Week 7

How did this week’s coaching / observations go? Share stories / examples / wonders / questions / successes / challenges from the week.

Week 7 had a resounding theme: SUCCESS!

This was one of the busiest weeks on record for me thus far.

I worked in classrooms, met with teachers, set up future plans, assisted with as much as I possibly could, updated the DLP Google Classroom collection of resources, experimented with a few new tricks, met with student tech leaders and more!

More?

Attended the annual STEAM showcase with very special students who were sharing their knowledge of STEAM, sound waves, using technology to visualize sound wave patterns, building and creating fabulous art installation pieces using Coding and Makey Makey. I was so very proud to be their "coach" at that event!

I was able to catch up with and meet with my Tribe....or at least part of the Tribe.....some of my fellow DLP coaches in the Pittsburgh area. This is so very helpful. I cannot stress enough how important this relationship is to all of us. We share successes and failures, we throw ideas around for discussion, we compare notes, we support one another, and we simply are there to reaffirm what great accomplishments we have achieved in such short a time. I'm meeting with another coach next week to see how things are progressing for her , then, I'm actually planning an out-of-state visit to see Kelli Coons in South Carolina! I'm really looking forward to this meeting! It will be so helpful seeing how she operates her coaching program, meet her teachers, see the good things happening in her school, and meet face to face to discuss EVERYTHING!

Good things with teachers:

I helped the special ed department stream-line their data collection process using Google Forms and Google Sheets. They also learned how to use Google Keep to set up friendly reminders for staff to complete behavior data forms.

A reluctant, veteran science teacher let me in to see his amusement park research activities!!! Yay! A win! He though using the Chromebooks for simple research wasn't fancy enough. THAT IS COMPLETELY MY FAULT. I obviously did not do enough or say enough to reassure this teacher (and possibly others) that the amount of technology, the type of technology, or the sophistication of the technology is not what matters........meeting student learning goals is what matters. If using the Chromebooks for research is what he needed to accomplish his goals, then so be it! I was proud of him for trying!
He also set up a separate Google Classroom for his special needs inclusion science class. He was very proud of listing the differentiated lessons posted to the classroom. A win all around!

Challenges:
KEEPING THE SECRET ABOUT THE EXTRA CHROMEBOOKS WE WILL BE RECEIVING! LOL
It's so hard to listen to frustrated teachers when they say there just aren't enough Chromebooks to go around, knowing full well some are on the way!

Our biggest challenge with the ones we currently have is longevity or sustainability: some of the older Chromebooks have missing keys, no longer hold a charge, or are simply MIA. This is so very frustrating. Carts of 25 are actually carts of 19.....so someone 'borrows" from another cart. We have a librarian who manages the signing out of the carts and the delivery of the carts, but it is difficult to police adults. The carts we have a shared with the high school and this also presents a problem. We will have to seriously come up with a better organizational and accountability plan of action.

Week 6

Today. I blog in honor of my dear friend, Christine.

Her father passed away today. 

He was diagnosed with bone cancer earlier this year and has fought a very long and painful battle.

Christine reminds me very much of myself.  She is from a very close family that prays together, celebrates together, cries together, and comforts one another in times of need.

Christine never missed a beat during her father's illness, not at work and not at home.  Each day, she came to work, drove home,  made dinner for her family, visited her father in the hospital, completed her school work , and helped her two sons with their school work and extra curricular activities.  She's missed two days of school since her father was diagnosed, both days were for her older son's college visits. 

Christine was the first to congratulate me when I became the tech coach, and she has supported me, as her coach, more than any other teacher in the building.  In fact, she tweeted about me and how much she appreciated having a DLP coach just this morning, right before her beloved father passed away.

I blog about her, because of the human element we face daily with all of our teachers, our students, our support staff, and ourselves.  In the midst of all the new changes in her personal life and at our school, Christine chose to be positive and proactive, embracing me as an extra set of hands to help her, rather than looking at me as an inconvenience. 

Christine and I have know one another for more than 20 years.  I've always admired her.  She cares for the lowest functioning students in our school.  She is a behavioral plan genius.  She began her special education career under the tutelage of a remarkable principal, who was, himself, a special education/emotional support teacher.  He encouraged Christine to try new things with her ES students.  Christine and I were the first to introduce the concept of "co-teaching" to our middle school.  I would invite her ES students to my science lab to do the "fun" things, like dissecting frogs, making slime, or building models of cells.  Twenty years ago, special ed students were still in a self-contained classroom for all classes, rarely having e a chance to interact with other students doing cool things like science labs.  We made it work, and it was a tremendous learning experience for each and every one of her students. Christine has always been firm, but compassionate, with her students, and she has always been a leader in our building.  I'm very fortunate to work with such a wonderful teacher and friend.

