Author: Dr. Gordon

Engage Them: Self Evaluate

As educators, we have to understand that this is a trying time for our students. Depending on your school district or parental options, students may be sitting in the classroom or in front of a computer. It’s important that teachers do not blame students for disengagement. Rather, self evaluate to see what you can do to extrinsically motivate your students to be engaged.

Today many education preparation programs teach self evaluation. However, if you are like me an 18 year veteran you will have to consider it a best practice and do it because it’s what’s best for your students. Evaluating your practices can be difficult if you are a veteran teacher. Many veteran teachers are department chairs, team leads, and lead teachers. Due to the titles, many feel they are already the expert and do not need to update their practices. Veteran educators often stick to what they have always done, because it has worked in the past.

The problem with sticking to what you have always done, is that students change with time and innovation. As an educator, you have to evaluate your practices with new innovations. Are you digitally literate? Have you read any new academic articles? Have you taken an online course or webinar? Have you researched what experts are saying about strategies that we have always used. It’s okay to continue as a learner in lieu of an expert. Thus, the greatest experts are those who continue to research their craft.

With my heart

Dr. Niki Gordon

Advertisement

Presenting at ISTE 2019 in Philadelphia

Technology integration is not providing one-to-one devices to students and telling teachers to utilize technology in your lessons. Technology alone is just technology. Teachers are great at the craft of teaching. However, many are provided one size fits all eight hour professional development on technology tools and are expected to implement the technology moving forward. It sounds easy to do, but it is not! There are so many components to a great lesson and if you are not confident in the technology tool, it can do more harm than good. In order for technology integration to be implemented with fidelity and effectiveness, it has to be purposeful and intentional. Instructional Technology Coaches provide districts and schools with an expert on instruction and technology. They provide teachers with one on one support by building relationships through coaching. The coach provides teachers with support in purposefully and intentionally implementing technology into their lessons.  The session I will present will provide attendees two important elements of coaching, the coaching cycle and the coaching schedule. I will elaborate on the importance of creating a coaching cycle schedule, and the use of the coaching cycle to coach teachers. Attendees will have the opportunity to create a coaching cycle schedule and receive technology resources that can be used used for implementation when coaching teachers.