Let’s Improve Tech Professional Development
Today’s workshop will focus on _____planning________ and ______executing______ successful Tech PD workshops, to help our Teachers achieve success with technology.
Vocab for today’s workshop:
“Tech PD” workshops / in-service plans for teaching teachers technology
*when WE are tasked with doing it. Real world practicle.. not at a conference, but at our building, at our admin office, etc..
“Tech Immigrants” FOCUS of my workshop…help YOU teaching and reaching these folks
“Tech All-stars” NOT the focus of my workshop today.. sorry.. how do we make them happy too? Problem: Workshops conducted by all-stars don’t communicate with Immigrants
CORE CONCEPT #1 When you prepare a Tech PD workshop, ____less is more_____
*They don’t need more FEATURE, BELLS WHISTLES.. they need more TIME on BASIC features, repetition, analogies, etc
CORE CONCEPT #2 Teaching “tech” is like teaching someone how to _____drive a car_____________
*How did you learn to drive?
*tangible vs. abstract?!
*many times we presume our teachers know ____already…
*learning to drive was proportional to value of certain features
CHUNK #1: Preparing a Tech PD workshop:
1. Reasonable goals / Big Picture (what is the goal of SMART Board Level 1?)
a. Whats something they can DO TOMORROW to have success?!
b. Will there be time for REVIEW and PRACTICE?
2. Chunks. Helps you set reasonable goals / keep big picture in focus / make sure to REVIEW. Don’t take any skill for granted. Just a few chunks. Chunks let you keep adults on ‘same page’ with you
a. EXAMPLE: walking through 25 buttons in a row and saying what they do is not a chunk.. focusing on one skill that utilizes a couple buttons IS a chunk.
3. VOCAB: Plan for it! Define key words software uses… that users may have NOT seen before. Ask yourself.. what words will I use will be new to them? Tech PD is filled with foreign words.. doing VOCAB up front can lay groundwork for understanding later
4. Differentiate: PLAN ON IT. Plan simultaneous tasks for all-stars / bonus tasks if they have mastered the basic skills / basic goals. PLAN for immigrants, PLAN for having bonus for the all-stars not the other way around. PLAN for time to practice basic skills so you have built-in time for all-stars to move ahead on their own with your ‘nuggets’ of bonus features
---Recap: DECIDE, and learn to discern what is CRITICAL and what is just COOL. How did you learn to drive..? --- Less is more.. practice is crucial, PLAN on it. ---
CHUNK #2: Executing Tech PD:
1. Micro Tasks. (DO IT. Start small. Start with tiny achievable goals.. like driving around the parking lot) Give your tasks a real-life clear purpose.. a start, an end point.. Practical not just abstract. Give your teachers substantial time to DO IT. Repeatedly. Even if it means sacrificing cool features. multiple opportunities to see, do, and repeat the most critical basics. Don’t “show it 1 time..” have them “do it 10 times”. Guide them.. small tasks.
2. ASK repeatedly what your participants know and don't know! Don’t take any step or skill for granted
3. Utilize TEAMS for Hands On: Teams / Pairs (put allstars with immigrants à but make sure immigrants are driving and allstars helping not other way around.. My favorite is to have 1 laptop for every 2-3 people so FORCE “hands on” to happen in teams, with focus and purpose.
4. Eliminate distractions and obstacles: Laptops going to be used? Then we need to include external MICE too if our teachers haven’t ever used a touchpad mouse!… laptops have different operating system than their computer?! We’re forcing immigrants to learn additional skills on the fly… minimize as much as possible.
5. X factor stuff: Enthusiasm! Hope! Encouragement! You (the trainer, even if its for only 1 hour after school one time this year…) have MORE power and influence over the success or failure of new technology than anyone. Your attitude, your patience, (or lack thereof), will set the tone. PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE. If your teachers tell you you’re going to fast..? Then you set too high a goal, so slow down and gracefully adjust.
SUMMARY:
1. Less is more. We know we are drowning our teachers in tech – but so we need to lighten the load in our PD workshops. Find ways to train more often but with smaller goals each time. I see and hear about way more tech success when I reduced (dramatically!) the amount of content I cover in my workshops.
2. It’s like teaching them to drive. When you break down the process of learning to drive, we realize there are easy steps we take for granted: unlock car.. put the gar into drive.. gas and break, gas and break.. start small, in a parking lot… forget about the radio and airbags and climate control we need to focus on getting the car from here to there safely… Keep that analogy in mind!
Mark Bennett | Broken Arrow, OK | 918-859-3121 | mbennettconsulting.com