No Man is an Island!

HELP!

We all experience that helpless feeling. Where do we go for the needed pick-me-up.  Most of us go to the person next door or down the hall. That’s great, we all need that someone we can go to for the emotional support. The one that gives us a hug and tells us that everything is going to be ok. But there are times where that is just not enough. Now what?

Most of us feel that we are in this alone; if we are lucky we have a mentor or even a group of colleagues that we can go to for help. We are all burdened with so much to do and so little time. We need to be efficient with our time and that is where expanding your personal learning network (PLN) comes in handy.  For most of us our PLN consists of the colleagues in our own building. a few of us have reached out to others who teach the same grade or subject across our district.  If you are one of these people you are missing out.  There is a Great Big World Out There!

We are in a new age of connection. We can talk and collaborate with almost anyone in the world. to be more effective are PLNs need to expand. Twitter, Google+ communities, wikis, Facebook, Linkedin, blogs, Triberr & Pinterest just to name a few. The connections that are available are unlimited. There is no reason that we cannot get help from people across the globe.

The first step is up to you. Reach out and you will find that there are so many people out there that are willing to help. The best thing about PLNs is you find like minded people that become your support group, your go to for help and answers. It just really means that your circle is now a lot larger and there is probably someone out there that has an answer to your question.

It may seem like it is a great big (scary) world out there but the internet and PLNs make it a whole lot smaller. Your PLN is alway there, always on. Just remember what the Beatles said, “Yes I get by with a little help from my friends”. Now go on and get out there.

Is there a one-size fits all PD?

Professional development falls into many categories. There are so many ways that you can gain knowledge within your profession from traditional to nontraditional types of PD. The traditional that most of us are familiar with is when everyone sits in a room together and someone with an expertise dispenses information to the group; with or without activities to strengthen that knowledge.  

Since I have taken on this new role as an Instructional Technology Coach I have really been focusing on my own professional development. I want to learn as much as I can so I can provide my teachers with a valuable resource. I have become involved in multiple PD opportunities that all offer different styles of learning.  They all approach their goals from very different angles,agendas, and goals.

The first professional development opportunity I have become part of is an Edmodo training group. At the end of the class I will be a Certified Edmodo Trainer; I joined this group because many of my teachers use Edmodo and I wanted to learn as much as I could to better understand Edmodo to better help my teachers.  The course is very structured with weekly online webinars, a syllabus with project due dates, quizzes, and assignments. There is also a leader who is an expert that guides us through the course content. It is similar to a traditional online class where there are grades and assessments where someone is monitoring your work.

The second PD growth opportunity that I have involved myself in is a MOOC (massive open online course). Wikipedia describes a MOOC as "an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web."  The course description states, “the MOOC-Ed is a self-directed learning experience. Therefore, the amount of benefit will reflect the amount of time and effort you spend on the course.” The course designed into six one-week units. Each unit has tasks to complete but they are not graded. Each section builds upon the last one to create a final takeaway from the MOOC. In this MOOC we are building an Instructional Technology Coaching Action Plan. At the end of the course a certificate of completion for 20 hours of professional development if we submit proof that we completed the course.

The last professional development that I participated in was an EdCamp. An EdCamp is billed as an “unconference”, meaning that it is participant driven.  Our edcamp had four hour long sessions broken down into 9 different topic groups.  The way an unconference works is that anyone attending can come up and propose a topic that they want to talk/learn about. As people start pitching their ideas the board fills, when the board is full the conference begins.  As a participant you choose which sessions you want to attend. You vote with your feet. If you don’t like the session you’re in, get up and try a different one. No ones feelings are hurt and everyone gets what they want. Each session has no leader or expert, everyone can be an expert. It is an open conversation that goes in the direction of the group discussion.

All have their own strengths and benefits. Each one offers a different style that fills a unique role. For the Edmodo course I need an expert leading and teaching me how to use Edmodo and become knowledgeable to teach it to others. In the past I have tried to teach myself Edmodo but never got too far. I would always run into a bump and I would get too far off course and just give up. This keeps me on track. The MOOC style of PD works well because it lays out a topic of learning and gives you all of the tools to learn and be successful. The challenge is to stay on top of the work since there is no real pressure to complete it. You have to be self-driven and organized. The Edcamps are a great way to surround yourself with other very passionate people that have a lot of knowledge and are willing to share. I left the Edcamp with a lot of ideas to pursue and many new contacts that I can seek out their help.

There is no “one size fits all” for professional development.  As teachers, we understand that about education. Each person needs to find what works for their own needs, as long as they are always learning! We need to model that for our students in our own lives.  

