Standard 1.4 - Diffusion of Innovations and Change
Candidates research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. (PSC 1.4/ISTE 1d)
Artifact - Coaching Journal
Reflection
I selected my Coaching Journal to represent this standard because it presents an example of how instructional coaching as a professional model can be used in a school to initiate and sustain technology innovations and manage the change process. Over the school year as I worked with one particular 4th grade teacher at my school, Ms. T, it was apparent that she was very interested in trying new technology strategies to make her lessons more engaging and authentic. I also recognized that because she is a dynamic part of our team, she would help influence other teachers and be an advocate for new technology-infused teaching methods. This journal documents my coaching relationship and is evidence of the power of partnership coaching described by Knight (2007).
As with many schools, there is no staff member formally assigned to provide professional learning in our school. Although the district does use Instructional Technology Specialists who provide professional learning, they each support several schools and are not always available when teachers have a specific learning need. In order effectively implement strategies to initiate and sustain technology innovation, teachers need to be able to call on someone to answer questions, model techniques, and support their efforts on a daily basis. Standards for Professional Learning (2011) emphasized the importance of job-embedded professional learning, and we know that timely support is what makes the difference allowing teachers to embrace change in teaching strategies and the school environment.
Because of my previous experience using Edmodo, I felt it provided a logical tool for Ms. T. to further engage students in their learning. As we explored ways to use this tool, I further researched various features in Edmodo in order to recommend strategies that would particularly benefit language arts instruction for Ms. T. Although I was able to provide support for Ms. T in trying a new teaching tool, she influenced me greatly by sharing her classroom style and teaching methods as we co-taught sections of our project.
One of the difficulties of the coaching process for me lay in identifying particular strategies for interaction. Because of my relationship with this teacher we were easily able to collaborate and support each other as teaching partners, and our back-and-forth discussions were very inspiring to me and strengthened my teaching practice. To strengthen this artifact I would review formally-defined coaching strategies to strengthen my understanding of technology coaching, and I will continue to use these strategies going forward to continue implementing change in my teaching and in my school.
This activity contributed to the increased use of technology and change in instructional practices among faculty at Centennial Place. Ms. T encouraged her 4th grade team members to try using Edmodo and other technology tools in different disciplines, which led to other teachers taking baby steps toward changing their uses of technology. Not everyone tried Edmodo specifically, but teachers of 2nd graders experimented with other tools, and Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers asked for my assistance using electronic books with their Promethean Boards in the classrooms as a result of seeing how we used Edmodo resources in 4th grade. The impact of this work with Ms. T on school improvement at Centennial Place can be measured by her continued growth using Edmodo and other tools as well as her acting as a mentor to other teachers. Improved student learning and increased engagement will be a direct reflection of this success.
I selected my Coaching Journal to represent this standard because it presents an example of how instructional coaching as a professional model can be used in a school to initiate and sustain technology innovations and manage the change process. Over the school year as I worked with one particular 4th grade teacher at my school, Ms. T, it was apparent that she was very interested in trying new technology strategies to make her lessons more engaging and authentic. I also recognized that because she is a dynamic part of our team, she would help influence other teachers and be an advocate for new technology-infused teaching methods. This journal documents my coaching relationship and is evidence of the power of partnership coaching described by Knight (2007).
As with many schools, there is no staff member formally assigned to provide professional learning in our school. Although the district does use Instructional Technology Specialists who provide professional learning, they each support several schools and are not always available when teachers have a specific learning need. In order effectively implement strategies to initiate and sustain technology innovation, teachers need to be able to call on someone to answer questions, model techniques, and support their efforts on a daily basis. Standards for Professional Learning (2011) emphasized the importance of job-embedded professional learning, and we know that timely support is what makes the difference allowing teachers to embrace change in teaching strategies and the school environment.
Because of my previous experience using Edmodo, I felt it provided a logical tool for Ms. T. to further engage students in their learning. As we explored ways to use this tool, I further researched various features in Edmodo in order to recommend strategies that would particularly benefit language arts instruction for Ms. T. Although I was able to provide support for Ms. T in trying a new teaching tool, she influenced me greatly by sharing her classroom style and teaching methods as we co-taught sections of our project.
One of the difficulties of the coaching process for me lay in identifying particular strategies for interaction. Because of my relationship with this teacher we were easily able to collaborate and support each other as teaching partners, and our back-and-forth discussions were very inspiring to me and strengthened my teaching practice. To strengthen this artifact I would review formally-defined coaching strategies to strengthen my understanding of technology coaching, and I will continue to use these strategies going forward to continue implementing change in my teaching and in my school.
This activity contributed to the increased use of technology and change in instructional practices among faculty at Centennial Place. Ms. T encouraged her 4th grade team members to try using Edmodo and other technology tools in different disciplines, which led to other teachers taking baby steps toward changing their uses of technology. Not everyone tried Edmodo specifically, but teachers of 2nd graders experimented with other tools, and Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers asked for my assistance using electronic books with their Promethean Boards in the classrooms as a result of seeing how we used Edmodo resources in 4th grade. The impact of this work with Ms. T on school improvement at Centennial Place can be measured by her continued growth using Edmodo and other tools as well as her acting as a mentor to other teachers. Improved student learning and increased engagement will be a direct reflection of this success.