In my role at the district, I meet with three groups of educators: Secondary ITFs - Instructional Technology Facilitators, which are teachers on special assignment so to speak. They are skilled professionals that take on the role of digital learning coach at their schools. Sadly, our district counts these in the teacher allotment for each school so our elementary schools choose not to have them. This decision often adversely impacts the students transition into secondary school. Two of our four traditional high schools have done the same. And Middle school principals do not count them as priority positions during budget time so their postilions could disappear at any given time. SLMCs - School Library Media Coordinators, which are dedicated positions at each elementary school, middle school, and high school according to the documentation our district has. However, we do have a few schools, including our pre-K centers, that do NOT have professional school library media coordinators. These early learning centers are places where they are needed the most! Elementary DTLCs - Digital Teaching and Learning Contacts are appointed by their principals. These folks are from varied positions and after 8 years, have finally morphed into a group of dynamic educators that often seek out opportunities to bring digital learning strategies to their classrooms. Visionaries! As you can see, there are mountains I need to move to change perceptions of the importance of these educators. I meet with them quarterly and provide professional development on the months between meetings. They have the potential to impact instruction for every student. The end of April/first of May began "meeting month" - I especially LOVE planning these for my secondary collaborative! This collaborative was officially established last school year. It consists of the SLMCs and ITFs from all of our secondary schools - that have those positions. Before I took my current position, I was a middle school ITF. These REALLY are my people. Each meeting consists of sharing resources and ideas that can be taken back to their schools to share or on which they can lead professional learning for the teachers. I strive to always provide resources and even pre-packaged professional learning opportunities for them to take back and implement. While I LOVE each one, this meeting was one of my favorites!! That first picture in the collage above says it all - 3 post it notes, 2 googly eyes, and 1 Lego brick. I always try to keep them guessing. I think they've come to expect that. It brings me joy! They know I like to find strange ways to make them group up and share...it was an awesome morning! While the post it notes came into play at various times during the meeting, the googly eyes and the Legos were my faviorite! The first item to be used, photo on the top right, was the set of dice that I made for each group - Dollar Tree cubes, a glue stick, and some emojis that aligned with our role-alike sharing session. Often the same people always share. Sometimes, this turns into a gripe session. THIS time, I was determined it would be different! That's laughter you see in the image below the dice - belly laughing and clapping - it warms the soul! By having a timer, also from Dollar Tree, and giving each side of the die a distinct focus, it allowed for everyone to share their voice and for the variety of what was shared to include real problems of practice and celebrations - not just frustrations and complaints. This activity received positive feedback in the evaluations and WILL return when we resume meetings in August! I always bring in resources shared by these group members between meetings as a "shout out" of sorts - this month was no different. I highlighted some digital citizenship resources shared by one in their ranks with a gallery walk. Each station had a poster about commonly used (by kids) social media apps. Their mission - write reflections and vocabulary that we, as adults, need to be attuned to. Indicate what "red flags" we see. Then, after they had written their notes, I sent them on a gallery walk with their googly eyes. Thanks to glue dots, they stuck their eyes they picked up at check in on the app or apps that they felt we needed to "keep an eye out for" with our students. I'd say their eyes were opened by some of the apps shared during this session! The Lego bricks came in for grouping with another activity. I found these bricks in that bargain section Target has when you enter their stores. I'm convinced it is for educators....and I am thankful! I bought a bag in each color they had. I had been waiting for the opportunity to use them! But back to their purpose. After reading blog posts or listening to podcasts with a digital learning focus - lists were provided as inspiration, I had them reflect on post it notes first as they read/listened and then find their match based on the shape of their Lego to share. Then I had them re-group based on color. I loved seeing their faces when they finally realized what the Legos were for! Also on the agenda was exploring new apps/tools that could be used to support and enhance instruction back at their schools. We examined Brush Ninja, which needs no app on the iPad and makes it easy to use in our schools., and Google Jamboard for collaboration I encouraged them to try these tools - and I did not create a "perfect" lesson. I knew some of the pitfalls they would encounter - but there were some I did not....and I shared them that way. We learned together! My job - and any educators job - is NOT to have all the answers, but rather to encourage exploration. I feel compelled to add here that none of the folks in this group are new to education. Some are close to retirement. However, ALL are in this role because they see the value in pushing the boundaries and encouraging learners to explore the "what if" moments. Again, these are my people. I am thankful for them. Together, we will move mountains.
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AuthorJeannie Timken Archives
March 2023
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