A Slow Burn

As educators we have all experienced change. In fact, change is almost a constant thing these days when you take into account initiatives like STEM, STEAM, Coding, Maker, Robotics, PBL, Inquiry & 1-to-1. When you look at all of these together it can be quite overwhelming to say the least!

Many of these initiatives require teachers to have a certain level of competence & confidence using technology. As a Technology Integrator and Coach, a big part of my job is to teach skills, provide support & ultimately create a culture where technology is valued & used regularly and effectively by students & teachers.  

For some people, learning new skills and managing a “change” to their routine is easy. For others, “change” is as daunting as a trip to the dentist. There has been plenty written about “change” and this particular quote inspires me when I face my own “change” moments:

The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.

          ― C. JoyBell C.

For me, “accepting change” is the most difficult hurdle I encounter as a Technology Integrator. My title should really be “Change Manager” as this tends to be a significant part of what I do. Managing the change process is not easy and requires a lot of patience. At times the change process seems to move at glacial speed, making me wonder if change is happening at all.

I’m happy to report that change does occur, albeit slowly and even sneakily. I’m two and a half years into my current role and now I am seeing signs of considerable growth and “change”, sometimes more than I had expected. For example, becoming fully 1-to-1 (laptop) in our secondary school has allowed teachers and students to access tools & apps that make learning more engaging, authentic & individualized. Teachers are responding to this reality by adding to their skills via our in-house Tech Tuesday PD sessions and by acquiring micro-credentials such as the Google Educator Level 1 certification.

The “change” process has been like a slow burn, plenty of hard work early on that created smoke but not a lot of fire. Today, the fire is visible and it is well established. I’m now curious to see how big that fire becomes.

Creating a Learning Space

I’ve always felt that my school is quite innovative. Whether it be teacher collaboration, progressive teaching practices or access to & effective use of technology, there are many ways that TIS goes above and beyond.

The recent school expansion afforded some interesting opportunities that most schools would be envious of - suddenly there was an abundance of space. What do you do with a large space that was once the secondary school library? This scenario had the administration & department coordinators sharing ideas on how to best use the spaces that were now available.

We wanted to turn the old library into a learning space that all teachers and students at TIS could access. It was decided early on that our new space had to serve many purposes & interests and we took inspiration from innovative schools such as Shekou International School and Suzhou Singapore International School; both have innovative learning spaces and classrooms that are designed for student collaboration & comfort. We named our new space the “Learning Lab” and it was designed to include the following elements:

• Breakout rooms for small group activities
• Dividers that make the room smaller - these dividers also act as whiteboards
• An audio recording room
• Green screen area
• Robots & drones (all programmable)
• Chairs & tables that are moveable & stackable
• Several storage areas
• Sinks for washing/cleanup
• An office for technology integration staff

The Learning Lab is now open for students & teachers to use. If you are visiting the school I encourage you to stop by and take a look around. I think you will be impressed with the possibilities that this space offers to TIS staff & students.

Finding Value

Almost weekly I get contacted by phone, email or twitter about a fantastic new product that will surely improve teaching & learning at my school. While I think it is important to be continually improving our learning environment I often feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of apps, tools & devices that are available.

How do I determine if something is worth checking out? I base it on the following:

1. Does this product fulfill a current need?
2. Have I heard others talk (rave) about this product?
3. If I need to spend money will it be cost-effective?

Here are some examples of “new things” that we have incorporated at my school. The first is Seesaw. We use this product for digital portfolios for our students. When we were looking for a suitable platform there was quite a bit of buzz online about Seesaw. We did some testing -teachers loved it- and it quickly became our tool of choice. Seesaw is a paid service but we found the cost per student (and the unlimited number of classes) was well worth the benefits that came with this platform. It has become more and more popular and our Mandarin teachers are the latest group to incorporate Seesaw into their classes.

Another new product was Gibbon EDU. Gibbon (gibbonedu.org) is a Student Information System and a Learning Management System all rolled into one. My school had been searching for a new SIS and by chance a few staff met the Gibbon EDU developer at a professional development activity. His short overview piqued our interest enough to test out this platform. At the time Gibbon was being used in a handful of schools and it was still a young product. The positives for us was that it ticked a lot of boxes and the developer was a teacher; a person who understood the needs of a typical teacher. Again after a testing period we decided to use this young & developing platform. The interesting thing about Gibbon is that it is open source - no initial fees or subscription fees. This allowed us to take the money we normally spent on a SIS/LMS and put it towards a new staff member who would oversee this new platform.

My experiences show that there is value to be found; you just need to do your research and don't be afraid of some of the more obscure products out there. Good luck!

When Teens Talk to Parents About Technology Use

It can be difficult being a teen. You’re no longer a “kid” but not an adult either; it’s like being caught in a state of flux. Then there is the media, the peer pressure and the longing to “fit in” without standing out. When you add technology to the mix, many students (and parents) start to struggle. How much is too much? Is it safe? Is it distracting? It’s tricky.

