Tag Archives: digilit12

Caroline Haebig, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL

Caroline Haebig is the 2012 International Society for Technology in Education Outstanding Young Educator. She participated in the recent online virtual forum Creating a Culture of Learning, which was held on November 14, 2012. Below, you’ll find the second part of her reflections on being a technology coordinator. To hear more digital literacy conversations like the one below, RSVP now for the upcoming virtual fourm, Assessing Digital Literacy: Outcomes and Impact, which will be held on December 11, 2012, at 7:00p.m. EST.

Creating Personalized Learning Opportunities

At each level teachers and I work together to engage in a study of a teachers’ or teams’ current lessons, plan new units, explore how different apps and the iPad itself allow students to capture their own learning, produce in new ways and substitute for old technologies when appropriate. I like that as we move forward on our iPad journey we are providing teachers with a choice to identify what type of professional development (in terms of content and format) would best benefit them, incorporating professional development learning opportunities into the school day (as opposed to just lunches, evenings, personal time etc.). I think it is important that we are providing opportunities to attend this training with other teachers on their content teams.

My goal to find out from teachers what they need to enable me to present new ways that technology can help them accomplish an instructional goal and ease the transitions brought on by new technologies.  Teachers may often be overwhelmed with technology, curriculum changes and other emerging responsibilities. I know I’ll never have all the answers, but as long as I can understand where my teachers are in their comfort with technology, plan accordingly, and provide learning opportunities that allow them to leave with a concrete strategy to implement then I think I’m on the right track.

MODELING: If you are doing it, you don’t have to say it- this is your classroom!

It is easy for people who work with adults to revert to instructor-centered presentations, or quick, click and get tutorials. Why does this happen? Perhaps it is a perceived lack of time to instruct, model and support our adult learners in the same ways we want teachers to engage their students. Maybe we think because our participants are adults they will just automatically understand that they are to teach as we say (no matter what we do). I think this is a very, very dangerous line of thinking. Yes, creating successful learning opportunities (for young people or adults) takes time, effort and anticipatory problem solving. I believe that by modeling the teaching practices we desire to be implemented in our classrooms we will be one step closer to helping teachers understand how to take their instruction and technology further, not to mention the trust of the teachers you are working with.

Thus far in creating professional development short courses, I have strategically introduced any new tool, app, or device in ways that allow the teachers to experience that technology from a teacher and student perspective. When I say “as a teacher,” I am referring to how educators might organize and distribute directions, model collecting student artifacts etc. I think it is important for educators to experience how it feels to create, share and engage in course content using the specific app or device, similarly to how students would be able to use the device.

For example, when I organize iPad training I use iTunes U as a way for teachers to access and refer to course materials, learn about my instructional goals and desired participant outcomes. Just as teachers would want to know if their students understand the learning targets, I think it is important to have my participants engage in formative assessment as well- specifically in ways that integrate the technologies I’m teaching about. By engaging participants in formative assessment, I am better able to adapt to their needs, spark group conversation or make the adaptive decision to hold a public conference to support anyone who is struggling and serve as a model for others.

What is better than leaving a training having learned something? Producing something! In addition to facilitating my participants in experiencing the technology as a student user (say completing a formative assessment about what they have learned in the training with apps such as Socrative or Google Forms), I provide my participants with time to apply the app or device and learning strategy by creating their own formative assessment that they can bring directly back to their classroom.

There is nothing participants love more than leaving with something they can directly go back to their teaching and learning environments and use the next day. Overall, successful professional learning should incorporate the gradual release of responsibility. Job embedded learning and modeling are a powerful way to help educators to adapt their instruction and grow as problem solvers.

Reflection isn’t for Wimps!

When it comes to thinking about one’s own thinking, practice, and growth self-reflection is key. While some people engage in reflection frequently, I believe there is an added benefit to articulating one’s thinking aloud and capturing it on video.

During my professional development sessions I review some of the key aspects of powerful reflection like giving examples or telling stories to illustrate ones own learning, urging participants to share what they wonder about, what their perceived strengths are and areas for growth. In order to help teachers think more about their own learning, share their thinking and professional learning experience with others I have teachers create their own video reflections.

In order to model how teachers could collect their own students’ video products, I have the participants upload their video reflection to YouTube, and then submit it via a Google Form. Seeing and hearing oneself on video isn’t an easy thing to do. In fact, sometimes it is raw and reveals a vulnerability about ourselves. Yet, sometimes, hearing and seeing ourselves helps us to think deeply about our own learning and how we share our experiences with others. I’d also argue in a digital age, and a time of increasing demands for more transparency and documentation of professional growth, video reflections (if done well) might be another way for educators to share their learning and professional growth with administrators and even with themselves over time.

Like I said, these are just some conclusions I’ve drawn from my own experiences as an emerging technology coordinator. After all, it is only the end of November and I know there is much more learning to come!

Caroline Haebig, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL

Caroline Haebig is the 2012 International Society for Technology in Education Outstanding Young Educator. She participated in the recent online virtual forum Creating a Culture of Learning, which was held on November 14, 2012. Below, you’ll find the first part of her reflections on being a technology coordinator. To hear more digital literacy conversations like the one below, RSVP now for the upcoming virtual forum, Assessing Digital Literacy: Outcomes and Impact, which will be held on December 11, 2012, at 7:00p.m. EST.

