“I’m not tech savvy” is a response I hear often from teachers that struggle with technology. Carol Dwek, author of Mindset, would argue differently. In Mindset, one of my favorite books, Dwek asserts that everyone is capable of self transformation. If this is true, and I believe it to be so, then there is no such thing as a “non tech savvy” teacher. They just haven’t worked with technology enough YET!
Dwek also reminds us that the secret to success is focusing on the process and not ability or outcomes. This has been an invaluable piece of advice for me as an instructional technology coach. I modified the “Get, Keep, Grow” customer retention funnel to illustrate my process. It involves three phases: The Why, How, and What of Instructional Coaching.
Why
It can be overwhelming to look at your entire school and think how can I reach everyone? Instead of focusing on the whole staff, start by identifying a small cohort of people that are interested in trying something new. The WHY of technology integration will help you identify that cohort of teachers. One of my favorite Ted Ed talks is “How great leaders inspire action” by Simon Sinek. He states “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it!” Without constant reminders of the WHY, it’s easy to revert back to traditional teaching practices. You can check out the entire Ted Ed talk below.Here are the 7 WHYs of technology integration that I focus on:
- Save your time inside and outside of class by sharing files with students and staff on the go.
- Save your time inside and outside of class by automating basic grading tasks.
- Increase student ownership
- Increase classroom participation
- Transform the writing process
- Individualize instruction to meet student needs
- Find practical classroom ideas and resources from like minded educators.
How
Next comes the HOW. The HOW is the three stages of the coaching process: plan, co-teach, and reflect. Robert Meehan sums it up the best with this quote: “The most valuable resource teachers have is each other. Without collaboration our growth is limited to our own perspective.”
This portion of the process is all about relationship building. Painting yourself as a technology wizard is a recipe for disaster. Both parties have to enter into this process with expectations of learning from each other. I’ve also learned it is important to remember never to advocate for a specific tool or pedagogical practice. Starting with the tool or pedagogy can put people on the defensive. Instead, always start conversations with content standards. This focuses the conversation on student learning and gives context to the discussion of pedagogy and the best technology tool. Finally, collecting student work during this process is imperative. Student work is the only true measurement of how successful the technology tool supported the content standards and pedagogy. As teachers see increases in student achievement, they will begin to see the importance of technology integration.
This portion of the process is all about relationship building. Painting yourself as a technology wizard is a recipe for disaster. Both parties have to enter into this process with expectations of learning from each other. I’ve also learned it is important to remember never to advocate for a specific tool or pedagogical practice. Starting with the tool or pedagogy can put people on the defensive. Instead, always start conversations with content standards. This focuses the conversation on student learning and gives context to the discussion of pedagogy and the best technology tool. Finally, collecting student work during this process is imperative. Student work is the only true measurement of how successful the technology tool supported the content standards and pedagogy. As teachers see increases in student achievement, they will begin to see the importance of technology integration.
What
Now that your cohort has built up some technology confidence and seen positive gains in student achievement, it is time to get them sharing their stories and successes. It is especially important to celebrate them as risk takers. Social media, such as Google+ and Twitter, can be one outlet for staff to share stories and successes. The most important time to share is during common planning time and staff meetings. I don’t know of better way to spend a staff meeting then sharing practical examples of what is working in the classroom.Celebrating risk taking and successes will create referrals and is the WHY for the next cohort of teachers which starts the process all over again. Overtime that small cohort of teachers will turn into an army of technology savvy educators because as Carol Dweck reminds us “everyone can transform themselves!”
What process have you taken to get educators on board with trying new things? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
