Featured in Edudemic Magazine-Connecting Education & Technology, October 2012 Issue, Volume 10
This is the third article in a three part series on why every school should be considering a 1:1 iPad initiative. While the first two articles focused on benefits to students and student learning, this third article will focus on staff benefits, especially those related to teacher professional growth. Just as the iPad offers tremendous benefits in the way it can transform student learning, the same benefits apply to the iPad's impact on adult learning as well. Every school, regardless whether they are trying to implement a 1:1 student initiative or not, is in need of a more efficient method for teaching staff, especially with regards to utilizing technology for teaching. In order to achieve this goal, I recommend that all schools implement a 1:1 STAFF iPad initiative.
The first benefit of a staff 1:1iPad initiative is that when teachers use the iPad as a learning tool, they will better understand how their students can use the device for learning. It is critical that teachers and school leaders learn the way they are asking students to learn. Simply said, in order for teachers to truly change the way they teach and the way students learn, they have to change the way they learn themselves! Until teachers feel what it feels like to learn with technology, they won't understand how students can use technology to learn. Teachers have to see and experience all of the alternative learning materials and resources available online, and they have to struggle finding answers to their own problems through the use of technology. When teachers have first hand knowledge of learning through the use of technology, they will see how this generation has the opportunity to learn in vastly different ways than they did. The opportunities for varied learning experiences are endless.
The most common questions that arise when staff are asked to change the way they teach is, "What does that mean?" or "What does that look like?" Those are extremely difficult questions to explain with words. Instead, it's something that has to be experienced to be understood. I can speak from first hand knowledge. I have always believed that it was important to incorporate technology into the teaching process and even felt pretty confident about my understanding of what that meant. However, I have been on a tremendous learning adventure over the last two years where the majority of my personal learning has occurred through the use of technology. It wasn't until this experience that I truly understood the role that technology could and should play in the educational process. It wasn't until I took on the role of learner through the use of technology that I really understood what changing the way we teach, or students learn, could really mean. What every administrator should be doing, instead of describing this change, is strongly encouraging their staff to experience learning the same way this new generation learns. Every teacher should not only have an iPad, they should be encouraged to use it for as many tasks as possible. This is different than using it with students or allowing their students to use it. Until teachers learn to manage their lives, pay their bills, use it to find life's answers and solve difficult problems, they will not understand how those outside of the educational arena are using these devices to manage their lives. When teachers understand how technology can enhance their learning experience, they will be more inclined to use technology to enhance their instruction.
The second benefit of a staff 1:1 iPad initiative is that it provides better learning opportunities for teachers just as it does for students. If we believe that our students can be more successful through fully incorporating technology into the learning process, then we should also believe that our staff could benefit from the same plethora of resources. School leaders have a responsibility to find a way to take advantage of these new learning possibilities and fully integrate them into the professional development plan for their teachers. It is for this reason that I would recommend we completely FLIP the way we plan for staff PD.
Every educator knows that the traditional staff meeting is antiquated and in many instances a frustrating waste of time. Most of the information provided in a traditional staff meeting can easily be accomplished through other means than requiring everyone to be in one location at the same time listening to a list of information. The time is rigid because we have it in the contract. Consequently, administrators are required to, "use it or lose it" and staff are required to attend and be compliant. Technology provides a vast array of resources to deliver this information more effectively to our staff, and the iPad is the best tool on the market for taking full advantage of these resources. Instead of requiring staff to attend a meeting at a set time so that both sides abide by the contract, let's harness the power of technology and allow them to be professional and obtain the information at the time that works best for them. There are countless resources a school could consider to assist with this task; Twitter, Edmodo, YouTube, TeacherTube, iTunesU, blogs, the list could go on and on. The reality is that there is more educational content and delivery methods available on-line than any army of teachers could ever discover.
