Standard 4: Professional Development and Program Evaluation. Technology coaches conduct needs assessments, develop technology-related professional learning programs and evaluate the impact on instructional practice and student learning.
Creating professional development opportunities ("PD") that are relevant and applicable is an area where I think coaches can make a real difference. As teachers, we are always encouraged to participate in PD to better our teaching craft and learn new skills. When we as teachers are developing the PD, I think it creates more buy-in from the learners (that is, other teachers) because they see us as equals who are in the trenches working on the same issues. Given the occasional resistance among educators to new technology, buy-in and engagement are key components of a successful PD.
Creating professional development opportunities ("PD") that are relevant and applicable is an area where I think coaches can make a real difference. As teachers, we are always encouraged to participate in PD to better our teaching craft and learn new skills. When we as teachers are developing the PD, I think it creates more buy-in from the learners (that is, other teachers) because they see us as equals who are in the trenches working on the same issues. Given the occasional resistance among educators to new technology, buy-in and engagement are key components of a successful PD.
Artifact 1: The artifact below demonstrates my proficiency in this standard. It is a video documenting my mentoring experience with a colleague. I worked with this particular colleague on improving her use of technology in the classroom as a way of communicating better with her students and their parents. Developing my proficiency in this standard provided me with a unique opportunity to utilize my teaching skills with a co-worker. I enjoyed creating a plan that helped her improve her teaching practice, and in the process, I think I enhanced my own teaching. This artifact meets coaching indicators 4a, 4b, and 4c.
Being a Coach: I enjoyed working with my colleague on this standard, and I hope to continue to connect with her and other co-workers in a mentoring relationship. By using my skills as an educator, I am able to connect with teachers to develop their knowledge of technology tools, as well as increase their confidence in using technology in their classrooms. I think I can continue to improve my proficiency in this standard by creating concrete ways to assess the needs of teachers for tech PDs. I also need to develop more ways of measuring the value and impact of the PD on student learning.