We, as coaches, need to remember that there will always be baggage brought to school/work each day.  We have to be understanding and supportive in more ways than we can imagine.  I was scheduled to work with all of the teachers on staff today to get them using Google Keep.  Christine asked me to come up with a way she could remind staff members to complete behavior charts for her Emotional Support students.  She didn't want to constantly have the responsibility of sending e-mails or calling individual teaches at the end of the day to collect the data.  I showed her how to use a Google Sheet "Add Reminders" extension from the Chrome Web Store, and after taking quite some time to set it up, I investigated Google Keep and adding collaborators.  This was significantly easier to do, so I presented it to her and made a "how to" screencastify presentation for her to watch at her own convenience.  I asked her to let me know if it would be an option for her or not.  This morning, she met me with tears and open arms, thanking me for showing her how easy it would be to set this up and share it with the staff.  She tweeted about it, told me how happy she was, and asked me to help her set up a Google Form in the same way for another student.  I visited every classroom this morning, making sure the Keep extension was added correctly, with notifications set to "ON." 

During our lunch break, Christine told another special education teacher how easy this process would be for all of them.  As the department head, Christine plans to have me attend her next meeting and share this application with all members across the district.  She thanked me and told me how grateful she was to have this all in place, just in case she would have to monitor her students behavior from home, if anything happened to her father.

We had a few minutes left in the lunch period to relax, eat lunch, and share some truly touching stories about Christine's father.  She told us how she would meet her father at the door on pay day, reach in his shirt pocket, and pull out his paycheck.  A young teacher eating with us laughed, not knowing what a real paycheck looked like, since we all have direct deposit now.  As the lunch period ended, just Christine and I remained in the room.  She personally thanked me for making her life a little easier at school these past few weeks with the shared tech tips and tricks.  She explained to me how rough things had been at home, with her mother, and with her father.  I hugged her and told her I was happy to be there for her. 

A few minutes later, Christine received the call that her father had passed away. 

I was so very glad to be there with her, in that moment, to comfort her, to cry with her, and to support her in any way I could. 

Week 5 or week 6

How did this week’s coaching / observations go? Share stories / examples / wonders / questions / successes / challenges from the week.

I'm having trouble keeping the weeks straight. I think it's because I started writing the blog entries too early. Oh, well. No matter.
You can never have too much reflection.

This was a short week. Three days with students, two professional development days. I participated in a NMSI training over the summer (National Math and Science Initiative), therefore, I earned three days off during the year. My first day off will be this Friday. I'm traveling to NYC to visit my niece. Fun times!

The first PD day was today, Thursday, October 5. As a tech coach, I wasn't sure what I would be doing today. We have our own campus police/security department, and the chief asked me if I could train his staff how to use Google Docs, Forms, Sheets, Mail, and Hangouts. The rest of the staff was assigned training sessions with various visitors/trainers/staff members, so I really had no "assignment," so to speak. Of course, I said, "Yes!'

I planned a 30 slide presentation, and the four main officers showed up promptly, donuts in hand, at 8:00. I was thrilled they trusted me to train them. I had coffee, snacks, etc... set up for them, and we got started. They were ornery, to say the least!
One of the main issues was teaching them the difference between using the school google account and their own personal google account. Once we got that settled, the rest of the training went well. I made them create and share documents, and I asked them to manipulate forms, create sheets, and add items to calendar. Chief wanted to learn about Google +, so I showed them our DLP groups, and posted the pictures, below, as an example of how to interact with the site. They loved it all!

Google Police!

Practicing Forms

"Thinking"

They were with me until 12:30. We laughed and learned all sorts of things. It was an amazing experience for me, because we never get to "talk" to the officers. We see them in a different role during the day, protecting our students, keeping the order. Today, they needed me, and it felt nice! They appreciated me, and that also felt nice. A very rewarding training session!! They "booked" me for the winter ins-service dates already!

The rest of the day was filled with blogging, Google+, Hangouts, catching up with paperwork, and so on. All in all a productive day!

What's going well? Great conversation with Dee. Great conversations with Marc Berry. Great ideas flying around the middle school!

What's challenging? Getting it all done! LOL I think I work harder now than I ever did before, if that's possible. I feel like my thinking wheels are turning all day long! I'm constantly thinking of ways to help teachers, constantly looking for new ideas, looking for answers to their questions, or anticipating their needs. That's all good, BTW. It is, however, EXHAUSTING! haha

Next week is Parent/Conference Day. We hold conferences from noon until 7:30 at night. I'm using that time to meet parents, pass out the parent flyer shared with us, and pop in for meetings with teachers as time permits. Not all time slots are filled by each teacher throughout the day, so I will have ample opportunities to have meetings with teachers.
The main thing to remember, don't take yourself too seriously! :)

Reflection: Week 5

Interesting coaching sessions with two different teachers this past week:

Our middle school teachers collaborate their lessons across grade levels.  We have common planning times, team meetings, and common assessments.  Because of this, the students have different teachers, but they learn the same material.  Varying personalities allow for slight differences in the presentation of the material, though.  That was very evident in my coaching experience with the 7th grade ELA teachers.

