Aug 05 2009
Creating School Change
If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.
~Mary Engelbreit
For the past ten years, I have been teaching at an Independent Study charter school. I’ve taught 34-40 students each year, in a unique school environment. We serve students who were not successful in a traditional school model. Keeping the same students for more than one year has allowed me to have a strong knowledge of their strengths and areas needing growth. It has been an amazing experience working with kids individually in this model.
I work with an incredibly talented group of teachers and administrators, who care for our students and foster innovation. While there are many wonderful things to celebrate at our school, there are several changes I’ve wanted to see take place. Technology and web 2.0 skills have not been explored much by our teachers. Many of our students would benefit from innovative uses of technology to enhance their learning experience. Since they work in an independent study model, they need opportunities to make connections, create and collaborate. There are many tools we can use to help our students do this in a virtual setting.
I want to help in this effort for changing the way our students and teachers learn. I want our school to provide standards-based, project-learning opportunities where students can take ownership for their education. I want to help teachers take control of their own professional development and grow a personal learning network. I want us to collaborate to find better ways to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. You know the feeling you get learning from your PLN virtually or at a conference? I want to provide that kind of network for our staff. I’ve longed for this all year.
Sometimes you need to stop talking about change, and just do it.
I have decided to leave my teaching role to help bring about change at our school. I was offered a position to work on curriculum development and instructional technology. I’ve helped with curriculum in the past, in addition to a full teaching schedule. Until now, we did not have an educator focused solely on these areas for our academy. While the job description is still being defined, I know it will include the following:
- Curriculum Development: We are providing an alternative to traditional textbooks: a project-and inquiry-based model. There will be an emphasis on writing, critical thinking, collaboration, literature and the use of web 2.0 tools.
- Course-building in Moodle: We will be using Moodle for the first time this year. We’re utilizing it for technology training for teachers this fall. In the meantime, we are taking a year to build courses and develop curriculum in moodle for our students to use next year.
- Professional Development Training: I will be leading workshops for teachers and parents. I hope to do this on-site and in Elluminate.
- Instructional Technology: We will introduce students, teachers, and parents to web 2.0 and innovative technology tools to enhance learning.
- Web 2.0 Class: I am writing a proposal to also create a Web 2.0/Technology Club for students, which I hope to launch in October.
I will miss working with students on a daily basis. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to help bring about change at our school.
This is where you come in. I am looking for a little advice from my PLN to help me in this transition. There are two ways you can help.
1. There are many projects that I would like to work on. I will be posting about some of these in the near future. If you are interested in collaborating on a project this year, let me know.
Where should I begin?
2. Please consider posting a little advice for me or any newbie in this role. Where is the best place to start? What’s one thing that has worked well for you with organizing resources for your teachers? If you are in a similar job position and created an amazing wiki or helpful website, please share! If you are willing, I would love to chat with you sometime. I look forward to learning from you!
Creative Commons Photo Attribution: Victoria is Changing, by victoriapeckham
Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)
Good luck with the change. I think I’d suggest to expect a lot of bumps in the road. You will probably have a lot of teachers digging in against your attempts for change. Be proud of the small accomplishments. Reach out to the teachers you know will be interested in trying new things and build from their experiences. Let those teachers talk about what they’ve done differently because of what you’ve taught them. Most importantly, don’t get frustrated when the roadblocks come up, find ways around or through them. Make sure you have fun in the process!
Always interested in collaborating. If I can’t stretch an idea to fit our curriculum it can be done during lunch/study hall. Let me know when you get settled.
Sounds like a great opportunity and you should embrace it. Just know that change, especially with schools and staff, takes time. Like Chad just mentioned, appreciate the small accomplishments and don’t try to get everything done at once. Set achievable goals and allow for a decent timeline that will allow for growth. With those slow movers that you don’t think will ever use tech, just give them baby steps and make them feel good about the little accomplishments they make and they will end up being your biggest allies in the end.
I’m so happy to see more great, passionate teachers step out into leadership roles that will help and enable other educators to build technology into their lives and then into their teaching.
Good luck and congratulations,
Dan
We would be very interested in working with you on project ideas. We have worked with many schools to integrate technology and web 2.0 into curriculum via PBL, game simulations etc. In fact, we have put together several model curriculum for districts using moodle. We are always happy to help and share our 2 cents worth.
I also strongly suggest and recommend you contact a group called RISC: Reinventing Schools Coalition. I have worked with them in the past and their process for change in schools is phenomenal (Not to mention they are slowly working on getting many tools up on their website: http://www.reinventingschools.org). They work closely with a charter school in Alaska, Highland Tech High (http://www.highlandtech.org/), that does exactly what you want to do. They would be a great school to contact and discuss how they do what they do, and how they have moved past roadblocks.
