Professional Development: By Teachers, For Teachers
I have to talk about something AWESOME that happened this week!
I will start by saying that if you were not at the GCS Lit-Tech Mini-Conference, you missed something special.
As an ITF, I am responsible for staying up-to-date (I try to stay ahead of the game, actually) on the latest and greatest ed-tech tools and strategies. I spend time training teachers how to implement these tools and strategies through professional development, 1:1 coaching and "At Your Own Pace" challenges (essentially badging/micro-credentialing). I also work closely with our Literacy Coach in an effort to minimize the separation of literacy and technology. I believe that technology is part of literacy. So, we develop approaches that encourage teachers to integrate literacy and technology. It's not about making a tech tool work. It's about finding a tech tool that compliments and enhances the literacy strategy being used.
I feel that another large part of my job is to encourage teachers to take risks and empower them to become leaders (this is a standard by which all teachers are evaluated, after all). I believe that the majority of teachers are more likely to try things that they see other teachers doing. Although I was successful as a teacher, the teachers with whom I work didn't have an opportunity to see me in action (unless I am co-teaching with them). I realize that there are times that I share an idea with a teacher only to have that teacher think (sometimes even say), "You aren't in the classroom. You don't understand." This is the reason I like to develop teacher leaders. These teachers share what IS working in their classrooms while creating the opportunity for others to observe these tools and strategies in action, making them believers.
In 2015, I decided that I wanted to take take these leaders to an even higher level. We have early out days built into our schedule. Students are dismissed at 12:00 and teachers have the rest of the day to plan and collaborate. I felt that we should take advantage of this time and the first thing I thought was, "We have great teachers here. Why not have our own conference-ish professional development? These great teachers can share what IS working in their classrooms with everyone!"
This was the birth of the GCS Literacy-Technology Mini-Conference. The idea is to have teacher leaders select a couple of their best practices (tools, strategies, etc.) and present to other teachers in the school. We combined the middle school and the high school in order to focus on vertical alignment and create a larger professional network. Once students are dismissed, all of these teachers come together at one school and spend the rest of the afternoon attending these sessions. It is worth mentioning that the sessions these teachers attend are selected based on each individual teacher's interests. Everyone receives information on available sessions in advance and make their own, personal selections. I believe that choice and presentations by teachers for teachers encourages positivity and buy-in.
This week was the second time this mini-conference has been held and this year was even better than last. The atmosphere was fun! The presenters were great! And everyone left with at least one idea to implement immediately! Below is a list of each session and a brief description of what each session offered.
[Side Note: Remember the colleagues who attended NCTIES with me? 3 of these sessions were theirs! What about the math teachers who have completely changed the high school math classes? Yep, they ran a session as well!]
Sketch to Success and CopyRIGHT - In this session you will gain exposure to a new way of taking notes. Doodling will serve as tool to a greater understanding of content. Also, you will hear about some other tools that reduce the number of pages you use in a school year while relieving you of other tasks as well. Apps: SketchBook Express and Adobe Acrobat.
The Joy of Teaching Vocabulary - We will examine new strategies to teach subject-specific vocabulary that highlight multiple areas of the brain to ensure retention.
Adding to Your App Toolbox - Come and learn about Buncee and Padlet, and how you can successfully use them in your classroom for collaboration and presentations. Participants will use both apps during the session and be exposed to several ways that they can be used across the board from K - 12 in all subject areas (both by students and teachers). These apps can be accessed with both iPads and computers.
Fabulous Tech Finds - Cool ideas to make your life a little easier! Notable Apps/Programs: Grammarly, EasyBib, Google Keep
The "Ugly" Truth About Stations - Changing the environment of your classroom with stations/rotations. Learn how to implement stations by rotating through stations.
Again, if you were not there...you missed something special. But don't worry! You can experience the thrill a couple of different ways.
1- Check out the gallery below.
2- View videos (they will be available soon) of each session on my GCS Ed-Tech YouTube Channel. Be sure to subscribe!
3- Search the hashtag #GCSLiTech
