Beyond Closed Doors and Echo Chambers: Creating a Culture of Collaboration and Sharing

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4427310974

What’s your plan so others see a reason to be

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Value:

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Opportunity:

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Models:

Value: Allows teachers to save time and enhance their ideas when sharing with other colleagues. Why reinvent the wheel?

Opportunity:

• PLCs during the school day on Wednesdays (odd grade levels one week, evens the other week)
• Every Wednesday we have Instructional Planning Days where the students are released early and teachers are suppose to plan with their grade level team
• Two district level planning days (one in the fall, one in the spring), these are Non-Student days

Models:

• District created “Thinktrest” using Google Plus communities for each grade level to post their ideas and lessons for their Common Core Units
• District is in the process of creating a Tech PD Website

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@miss_darlene28

Value: Tech Pioneers are able to share with people who are already on board, sparking change. They can learn from others. Streamlining professionally using GAFE across the board in order to save teachers time. What’s BEST for kids!

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Opportunity: -Tech Team Monthly meeting - New hire breakfast -All staff PLCs or staff meetings, Techs share for 10 minutes -Easy to use Google Site for sharing

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Models: Coach website, newsletter with “district moonshot” examples, public recognitions, Google Communities

@ErinKlopfer and @JamieMcS

Value: We want to know what people are doing behind closed doors. By sharing this, we can get new ideas that can streamline teaching. Our thinking: No one wants to do all of the work alone. There are new standards and lessons need to be developed.

Opportunity: Release time for teachers to see other classes. Set up on your own. Our thinking: No one has time after school, it’s more powerful to see things in action, a small amount of time = large amount of learning, teachers set up opportunities so that it’s less threatening. Teachers could visit other curricular areas.

Models: Demo slam at faculty meeting where teachers share what they saw in other classes. If they visited a teacher in another curricular area, they could explain how the strategy could be adopted. TOSA shares notes via newsletter or blog. TOSAs can model the demo slam format the first time. Applies gentle pressure for teachers to participate, captive audience, can share newsletter across district to foster cross-school and vertical collaboration.

TUSD Rocks it at CUE :) @sandie2e, @kerrenttech , @teachingmann

Value:

A teacher’s lessons will be attributed back to them for all their effort. They will be saving time in the long run when resources are shared with all. All students benefit from great planning - our kids!

Opportunity:

Can search for possible lessons vs. having to create everything yourself. Can get ideas you have not thought about before in a content area. Lead Tech Task Force Teachers and Digital Learning Coaches to work together to gather site lessons and add them to shared site (when the platform is decided upon)

Models:

A searchable site (any ideas?), that is initially set up by tech and instructional coaches. Lessons are collected by each site coach to add. Some lessons are added before release so teachers don’t go to an empty site upon release of the collaborative site. Research a good site for teachers to submit lessons to prior to release. Definitely a DEMO slam!

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Value:

Ideas and Resources come TO teachers - they don’t have to go looking for them.

Opportunity:

Occurs within already scheduled PLC time (late starts) during the first 15 minutes (before breaking into departments)

Models:

“Traveling Slam”

“Speed Geeking” Rotations

“TeachMeet” Model

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Roland Jones @rolyboy24 & Crystal Kirch @crystalkirch

Value:

• reduces workload, saves time, organizes resources

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Opportunity:

• Tuesday early release days, social media, TOSA coverage to watch lessons in action

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Models:

• Bring “Spotlight Teachers” to TOSA meetings, model GAFE during trainings/workshops, Mash-Up Mondays, District Summer Technology Institute, Demo Slam at Edtech CoP meetings, use Haiku to share out tech news

Start small and dream big!

Value:

Sharing teacher time, reinvent the wheel,

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Opportunity: tech meetings, staff meetings, PD, monthly county TOSA meetings, “winter” workshop series, model classrooms (teachers to visit)

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Models: blog, website, golden keyboard, teacher of the month, google communities, demo slam

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PVSD jalvarez@pvsdcamarillo.org @runner58446

Value:

Sharing maximizes TOSA time, sparks ideas, and reduces redundancy

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Opportunity:

Monthly countywide meetings will expand & foster 24/7 collaboration with a TOSA resource site

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Models:

• Initially provide links to other districts’ resources
• Use meeting time to build shared Google site
• Highlight “TOSA/Teacher of the Month”
• Videos highlighting effective teaching

integrating technology or coaching models

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TOSAS @ CUE RockStars collaborating!