Many times I have needed info, or feedback for a new direction and have had some wonderful folks to lean on and help me. I am hoping that we can do the same for you as we believe in bringing about positive change in education.
You have a potential to excite a whole community, which is very energizing. Our high school tech comm is attempting to get staff and parent to embrace what soc ne and web 2.0 tools can do for them personally. We think raising their comfort level can open doors for more curr ideas being supported.
Also, I want to hear your st club profess. We are wondering from anyone how to begin adapting wireless accesspoints for students without compromising county policy.Thinking of an Apple Airport on it’s own network.
Curriculum has to go thru a metamorphosis-and FAST.
Great to hear about the learning model. Check out Roger Taylor for some quality materials.Also, I am now a big fan of education origami site. Very good resource!
No advice I am afraid but it all sounds very exciting! Well done for taking the risk in change. I have no doubt there will times of frustration but keep on going. Blog about it run ideas by your PLN and focus on what will inevitably be exciting times!
@Chad Wise advice! I agree about the value of small accomplishments. I keep thinking about the baby steps and not feeling like it will all come at once. I have learned so much from you already and plan to keep looking at (and perhaps asking to steal) your great ideas!
@Paul. Yeah! Would love to collaborate. Give me a month to get settled. I’ve been brainstorming and adding those ideas to a GoogleDoc. Looking forward to getting to the creative stuff!
@Dan Thank you for the kind words. Excellent advice that I needed to hear. You are one of those leaders that I know I can learn a lot from this year. If I ever end up in your area, I may come and shadow you for a day.
@Kelly I’m not familiar with that link. I’ll check it out. Thank you! I am glad to hear you are also working on encouraging staff and parents to embrace social networking. I created a ning for that purpose for our teachers and parents. Have you tried it at your school?
Donelle,
As you know I am in a similar position, this being my second school in this type of role. My advice to you starting out, especially if you have reluctant teachers, is to start with those who are already ready for tech integration (or your friends who you can convince to do it). Showcase the projects you do with them, even though the word will get around fast enough, and before you know it, you won’t have enough time in the day to help all who need it. In addition, I would recommend offering some PD after school on tools you find useful, to those who are interested.
I have used this model at my last two schools very successfully. It has worked for me.
A couple of other bits of advice: 1. Be visible 2. Help them with whatever they want help with. Don’t impose. You’ll be surprised how helping someone learn how to use their iPod suddenly becomes a discussion about tech integration.
I could go on, but Kim Cofino has a great blog post that says it better than I could. http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2009/08/02/lessons-learned-tips-for-new-technology-facilitators/
Congratulations and best of luck with the new position. I’m here if you need me.
Steve
PS. I forgot to mention that I have been creating a wiki for my teachers. http://cdspd.wikispaces.com/
Hey Donelle,
You’ve received great advice already from those above. In addition to offering PD after school, you may also consider during school. The tech person at our campus does this. She will set up in a computer lab all day. Teachers come to her during one of their planning periods for short-and-sweet tech training. She also offers treats, which I think is motivating to some. The teachers like it because it is bite-sized, not too overwhelming. They can start using it right away. She sprinkles these training days throughout the school year and varies the content.
Good luck and congratulations. Sounds like a great opportunity!
Bill Montana
Donelle,
How exciting! I have been trying to lead the school with tech integration while teaching full time (500 kids/week) and it’s HARD! How great that you can really devote all of your time to such a great cause!
This year I am soliciting volunteers from the staff who are interested in being ’21st Century Teachers.’ I will be working closely with any volunteers (even if it’s only one) to integrate technology into what they do with their students and the curriculum. When their class comes to the lab they will complete assignments based on what they are doing in their classroom as myself and their teacher have planned.
As Steve recommended, I feel that working with those who are willing is a better plan than butting heads with those who may not buy into the idea of tech integration. Often, when teachers see what wonderful things these other teachers are doing and talk to them about these projects, buy in will happen on its own.
As Bill and Steve mentioned, being available is the #1 thing that will help bring the teachers over from the Dark Side and guide them on the path to becoming Technology Jedis (OK, gratuitous Star Wars reference for your Edutopia trip, sorry!).
Also: PATIENCE!!! I have found that going too fast or even tone of voice can easily turn a teacher away from using a new tool.
Good luck, and PLEASE contact me with any questions! I’m hoping to be in your shoes someday–though I do agree I would find it hard to leave my kids!