It’s official– I’ve moved into the realm of technology coordination.  Despite being fresh in my new role as a high school instructional technology coordinator, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some productive feedback and I’ve taken time to step back and critically reflect on my new role and the person I aim to be in this new capacity.

I’ve quickly learned some significant things when it comes to adult professional learning.  I challenge anyone who works with adult learners to think more deeply about how they work with faculty and staff.

Being in a technology leadership position sometimes makes it easy to get wrapped up in people’s expectation that you are the person who allegedly “has the answers,” the champion of putting out daily tech fires, and planning long term professional development. I believe as teacher, leaders we must slow the conversation down at times and focus our practice. These are just some conclusions I’ve drawn from my early experiences as an emerging technology coordinator.

Sometimes you don’t want an App for that.

Today’s current and emerging tools and technologies are able to assist us in constructing more efficient, student centered and authentic learning environments more than ever before. Yet as these tools become more accessible, as one to one and bring your own device policies become more prevalent, I’m finding that there is a growing need to remind our teachers, our administrators and even us as technology leaders that it is simply not about the tools. While I’ll admit I love learning more about new gadgets, apps and features, I am constantly pushing myself to keep instructional goals at the center of my thinking.  This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people just want to know the names of the latest apps, or tout how many interactive white boards they have in their buildings.

Whether it is working with teachers on an individual basis or running large-scale professional learning sessions, I always start the conversation by identifying the thinking behaviors we want our students to engage in.  It is easy for people to lose sight of their instructional goals or fall short when constructing lessons that would facilitate students in engaging higher-level thinking. The conversation about technology must be centered on the teacher’s instructional goals and student outcomes.  I would encourage technology facilitators and coordinators to make sure to guide the conversation back to student learning, because when people seek out the “tech-guru” they may loose sight of the overall purpose for the technology.

Take the time to listen.

Just because you think you can finish someone’s sentence doesn’t mean you should. This is something that can be hard to do for several reasons. Perhaps sometimes people unconsciously feel they need to “prove” that they are credible by sharing their examples and experiences with others. In retrospect I’ve realized that maybe I thought that sharing anecdotes from my own classroom experiences might make me more relatable to the teachers with whom I’m working. Initially, I thought that sharing these real-life classroom challenges and experiences I survived might make it easier for teachers to see how technology can be used successfully in the classroom. I now understand that my approach may create an equally opposite reaction than what I intended.

After I taught my first intensive summer professional development course, two instructional coaches gave some constructive advice. They reminded me that people don’t want to hear examples from that “teacher you used to be” or that perhaps just because I may think I know where someone’s thinking is going, I have to give them the time to get their thoughts, ideas, and questions out. To me, this sounds like the good old fashion wait time I worked so hard to be aware of when working with my former students. People are people, and learners are learners no matter where they may be in their career or age they are. I’m learning that it is important for teachers to be able to feel safe, empowered and encouraged. In order to create this type of environment and strong relationships with adult learners, I need to slow down, listen more closely, and not be so overzealous to find a solution or rush to solve my teachers’ problems.

Personalized Professional Learning

One of the most challenging (and exciting) aspects of being an instructional technology coordinator is learning how to identify, create and offer relevant professional learning opportunities. The best types of professional development I’ve engaged in provided me with problem solving strategies, which allowed me to leave knowing how to concretely implement a specific instructional strategy, and make my life better by helping me to plan and avoid blunders because of someone else’s shared anticipatory problem solving or previous experiences.
The task of creating successful professional development is challenging because adult learners are just as diverse as the student learners with whom we work.
We must identify ways to meet people where they are and create meaningful personalized learning opportunities to meet diverse technology experience expertise and comfort.

Join the Action

How am I taking on the task of supporting educators while we face a rapidly growing 1:1 iPad program? I’ve started by observing teachers in action; I’ve engaged in many conversations with a variety of educators about the strengths, limitations, and questions teachers face when integrating technology. After synthesizing what I think would make these teachers lives easier, bolster instruction, and create more authentic learning experiences for students from the information I’ve gathered I created five different options for receiving professional development.  The common thread among all of these different opportunities is that they all take a collaborative approach to creating, evaluating and elaborating on how we are using technology to support and transform instructional practices. Instructional targets are at the center of all my conversations. Further, I believe it is important to help teachers explore ways to manage workflow (students and their own), and to create ways to execute meaningful formative assessment. We must redefine how teachers can use technology to engage students in higher-level thinking. Current and emerging technologies easily allow users to produce creative products not possible before.

Align objectives and action items with others

Our teacher iPad program started when the iPad first came out. In short, teachers were able to choose to opt in, engage in iPad training, design a lesson incorporating the iPad and then have access to check out an iPad cart. In moving forward, our administration has decided to begin a 1:1 iPad program and create an instructional technology coordinator position (me) to support teachers in this new environment, and with other emerging technologies.

At this point iPad professional development engagement is still mostly voluntary; teachers choose to sign up for one of my short courses, and are provided with a substitute teacher to enable them to attend.  In order be most efficient I’ve designed collaboration formats and small group professional learning opportunities. By  working closely with teachers and department administrators we collaboratively  tailor the sessions to the target content area and around teacher comfort levels with technology.  These collaborations are just the beginning of my efforts to meet the diverse needs of our adult learners.

The second installment of this blog will address how Haebig is creating personalized learning opportunities for faculty, incorporating modeling to support adult learners and embedding reflection into learning processes.