The thing to keep in mind is that a teenagers online presence is just as important as their face-to-face presence. Many parents don’t understand this because they never experienced it themselves. Parents who lament about their teens (or tweens) always being on their devices should remember that they themselves probably spent hours on the phone talking with their friends. The difference was that phones back then didn’t have a screen and they were physically attached to the wall. Same but different - sort of.

But how do you get busy parents to give up two hours of their time in order to attend a presentation? You tell them that a panel of teens will be sharing their personal experiences and will answer questions from the audience. To be honest, this was not a novel idea, rather I learned about this format from Common Sense Media. Finding teens that were willing to answer questions and share their stories was easier than I thought. We did hand-pick students because we wanted individuals who had the maturity to speak openly, honestly and confidently to our audience. It was important that the group was diverse too; we made sure there was a wide variety of “life experience” on the panel.

The teen panel was an amazing success. The students spoke clearly and with detail as they answered fourteen different questions. I was impressed with their poise and it was interesting watching the parents; they were riveted by the responses from the seven teens who took part. The responses were completely honest and as such, a few comments raised some eyebrows.  One parent (whose daughter was on the panel) was shocked at how late into the night (morning really) her daughter had spent on social media. Overall, it was an incredibly valuable and powerful experience.

Looking back upon this night, it was the students who made it a great success. Nothing beats having authentic speakers with real life experiences. If you want to discuss teens technology use with parents, I urge you to involve students in the process. You won’t be disappointed.

Supporting Students Passion for Technology

I am responsible for technology integration at my school and it makes my day when I get to work with students who are eager to learn about computers, apps & technology in general. I’ve been able to engage students by creating a “Student Tech Guide Program” at my school. This program provides G-Suite Apps training (Gmail, Calendar, Drive & Search) for those students who want to expand their technology skills. It also helps create a certain level of capacity in each class that ends up helping everyone.

 

This is a voluntary program for grade 4-9 students and sixty-five signed up for the program. At the start of our first training session I asked each student to tell me why they signed up to be a “Tech Guide”. Their responses tended to be very similar:

• “I love working with computers”
• “I want to learn new skills”
• “I want to help my mom and/or dad with technology”
• “I like helping my teacher when the Smart board doesn’t work”

What struck me was the passion and joy displayed by these students. No matter what the skill or topic was they were engaged, focused and happy. As there are so many groups (14 in total) the training sessions are held only every three weeks. This has led to students regularly stopping me in the hallway and asking when their next training session will be; talk about enthusiasm.

If you are a technology integrator I encourage you to focus on both the teachers and students at your school. I firmly believe that regular and responsible use of technology will develop when you engage both of these very important groups. Good luck!

A Step Forward

Technology integration is my number one priority at my school. Last year, the integration process felt like a tug of war between two equally matched opponents; small gains here and there but nothing really significant. I am a realist though and I understand that change can be a slow process.

This year, two important initiatives have made a significant impact on the culture and mindset at my school. The first was a dedicated PD activity for teachers to participate in. Ours is called “Tech Tuesday” and technology integration staff offer learning opportunities throughout the day from 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Each Tuesday, one topic is discussed and there are several drop-in sessions to choose from throughout the day. This provides teachers the flexibility to choose a session that fits into their busy schedule. If a teacher cannot make a session, one-on-one learning can be scheduled at another time. To date, our sessions have been well received by staff and the value of these opportunities is becoming more and more appreciated.

The second activity that raised the profile of technology integration at my school was the first annual ACAMIS Technology Conference. Four teachers from my school presented at this conference and the three sessions that they led were very successful and well received. For all of them, this was the first time that they had presented to peers outside of their school. Each of them provided sessions that were relevant, engaging and well-attended. Beside the positive feedback that was received, each presenter was able to add new members to their PLN.

Moving forward, our primary goal will be to continue providing relevant and engaging learning opportunities to our teachers. My school will host the next ACAMIS Technology Conference (October 2017) and I look forward to more staff taking advantage of this amazing learning opportunity.

Willing to Fail

As a member of my school's leadership team, I was recently involved with the training and orientation of new staff. Since my areas of responsibility revolve around technology, I found it important to discuss not only technology (hardware, platforms, supports available etc.), but also attitudes toward technology. Both are important when it comes to ensuring effective technology use and integration in schools.  

It is exciting when new staff join my school as these individuals bring with them invaluable knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to an already strong staff. Yet it is important that these individuals are on the same page as other staff when it comes to school mission, vision & culture.

Regarding technology, I share one simple message with teachers: “You must be willing to fail”. A recent article on the business site Entrepreneur points out that fear of failure leads to inaction. Here is a great quote from this article:

All too many of us grew up learning that mistakes are bad. We walk through life on eggshells, trying desperately not to take a wrong step. When we live this way, we can’t learn from our mistakes and grow into new possibilities. Retrain your brain to know that mistakes happen, and it’s okay that they do. The most important thing is what you learn from a mistake about how to do better next time. The mark of a successful person is not based on how few mistakes they make, but on how quickly they get back up, learn from mistakes and move forward.  

I’m happy to report that my message is being heard. More and more teachers are telling me that they want to play around with a new app/tool/device first before seeking help from others. As for myself, I continue to fail forward on a regular basis; it’s just become part of my regular learning process.