Changes and Growth

This week, I experienced some changes.... having let go of our 7th grade science team (because they are technologically awesome!) and replacing them with a few math teachers has kept my mind spinning with ideas of how to best assist these new teachers.  These teachers are excellent in their classrooms, but admittedly lacking in technological knowledge.  However, they're eager to learn!  

I also had the privilege of attending a two day conference for Instructional and Digital Coaches.  It was wonderful to gain new knowledge and experiences with the other DLP coaches, as well as our IC's... the open dialogue and differing perspectives was inspiring.  

It's hard to be off campus, though, when all I want to do is be with the teachers... learning, creating, building relationships.  I guess that's a good thing! :)

Week of October 16-20

Week of October 16-20

Rachel came to visit RISD this week, and we were thrilled to see her!  The time she spent on our campus was valuable; she was able to get a better idea of what our day looks like – from the crazy, to the cool, to the “what the what!”  It was so fun to take her on a tour of the building and sit in on classes, gaining her perspective.  Rachel was generous in staying after school with me to conduct an Appy Hour over Google Sites.  The takeaways I have from her visit are these:  1. I’m doing ok, 2. Our school IS growing in technology integration, 3. The relationships I’ve begun to build on campus are important and beginning to pay off, with teachers seeking me out for assistance, 4. This year-long project is only the beginning… there’s so much more work to be done…but, we’re off to a great start!

So many great lessons this week.  Social Studies – 8^th grade - used their new stylus pens to highlight, circle, and annotate their lesson on Google Sites.  It was a fantastic blend of reading, writing, and critical thinking!  7^th grade science knocked another lesson out of the park by interactively using Google Sites, Slides, and Hyperdocs.  Our 8^th grade ELA GT students worked on a Hidden Figure project where they researched and reported/wrote poems about the figure they chose.

Week of October 9-13

Week of October 9-13

** I realized I didn’t upload this post as I was writing my latest blog… oops! **

Exciting week in ELA!  One of our 7^th grade teachers created and successfully executed an Escape Room for her students.  The looks of achievement on the faces of her students was priceless!  Sparked a drive in two other ELA teachers, who want to create a room for their students.  #learningISfun

I witnessed an excellent lesson with technology integration in our 8^th grade GT Science class, as students were using Gizmos.  They had virtual fan cars to explore changes in speed/motion. They were able to vary the tracks – incline, starting point, etc. – followed by challenge questions to reflect on the simulation.

Being the last week of cycle one, I’ve spoken with Rachel, to confirm that what I’d like to do in cycle two is release 7^th grade science, as they are above and beyond in their tech integration.  In their place, I will bring in two math teachers who are on the cusp of integration, and simply need the extra boost/support to get them going.  I will continue working with all of social studies as well as 8^th grade science.  

Gaining ground

I'm finally feeling as though I'm gaining ground with the staff.  I've had a decent amount of teacher buy-in from the start, however, this past week, I've not only sought after teachers myself, other teachers have sought me out!  It's not always easy to be the new kid on campus, and add a newly created position on top of it... well, people can be skeptical.  I'm so thankful for the relationships and positive culture we're building on our campus, and it is showing in so many ways.  
One example of a teacher who is stepping out of their comfort zone and embracing technology is one who is not currently in my cycle of target classrooms, but has come to me on their own.  This teacher has used paper and pencil since they began teaching many years ago.  However, in the first six weeks of school, they have requested learning how to set up Google Classroom, create and attach Docs, Slides, and Forms.  Last week, they asked how to use Quizlet!  I also shared an app called DuoLingo, that they may like to check out for enrichment... they loved it, and plan to introduce their students to the app this week.  With a little time and effort, this teacher is learning to keep up with the environment in which their students can learn best in.