When you get settled, as Paul said, I would love to talk collaboration–though I think our kids might be different in age?
Good luck!
Mary Beth
@Claire Thank you for the great advice and kind words!
@Bill Love the short-and-sweet, bite-sized training approach. And what teacher doesn’t love coming in for treats? Love the ideas! Thank you.
@Steve Like the ideas for being visible. That’s a great point. With so much to work on, it is a fine balance between getting things completed and taking time to just be with teachers for support. I loved your idea for helping with whatever tech help is wanted. You’re such a genius! Love the wiki too. Planning to work on building one next week. I’ll share with you as well!
@Mary Beth Oh such good recommendations. You are so right about the patience thing. I think that is key to helping me when I’m learning something new. I need to remember to put myself in their shoes.
As for collaborating, absolutely! Our school serves 3,200 students in grades K-12. I have access to every grade.
I haven’t decided which grade levels to target for the web 2.0 club. Any recommendations on this? I want it to be a sandbox to try out project-learning activities and technology. (Sort of like what you would do in a tech lab… we don’t have one.)
Technology Jedis? You are so funny. Love your sense of humor. Can’t wait to meet with you and hang out. In January perhaps?
Donelle,
I don’t know much about you or your situation, but your desire for change is inspiring. I teach at Minnesota New Country School, a PBL-based charter school in Henderson, MN. We are an internationally-renowned model for project-based learning and teacher leadership for school change, and have spawned numerous PBL schools in MN, CA, and beyond, through our Gates Foundation sponsred non-profit, EdVsions Inc. It sounds like what you are hoping to achieve is what we do every day, and have been doing for 15 years. I would be delighted to help with any specific questions you might have about PBL, and how to (hopefully) make it work in your situation. Feel free to drop me an email at nryan@newcountryschool.com, I will be glad to help however I can.
Good luck and best wishes,
Nick
@Nick,
Wow! Sounds like you work at an amazing place. Sounds like what I’m envisioning. I would love to check it out. I’ll explore the website and will contact you soon. Thanks you so much for taking time to read and post on my blog.
Donelle,
I would be happy to work if you can get me focused. As far as students, the biggest pitfall is using computers in superficial ways that never approach deep thought and collaboration. Teachers are a different story. The biggest challenge isn’t different levels of technical skills, it is human nature. People in general are scared of technology or looking “bad” in front of the students. My experience is that teachers don’t have to be an expert in their subject AND computers. Being a computer novice does NOT erode subject experts status in the eyes of students. By the way, education is heading towards more of a shared responsibility model anyway. Also, keep in mind that teachers do their jobs mostly in isolation. Some may not be receptive to working together because it might expose poor teaching habits. Lifelong learners will want to improve poor teaching habits, while others may not.
Here is my wiki with resources http://johnfaig.pbworks.com.
Hi Donnelle
I am about to start in a similar position in a school in the UK.
I agree with Steve K and Mary Beth H about utilising key enthusiastic characters in the school and helping wherever possible.
As you are also interested in teaching techniqies, curriculum development and personalised learning have you heard of Marzano’s Dimensions of learning which include Costa’s ‘Habits of mind’ (intelligent learning behaviours) and also David Hyerle’s Mind Maps……can you tell that I went to the UK’s national thinking skills conference?
I’ve been having a play with Moodle and I’m not really that impressed….it isn’t very intuitive and looks very uninteresting……I need to become more positive as my new school uses it.
Good luck
Only just started a blog: http://www.delta-upstream.blogspot.com
Hey Donelle:
Great ideas. If you ever need any help with anything technical, I’m as far away as an email or text message.
I’d love to collaborate with you if you choose to do something with middle school students. I have grades 6-8; the 7&8th grade classes I teach are elective, and I have no set curriculum. I often use them to experiment with web2.0 technologies… so I’d be happy to play guinea pig with your classes/club if you want.
I have to admit, I’m a it jealous. Your job description is identical to what I’d like to find… but apparently they are few and far between.
Good luck, and give me a shout if you need anything.
You know that I’ve been fighting the good fight here at work…but after months of trying to convince our teachers they NEED to be on Twitter, since that’s where the conversation is happening and that’s where they will grow their PLN, I was disheartened and saddened when THREE TEACHERS out of 150 raised their hands yesterday when asked “Who’s using Twitter?” So sad. Are they just not paying attention, or do they not have any interest in having a PLN? Are they content in their isolated world, closed off from good resources, closed off from ideas that might change education for the better? I feel sorry for our kids. I really do.