1.4 Diffusion of Innovations & Change
Candidates research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. (PSC 1.4/ISTE 1d)
Artifact:
Coaching Journal
Reflection:
Designing a Coaching Journal was one of the assignments in the Professional Learning & Technology Innovation course. In my opinion, it was a perfect example of the work that fulfilled the requirements of this standard. Coaching one-on-one was a process that not only diffused innovative ideas about technology tools and resources, but changed two professionals: the participating teacher and me, her coach.
The research and recommendation processes involved reading of professional literature about effective coaching techniques and strategies. In addition, a professional learning community on Twitter was a great resource to locate and learn about effective ways to initiate and sustain technology innovations in the school. #BYOTchat and #21stedchat became places to research and gather resources about inspiring changes in schools. Twitter was also a channel to express own thoughts and reflect on reading of professional literature about coaching. Furthermore, Ignite Me professional learning sessions for instructional technology specialists allowed me to observe strategies before recommending them to teachers and leading the change pursued in Forsyth County Schools in regard to technology innovations.
The actual coaching process was the time to implement the strategies and techniques obtained throughout the Professional Learning & Technology Innovation course. The new knowledge and skills were applied to practice and improve coaching techniques. Understanding what change is and how each stage of the change process is different was a very important step in becoming a more effective coach. The implementation of strategies became more effective when intentional effort was put in building trust and strong professional relationships with the teacher by truly listening to and constantly assessing her needs, knowledge, and skills. The goal-specific application of the strategies for innovation changed the teacher's perspective about student-centered classroom and helped her develop authentic, relevant, and rigorous learning experiences for her students. On the other hand, a surprising lesson was learned: coaches may empower educators to take risks with new strategies or completely shut the change process down if pushing teachers out of their comfort zones too hard and too fast. Therefore, the implementation of strategies for innovation and managing the change process in the school could be a very dangerous process.
The amount of time spent collaborating on lesson plans was one deficient aspect of the coaching experience. It was extremely difficult to coordinate the schedules for joint planning, implementation, and reflections. After a few initial face-to-face conversations with the teacher, the communication was mostly managed through emails. The issue of finding time to meet in person could not be easily changed, but video conferencing tools could allow for more personal conversations. Use of technology for video conferencing could assist us in getting to know each other on a deeper level and benefit professional relationships and communication between two professionals.
Designing a Coaching Journal was one of the assignments in the Professional Learning & Technology Innovation course. In my opinion, it was a perfect example of the work that fulfilled the requirements of this standard. Coaching one-on-one was a process that not only diffused innovative ideas about technology tools and resources, but changed two professionals: the participating teacher and me, her coach.
The research and recommendation processes involved reading of professional literature about effective coaching techniques and strategies. In addition, a professional learning community on Twitter was a great resource to locate and learn about effective ways to initiate and sustain technology innovations in the school. #BYOTchat and #21stedchat became places to research and gather resources about inspiring changes in schools. Twitter was also a channel to express own thoughts and reflect on reading of professional literature about coaching. Furthermore, Ignite Me professional learning sessions for instructional technology specialists allowed me to observe strategies before recommending them to teachers and leading the change pursued in Forsyth County Schools in regard to technology innovations.
The actual coaching process was the time to implement the strategies and techniques obtained throughout the Professional Learning & Technology Innovation course. The new knowledge and skills were applied to practice and improve coaching techniques. Understanding what change is and how each stage of the change process is different was a very important step in becoming a more effective coach. The implementation of strategies became more effective when intentional effort was put in building trust and strong professional relationships with the teacher by truly listening to and constantly assessing her needs, knowledge, and skills. The goal-specific application of the strategies for innovation changed the teacher's perspective about student-centered classroom and helped her develop authentic, relevant, and rigorous learning experiences for her students. On the other hand, a surprising lesson was learned: coaches may empower educators to take risks with new strategies or completely shut the change process down if pushing teachers out of their comfort zones too hard and too fast. Therefore, the implementation of strategies for innovation and managing the change process in the school could be a very dangerous process.
The amount of time spent collaborating on lesson plans was one deficient aspect of the coaching experience. It was extremely difficult to coordinate the schedules for joint planning, implementation, and reflections. After a few initial face-to-face conversations with the teacher, the communication was mostly managed through emails. The issue of finding time to meet in person could not be easily changed, but video conferencing tools could allow for more personal conversations. Use of technology for video conferencing could assist us in getting to know each other on a deeper level and benefit professional relationships and communication between two professionals.