sure this is the year to add this into the PLC expectations. Maybe another time. The PLC members take turns picking what is shared, so everyone takes ownership of the group learning. I also love blogs! I am not that comfortable with writing one of my own, but I follow so many and find this is the place where I probably learn the most. There are so many smart people out there! I would love to figure out a way to curate blog posts to share without overwhelming others. Granted, that is not necessarily sharing my experiences, but it is sharing learning. We already do Appy Hours, which have gone over really well during lunches. The key is our digital learning coach's commitment to encouraging the staff to share. Plus, she always provided lunch. :)
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