The most common questions that arise when staff are asked to change the way they teach is, "What does that mean?" or "What does that look like?" Those are extremely difficult questions to explain with words. Instead, it's something that has to be experienced to be understood. I can speak from first hand knowledge. I have always believed that it was important to incorporate technology into the teaching process and even felt pretty confident about my understanding of what that meant. However, I have been on a tremendous learning adventure over the last two years where the majority of my personal learning has occurred through the use of technology. It wasn't until this experience that I truly understood the role that technology could and should play in the educational process. It wasn't until I took on the role of learner through the use of technology that I really understood what changing the way we teach, or students learn, could really mean. What every administrator should be doing, instead of describing this change, is strongly encouraging their staff to experience learning the same way this new generation learns. Every teacher should not only have an iPad, they should be encouraged to use it for as many tasks as possible. This is different than using it with students or allowing their students to use it. Until teachers learn to manage their lives, pay their bills, use it to find life's answers and solve difficult problems, they will not understand how those outside of the educational arena are using these devices to manage their lives. When teachers understand how technology can enhance their learning experience, they will be more inclined to use technology to enhance their instruction.
The second benefit of a staff 1:1 iPad initiative is that it provides better learning opportunities for teachers just as it does for students. If we believe that our students can be more successful through fully incorporating technology into the learning process, then we should also believe that our staff could benefit from the same plethora of resources. School leaders have a responsibility to find a way to take advantage of these new learning possibilities and fully integrate them into the professional development plan for their teachers. It is for this reason that I would recommend we completely FLIP the way we plan for staff PD.
Every educator knows that the traditional staff meeting is antiquated and in many instances a frustrating waste of time. Most of the information provided in a traditional staff meeting can easily be accomplished through other means than requiring everyone to be in one location at the same time listening to a list of information. The time is rigid because we have it in the contract. Consequently, administrators are required to, "use it or lose it" and staff are required to attend and be compliant. Technology provides a vast array of resources to deliver this information more effectively to our staff, and the iPad is the best tool on the market for taking full advantage of these resources. Instead of requiring staff to attend a meeting at a set time so that both sides abide by the contract, let's harness the power of technology and allow them to be professional and obtain the information at the time that works best for them. There are countless resources a school could consider to assist with this task; Twitter, Edmodo, YouTube, TeacherTube, iTunesU, blogs, the list could go on and on. The reality is that there is more educational content and delivery methods available on-line than any army of teachers could ever discover.
Using Edmodo as a Platform for Flipping PD
The traditional staff Professional Development Day must change as well. I'm embarking on an exciting journey with my staff this year in an attempt to redefine the way professional learning should look in a school.The model we will be using is one designed around teacher PLN teams tailored to teacher and building level professional growth needs and interests. Let's face it, the biggest challenge for each building principal is the same as the biggest challenge facing each teacher; namely, learners are very different. Just like our students, our teachers all have different strengths and weaknesses. Their learning has to be tailored to meet their needs. However, the traditional PD model in most schools across our nation is one that functions as though every teacher is the same, with identical needs. Administrators train all staff on the same topic, in the same manner, at the same time. The results are that a small percentage of staff needs are met with that approach. Professional development on technology equipment or software is an easy example. Anyone who has been through this understands what occurs. Some teachers are lost within the first few minutes while others become bored quickly because they don't want to move as slow as the presentation. It is impossible and rarely successful, but we keep following this model year after year even though we know it doesn't work. Instead, schools need to individualize staff learning and provide for continuous on going teacher growth. In subsequent articles I will explain how these teacher PLN teams function and how this new professional learning model looks. You can also follow our progress on www.ipadpd.com
It's time school administrators teach their staff the way they want to see their staff teach students. In order for this to occur, the traditional contractual driven model must change and staff must be provided with the best tools possible for their personal learning and growth. We owe it to our students to change the way we teach our teachers!
Fred Z. Sitkins
Elementary School Principal
Boyne City, MI
www.ipadpd.com
It's time school administrators teach their staff the way they want to see their staff teach students. In order for this to occur, the traditional contractual driven model must change and staff must be provided with the best tools possible for their personal learning and growth. We owe it to our students to change the way we teach our teachers!
Fred Z. Sitkins
Elementary School Principal
Boyne City, MI
www.ipadpd.com
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