Dana Greenspan: dgreenspan@vcoe.org @techiedana

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Value:

Teachers can easily access curriculum resources and models of best instructional practices which reduces stress level, reduces preparation time, optimizes student success, and encourages personal growth.

Opportunity:

• Share Lessons, EdTech Tools, Success and Failure Stories through Social Media
• Collaboration Meetings every Wednesday
• Lesson Creation within Units of Study

Models:

What District Websites Can We Look At To Make It Easier For Teachers?

San Marcos,

Find ways to connect resources

Promote, Promote, Promote!!!

@kkibteach Keenan Kibrick along with Candice Engel and Sharon Campbell, Brandi MIller

Value: Share out pictures and videos of best practices in class. Get others to want to try new ideas. Get everyone to be proud of what’s going on in classroom

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Opportunity: E-mail signature of best practices, put on website public recognition/ great examples of teaching, create a twitter chat, Principals must tweet out and share amazing experiences of teachers, Watch teacher classes while they explore other classes, Finding small groups of teachers to pilot, utilize, and exemplify. Classroom travel and helping. Let teacher’s talk about spotlight.

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Models: #districtshares, storify, Blog with spotlight on teachers and written by teachers, Badging system, Start small and dream big, Make it look like that’s what everyone is doing, Point out not just stars and point out other teachers as well, repeat over and over again that that’s what everyone is doing. Publicize the hell out of any success. Write blog through month and then all publishes as one at end of month.

ACSD Digital Learning Coaches

@Jess_L_Fraser @tinytrekker @taelergood @mtbdigicoach @mrsbox7

Ways we can empower teachers to share:

• Demo slam the first 5 ten minutes of every staff meeting- Teachers share quick (limit to 1 minute- use a timer) tech tip, project, or exciting accomplishment
• Thinkterest Google Plus communities
• Each grade posts an artifact every month to build a rich bank of resources
• Keep teachers going back to communities
• Friday updates- Shoutout to teachers and students
• Visual shoutout with photos
• Email a Doc or Thinglink with photos
• Showcase ways students are using technology
• Post on school Twitter account

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Value: Start Small

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Teachers can easily become overwhelmed with the plethora of amazing resources out there for them to look at and those that you are providing in-house. Consider varying readiness levels along the “tech-trum” before providing PD and introducing new practices and/or mandates.

Opportunity:

• Create a resource that has multiple entry points to meet teachers where they are along the “tech-trum.”
• This staggered resource can build upon itself as it moves along in multiple ways such as: adding resources, going deeper, moving up the SAMR model.

Models:

• Research EdTech YouTube Playlists or find existing “Just One Thing” resources from other EdTech Trailblazers (i.e. Lisa Highfill)

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Value: Reduce workload, minimal time obligation, can be done privately.

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Opportunity: Online 3-5 minute clips on topics of interest.

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Models: Create a created set of video training (screencastomatic, direct tutorial or class videos) on how to use tech to free up teacher time.

Etiwanda @Cobb7_Cobb @Ohara_Jamie @Loves2reed @ReyesGuieb

Value:

Strength in numbers, Sharing of ideas can bridge & unite newer teachers with seasoned teachers (vice versa), infusion of ideas, working smarter and not harder, unites perspectives, validation & support of ideas (you’re not crazy!)

Opportunity:

PLC meetings, minimum day training sessions, Staff meetings opportunities (brief presentations by those who Use & want to share), Tech Fest, PD break-out sessions, Shared Notes

Models:

PD Breakout sessions/conferences, District Classroom for adding resources, Blogging, Spot on teachers (rotate & share success)

*Hyper Docs better than Classroom! #ieedchat Mondays, 8pm

Value: Using Twitter chats: #IEedchat to highlight collaboration, encourage participation and create a place where teachers can help each other with their ideas who might not normally share out.

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Opportunity: Create a Twitter chat for your district, region, subject, etc Advertise and get a core group to dedicate themselves

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Models: #ieedchat ◈ #caedchat

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@jswilliams ◈ @chad_shaner ◈ JulieShahEdD ◈ @shane_pinnell

@PUHSD team #Scholarplus