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8.1 RELATIONSHIPS
Candidates establish coaching relationships to support educators as they explore new instructional strategies and integrate technology to improve student learning. (PSC-IT 8.1)
8.1
The artifact I am using to demonstrate this standard is my coaching experience with Pam. As a Fulton County Vanguard member, I was required to mentor someone in my school for the year. I have linked the the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) website, a photo of Pam and myself, and the three TIM-O's I completed during my lesson observations. The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) provides a framework for describing and targeting the use of technology to enhance learning. The TIM-O is a flexible tool for observing face-to-face or virtual lessons. It can be used for formative feedback and peer coaching.
This artifact demonstrates my ability to establish coaching relationships to support educators as they explore new instructional strategies and integrate technology to improve student learning. I mentored Pam throughout the entire school year by being someone she could always come to for support and she knew there would never be any judgement. I would work at the speed she needed in order to show her the things she needed to know to utilize her technology more productively for herself and her students. She allowed me to come in and observe her lessons. I would model how to assist the students with their technological needs when problems would arise. By the end of the year, Pam had her students communicating knowledge through a choice of activities using technology due to the confidence she built.
I learned that you also learn things when to teach and help others. Pam used to think she was bothering me at times, but I would point out when I learned something new often when we worked together. I would improve this artifact by going back and completing the comment section on the second TIM-O I completed. I do not recall what the lesson was!
This work impacted faculty development and student learning. I mentored a faculty member that then transformed her use of technology to a different level with her students. The impact can be assessed through continued observations of how Pam continues to implement technology instruction and the high level of achievement her students have on their statewide assessment year after year. Pam and I are still good friends at work.
8.2 NEEDS ASSESSMENTS & ADULT LEARNING
Candidates design and implement professional learning based on needs assessments and the theories and frameworks for adult learning. (PSC-IT 8.2)
8.2
The artifact I am using to demonstrate mastery of this standard is a Nearpod training I provided teachers through a Teams meeting. I have provided a recording of this training. I have also linked the follow-up email I sent the attendees that contained resources and and self-paced Nearpod to the first training my colleague provided. I did this with a colleague so we could both become Nearpod Certified Trainers.
This artifact demonstrates how I design and implement professional learning based on needs assessment and theories and frameworks for adult learning. Fulton County had purchased Nearpod for the entire district and very little teachers were utilizing it. My colleague and I emailed an invitation to the faculty about the our Nearpod training. It stated the reasons why they would want to use Nearpod for instruction and how user friendly it is. The teachers that were interested reached out and/or attended the training if they were able. This created an audience of people that all had a readiness to learn. The artifact demonstrates how I implemented the theory of experiential learning in my approach. I wanted to use a hands-on approach and have active participation during the training.
I learned that life gets in the way sometimes for some making this artifact. It was very difficult trying to accommodate everyone with a day and time that everyone could meet for the training. The training was recorded and shared with those that were unable to attend. I could improve this artifact by adding an evaluation for the attendees to complete about their experience with the entire Nearpod training process we provided.
This artifact had an impact on faculty development and student learning. Several teachers were trained on how to use Nearpod in two seperate training sessions. This allowed them to take the time to learn and process that material before adding on more ways to use Nearpod and personalize it during the second training session. Students were exposed to new and engaging ways to learn material using technology. The impact can be assessed by observing the large number of teachers currently using Nearpod at an expert level. Student engagement and achievement can be observed and measured throughout all Nearpod lessons at anytime using the provided data.
8.3 EVALUATION & REFLECTION
Candidates evaluate the impact of professional learning and continually reflect on how to improve coaching and professional practice. (PSC-IT 8.3)
8.3
I am using the thesis I wrote while earning a Specialist's degree in Instructional Technology from Lesley University as the artifact to demonstrate mastery of this standard. I completed a study to learn how teachers felt about the Interactive White Boards (IWB) that everyone received seven years after receiving them. I wanted to know how they were being utilized after being in the classrooms for so long. I used this knowledge to gain better perspective on who utilizes technology resources and why.
This artifact demonstrates how I evaluate the impact of professional learning and how I continually reflect on how to improve coaching and professional practice. My thesis demonstrates how I am able to collect and analyze data in order to evaluate the impact a lack of professional learning had in a school over seven years of having an IWB in every classroom. I demonstrate how I reflect on how to improve coaching and professional practice in the sections of the thesis called Implications for Current Practice, Recommendations, Conclusions, and Summary. There I give suggestions and ideas for ways that coaching could have been involved more in the school.
I learned that a lot of money was wasted when a fancy device was rolled out without the proper training, professional development plan, and support in place ahead of time. I could have improved this artifact by getting even more faculty members to participate in the data collection process to get an even larger sample size. I still feel that the results would have been pretty similar though.
The artifact had an impact on student learning and faculty development. I did this study because I was considered a very technologically advanced teacher and I had an IWB that I used to project things on and that was it. During and after this study, I began using mine more and it encouraged other teachers to do the same also. More teachers started to collaborate across grade level. The impact could be assessed because I was using my IWB. Other teachers were using theirs and sharing resources and students could be seen engaging with the boards in more and more classrooms more often in more meaningful ways.
8.4 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS
Candidates foster educator participation in professional learning networks to help them connect with other educators and stay abreast of current and emerging technologies and innovations. (PSC-IT 8.4)
8.4
The artifact that demonstrates my mastery of this standard is my membership and involvement with Fulton County School District's Vanguard. I have linked the Vanguard website, Vanguard's available professional development resources, and a link to a conference I am able to attend each year due to my Vanguard membership.
This artifact demonstrates how I foster educator participation in professional learning networks to help them connect with other educators and stay abreast of current and emerging technologies and innovations. The purpose of Vanguard is to work together to learn and build the capacity of others within our school do transform what they can do with students. We learn best practices for transformative ways to meaningfully incorporate the use of technology in the classroom. We are all lifelong learners that want to help others transform how they use technology. We have a Microsoft Team, we get a weekly newsletter, and there are all sorts of professional learning activities constantly going on.
My membership and involvement with Vanguard helps me stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes through all of the professional development constantly provided. Vanguard members mentor and learn in order to build the capacity of our colleagues to implement best practices using personalized learning and transformative technology integration. We participate in regular professional development that is required and we have the opportunity to participate in a wide a variety of optional professional development activities. Each year, Vanguard pays to send us to the Georgia Educational Technology Conference. I stay very current and abreast of emerging technologies and innovations due to Vanguard.
When I created this artifact and began the reflection, I realized how fortunate that I am to get to be a part of this group. Only a select few do get to be a part, so I did get selected after applying and interviewing, but I am fortunate to get to stay so current and up to date with what is going on and what the latest best practices in technology are. I need to be more meaningful with sharing my knowledge with more people in our school, but it has been difficult since the pandemic due to changes in schedules.
My involvement in Vanguard has tremendously helped impact faculty development and student learning. I have learned how to troubleshoot so many things and am so comfortable with technology that I am able to be a support person for the teachers in my school. I am even able to provide technical support to the students. The impact can be assessed by the way I am able to create and help others in the school create incredible lessons that enhance student learning and engagement.
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