Leadership Call          To Action

Reading leadership philosophy and stories of grand success seem to make being a great leader easy; just read and do. This weeks assignment is the "DO" part.

Model The Way - Set the example

I can't think of anything more important for a leader than to "Set The Way". As we evaluated the powerful, influential leadership of David, we see how a leader sets the way and everyone follows. His obedience to God and loyalty to his people set the example for all. He was consistent in his actions. David practiced, Live The Shared Values (Kouzes & Posner, 2012) daily.

Implementation Plan:

As an Instructional Technology Coach I have the opportunity and responsibility to set the example everyday with teachers. How you spend your time is the single best indicator of what's important to you. (Kouzes & Posner p. 96) Being in the classroom assisting teachers to use technology tools to drive student learning is not only important to me, it's a passion. To see a teacher who has no confidence in their own technology skills, turn around and understand they don't have to know it all and they can facilitate, fail, try again and let the student teach them, is what's important to me.

I will be spending at least 70% of my time in classrooms assisting teachers in digitizing lessons and preparing instruction that enables students to guide the learning process.

Inspire A Vision - Enlist Others

Enlisting others is very important for an Ed Tech Coach. You need to have a shared vision with your teachers to be able to work with them. I also realize I can't do it all myself and I have the unique opportunity to experience awesome teaching skills daily. Not every teacher needs a coach.

Implementation Plan:

My action to enlist others will be to implement what is called, The Pineapple Chart (Barns, Gonzalez-Boss. https://cultofpedagogy.com/pineapple-charts/). This method of sharing promotes pride in what teachers have to contribute. It shows that I listen to what they say by incorporating their input.(Kouzes & Posner, p. 153)

Challenge The Process - Experiment and take risks

Introducing technology in the classroom for most teachers is the definition of experiment and risk taking in education. 1:1 classrooms require a shift in the learning and a shift in classroom management.

Implementation Plan:

Kouzes & Poser (p. 210) suggest to use small wins to get things moving. This has been my strategy for this year and paved the way in getting Math teachers using devices up to 60% of the time in their classrooms. They still love paper and pencil, but at least students are getting a shot at conceptual learning with Desmos and Khan Academy on a regular basis. My goal is to have 100% of the Math teachers using these tools on a regular bases and implementing some project based learning (PBL) to re-inforce.