Break over, now it’s time to get back to my homework….

Teacher Buy-In

We are just a couple of weeks into the school year and the teachers are settling into their routines. The teachers have had their iPads now for just over two weeks and we are still about a month away from the student rollout of the iPads. I have met with every team and my initial meetings were mainly to answer any questions that they had and to help them get started with a couple of apps.  

Many of my teachers have embraced the ClassDojo and Remind apps to start the year off.  The teachers veered toward ClassDojo because it aligns with our schools use of PBIS.  The teachers felt that they could implement Class Dojo before the students receive their iPads and use the app to establish their class routines.

Along with Class Dojo many teachers are also implementing the Remind app to keep the parents informed.  Parent communication is always an important aspect of an effective teacher and this app offers a quick way to keep parents informed of what is going on in the classroom.  Email has been the choice of parent communication but now the teachers have another option to add to their toolkit.

Ms. Figueroa is showing her students Class Dojo

My teachers have really impressed me!

Since our initial PD with Digital Promise the teachers have been thinking “big” picture when it comes to using the iPads in their classroom. When we first learned that we would be a part of 1:1 iPads with our students many teachers first thoughts were; “what apps would work for my subject?” There are definitely wonderful apps out there for every subject and the teachers first thoughts were very subject centered.  

The more they use the iPads and see the possibilities, their conversations with me have changed.  Our conversations don’t start with the question, “what app will do this?” Instead, the conversation starts with ideas like; “here’s what I would like my students to accomplish”, or, “I would like to figure out a different way for my students to look at this problem”.  They are no longer concerned about which app will work best. They are more interested in how this is going to enable deeper learning or meaning for the project or task. Many teachers are not sure how to accomplish what they are dreaming of. (that’s where I come in) They are just thinking about how to really get the students motivated to find answers and take action.

In the past, many of our teachers have been willing and wanting to collaborate with each other; but the way our schedules are designed many of us never have common planning time. What has been amazing is to hear teachers in the Fine Arts Department talking about what is going on in the Language Arts class and trying to figuring out how to better collaborate with each other. They are thinking that the iPads may be the bridge that can cross the curricular gap and have students work collaboratively between disciplines.

It is great to have so many teachers thinking BIG! I love that their ideas are very transformative in how they envision their classrooms to be.  I just need to reel them in (just a bit) and remind them that Rome wasn’t built in a day.  We need to start with a solid foundation for both the teachers and students!

But you can’t help but love the enthusiasm that they are showing. “Go Big or Go Home!” 

We are certainly going big!

“Mr. Cipinko, are you teaching a “legit” class this year?”

My first Week and New Role

The first week of school is over and was very hectic.  I am trying to define my new role within our school. This is a new role for our school and district by having a tech coach in just a single building.  Our district has math and reading coaches that work across multiple schools, so being in one building is a privilege.

I feel lucky to be in my school working with the teachers that I have known for 10 years. Even before I became the tech coach many teachers asked for my help with technology.  It has made the transition easier for both of us.  My teachers are very comfortable asking me for help or with me walking into their classrooms and being apart of their team meetings.

I am still thinking about the comment that one of my eight graders said to me on the first day of school; “Mr. Cipinko, are you teaching a “legit” class this year?”

The first couple of days I found it strange not having a classroom and having kids come to me.  That feeling is passing now that I am immersed in my new position.  I have been very busy this week with multiple projects.  Since we are apart of Digital Promise’s 1:1 initiative I have been in constant contact with Krista Moroder, Jim Beeler and Marco Torres from DP; and the other coaches around the country from the eight schools that are participating in this pilot program.  We are working together on creative ideas and solutions to help our teachers, parents and students with the rollout of 1:1 technology.

Here I am talking with other coaches around the country!

The second part of this job has been working with my counterpart, Regina Colquitt at Chute Middle School in Evanston, she is “the me” at Chute.  We are the two Midwestern schools in this pilot. Along with Patty Tzortzis, who is our districts’ Instructional Technology Coordinator, we are working together with the district to create Pd for our teachers and parents so they will be ready when the students get their iPads.

The third part of my job, and the most important, is working with my teachers to help them understand the possibilities that technology can do in and out of their classroom.  I have been meeting with every team and talking to the teachers about what they want technology to look like in your classroom.  Many teachers have come to me with questions and ideas and I am trying to work with them to figure out solutions to fit their needs and goals.

So maybe I don’t have a “legit” class in the traditional sense of the word. But I do feel that I will be apart of all of the students education.  To me, that makes my job legit!