Samantha is new to the 7th grade ELA curriculum.  She's a new teacher to begin with, only having 3 years of teaching completed to date.  She is certified 7-12 English, and her previous two positions were in the high school, grades 9 and 10.  It's taking her a little while to adjust to the new curriculum, but she is eager and willing to try new things. 

Samantha asked me to help her with an interview lesson.  Her students were interviewing one another and writing an essay based on the answers to their questions.  Students were identifying character traits and practicing descriptive writing skills.  I asked her if she'd be willing to let the students video tape their interviews and insert the video in a google slide presentation.  We talked about time restraints and agreed that students would video tape three questions and insert the videos in the slides.  The students had so much fun with this!  The entire lesson took a few days to complete, but, overall, students were well-engaged and benefited from the activity by listening to how the questions were asked, listening to the responses, and adjusting all of that in the written portion of the assignment.  Some of them thought it was like being interviewed for a news segment on television. The lesson was so successful, and both the teacher and the students want to do something with video again, in future lessons.

At the same time, Chantel, a veteran, 24 year 7th grade ELA teacher, is doing the same lesson with her students.  I mentioned the video activity to her, and she is hesitant.  She uses a traditional interview process, has students complete a paper copy, and, then, has them write an essay.  Chantel and I are friends on social media, and she saw an activity where students were peer editing using recorded versions of the paper/pencil assignment.  She shared this activity with me and asked if we could give it a try with a few of her students.  I taught the students how to use Read & Write, and showed them how to use speech to text to write their essay, then, I modeled how to use the fluency component of the app to record the audio of them reading the paper aloud.  The recorded portion is then shared, via email, with the teacher.  A fluency grade level is determined by the app.  The students LOVED this!  "I read at an 8th grade level!  I read at a 9th grade level!"  They thought it was marvelous to learn this information.  They also appreciated "hearing" mistakes they had made when writing the essay, and they were easily able to make corrections.  The students shared their recordings with the teacher, and we decided to listen to them, privately, later in the day.  Chantel was amazed at how well this lesson went and how seriously her students were engaged in the revision process. All students in all her classes used this method to proofread their papers. 

During co-planning, I asked the teachers to compare the ways they conducted the interview assignment and what results were achieved.  Such a great dialog! 

Things going well:
The mugs were a hit!  Thank you for the generous gift!  All teachers received on and all teachers were very grateful!

Things for improvement:
Keeping up with paperwork and answering hangout messages

All in all, a great week!

What week is this??? LOL

PARENT INVOLVEMENT:

Open house was a tremendous success.  Students stopped by to play "Name that App," and parents asked many questions about the "Google Teacher" in their children's classrooms.  It was rewarding hearing about the stories students were telling their parents.   A 7th grade teacher used Screencastify to let students record their interviews for a slide show presentation.  One of the parents thought it was a great app and had her daughter teach her how to use it.  Another student told her mother about the spelling test they took on line.  An eighth grade boy told his dad how to read online with an app extension called read & write.  All good PR for the program.  I made a flyer and passed it out to the interested parents.  I "borrowed" most of my information from your DLP slides and program information.  It was well-received.  All in all a great night!How did this week’s coaching / observations go? Share stories / examples / wonders / questions / successes / challenges from the week. 

 Losing track of time:

 Our school started on August 18.  

 I started coaching on August 18.

 Not in the true sense of the word, of course, but I started helping our teachers with technology on August 18.

 Our first real day of school with students was the following Wednesday, August 23.

I guess I'm technically in my fourth week of school, but the DLP program did not begin in my region until September 4, so I guess I'm in week 3.

 SOMETHING  I LOVE:

 I absolutely love when teachers get their uh-ha moments!

 Angela never used the snipping tool.
She heard others talking about it at lunch today, and she looked at me and said, "Why haven't you shown me how to use this yet, Miss Tech Girl?"  (She has a sassy, Mississippi drawl, and it sounded great when she said it to me!)
I said, "Give me a time, and I'll come to your class today!"

 I just left her room.  She laughed out loud and jumped for joy when she learned how easy it was to snip a picture, save it, and use it.
She wondered why she never used it or heard of it before today.  I told her she needed to read my newsletters and attend my PD training more often!  LOL

I love teaching my colleagues how to use new tools and how to make their lives easier at work.

SOMETHING I DO NOT LOVE:

Teachers often tell me, "I'd have you in my classes more often, but I never get the Chromebooks.

