As I lay awake each night contemplating my next big step in the International Teaching Circuit, (ES Technology Learning Coach – name change from Facilitator to Learning Coach was my idea) I’m thinking ……
image attribution: teachingsagittarian
…….. my fabulous friend and colleague, Kim Cofino, will no longer be the 21st Century Literacy Specialist (Elementary School) and Technology Facilitator (Middle School), – she’s leaving the country at the end of the school year and moving to Japan to take up a new technology position in Middle School at YIS (FYI, YIS, you’re incredibly lucky!!) and Jeff Utecht (bless his heart he’ll still be around for me to yell for when the going gets tough) will no longer be the ES Technology Facilitator – next school year, he’s moving up to the High School to be their Technology Facilitator.
It will just be me in Elementary School.
You sense my dilemma don’t you? These are some pretty big footprints to follow!!
So, wonderful PLN – here’s where you come in. Help a girl get some much needed sleep will you please??
Classroom Teachers/Educators
What do you most want out of your Technology Learning Coach/Facilitator/Integrator (or whatever else your school calls it)?
What do you not want?
Tech Facilitators/Integrators/Coaches
What’s your best piece of advice for me?
What are the do’s and don’ts of this kind of position?
Principals/Admin/Management
What do you want from your Tech Learning Coach/Facilitator/Integrator?
All suggestions, tips, ideas and advice welcome and gratefully received – thanking you in advance!
I think teachers want someone who will show them not just the tools but how they might use them with real live class examples. I know I find it hard to imagine what I might do with a tool until someone points out various applications to use with this great new tool. Then I can see it’s potential greatness.
Hi Chrissy,
Congrats on the new role – you’ll be a complete star!
For what it’s worth, here are my top tips:
I think cultivating relationships with teachers (not necessarily in the tech sphere) is really important. Once they ‘know’ you, they are more likely to take on any recommendations you make.
Also, identify your shining stars – it’s easier to get started with them, and let the good work you do have a trickle down effect.
For those less keen to jump on board the tech train, find out what they are passionate about teaching (Is it writing? Mathematics? History?) and find a technologically brilliant way to share/highlight/spotlight it. Then you’re coming from a point of reference that is important to them.
Wired Wednesdays have worked really well for us. Every Wed morning, my teacher-librarian colleague, a studywiz guru & I make ourselves available for tech support – anything that they want help with – but also we use the time to highlight a tool/idea. E.g. one week we looked at apps on the school iPod Touch, one week it was Twitter, another week it was IWB tips etc.
Hope these things help, but remember, they’re just one person’s ideas!
Greetings Chrissy,
Big footprints to follow but you have been and will continue to be GREAT! My best advice to you is to keep moving. When a teachers sends an email, don’t type a response – go talk to them as fast as you can. Some tech geek guy that I know who used to work up at SAS north gave me that advice and it has still been the best yet. The next best advice that I have is take time to reflect. Do as I say and not as I do! This is the part that seems to fall away the quickest yet is so important! See you in Singapore in a few day!
Thanks Ladies – Brilliant gems of advice from all of you! And thanks for your words of encouragement!
I am going to share postive things about our “learning coach” Lorraine as we enter our third and final year of a cluster ICT/inquiry contract.
First of all she has taken the time to get to know us as real people with real lives (When my Mum died recently Lorraine came to the house to see Mum and meet my family) and her support was really appreciated. Because of such a relationship I have been really comfortable about sharing my learning (and at times)frustrations about learning also.
She visits my reflective blog and leaves encouraging comments.
She challenges us to go further and further with our learning.
She encourages (and helps us) to share what we have learnt with others.
She knows that we learn in different situations -such as 1 on 1,online,small groups,across schools etc and works hard to fit in with what we want.
Lorraine is always positive and excited about ICT/inquiry etc.
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