Teachers want to try new things and use technology with their students, but they do not have the resources.  We have a BYOD policy and student WiFi, but many of our student's parents cannot afford lunch money, let alone a cool phone or device for school.  It's disheartening.







  

Reflection

I must admit, I'm not too sure what I'm supposed to be writing about this week, because I did not receive a newsletter.  So, here it goes!

A reflection on working with my colleagues:

So many good things are happening because of the DLP program!  I'm watching teachers take risks.  I'm helping teachers step outside the box.  I'm collaborating with teachers on increasing the fun factor.  It's truly a beautiful thing!

Taking risks:  An ELA teacher who is set in her ways decides she wants to dabble with Google forms and put a few spelling tests on google classroom.

Stepping outside the box:  A first year 7th grade ELA teacher wants to change things up from all the paper/pencil activities she inherited and use a video tool to conduct peer to peer interviews.

Increasing the fun factor:  I used Wheel Decide during a faculty PD meeting to keep faculty engaged and to give away prizes.  An 8th grade math teacher used the Wheel Decide in his room to increase student engagement.

The students are viewing me very differently...in a great way!  I've been a teacher in this district since 1989.  I've had parents of some of my students.  They all know me as Mrs. Engler the science teacher, the student forum adviser, the PRIDE team leader.  They know I plan the yearly dance, the food drive, the fun field day at the end of the year.  But now, they know me as the Google Teacher.  At first they weren't too sure what it was that I was doing.  I'd walk in a classroom, look around, take some notes, talk to the teacher, and leave.  Once I started setting up the tech, though, they got excited.  They started asking questions.  So, I started answering them.  They wanted to know what DLP was all about, they wanted to know if I rode a bike at Google, and the questions kept coming.  Now, they come to me about tech..."Can you teach my teacher how to..."  I love it!

I'd like to survey the students at the end of this semester, then, again, at the end of the year.  I'd like to know what they think about a tech coach helping their teacher, and, consequently, helping them.  I think we would get amazing information/feedback from them!

Tuesday is our open house.  I have a flyer ready to hand out, and I have some candy, of course, to share with everyone who visits my table.

A parent is subbing for our office secretary today.  She asked me if I was the Google teacher.  She said her son can't wait for me to coach his teacher so he can use the Chromebooks in class.  She thanked me for all my work and offered her support to me with anything I might need.

Our district has welcomed this program with open arms!  And, I'm so grateful!

Prompt: This week's coaching

·         PROMPT: How did this week’s coaching/observations go? Share stories/examples/wonders/questions/successes/challenges from the week.) 

So, let me just say I'm out of sync with the posts!
I thought I was ahead of the game, but I see I'm a little behind.  Sorry for the delay!


I've been so incredibly busy, but in a good way.  Teachers have been inviting me into their classrooms since August 18, our first day of school.  That's why I already have class observations and innovation plans started and/or finished.  We are rolling right along.

Stories:

I've had a hard time fitting it all in!  I get to school anywhere between 7:15-7:45.  The day begins for students around 7:55.  Teachers are in school between 6:00-7:45 each morning.  It's interesting, because some people truly are morning people, and some are after school people.
I'm fortunate, because I've worked in this school for such a long time, the habits of most of the teachers are familiar to me.  I know who to approach at 8:00 AM, and I know who to avoid!  LOL  

The observation process is so much fun for me!  We have a reluctant teacher;  he shows up late each day, he's not happy about teaching middle school students this year (he was in the high school), and he generally likes to be left alone.  He does love tech, however, so I timidly approached him one day, offering him a short break to get coffee or use the restroom.  He took advantage of my offer, because his students were testing.  I walked around the room while he was gone, and I noticed his test had an 'answer column.'  Not a separate answer sheet, but a designated column for answers.  When he returned, I asked him if he was interested in maybe trying a google form answer sheet to make grading the papers a little faster and a little less time-consuming for him.  He said, "maybe."  
I pounced!

I asked him if he ever used google forms (he said no) and for a copy of the test and the answers to the test (math is NOT my thing).  He asked me why.  I told him I was experimenting with a math app called EquatIO and I briefly explained it to him.  He said he was curious.

After typing the first 5 questions and answers in a google form, I shared it with him.  I also shared a short EquatIO video with him.  In addition, I gave him a quick list of directions for creating a google form in drive.

He took the quiz.
He looked at the results, instantly after submitting.
He played around with google forms and EquatIO and sent me a message telling me all about it and how excited he was to try it out.

Score!!!!!!

I just put a little google prize in his mailbox......a google RFID notebook and notebook cover/case.  He was thrilled with his prize, and he invited me to his prep period to discuss EquatIO a little more.

Week 1 was a success in my eyes!