Focus on PD
NETS for Coaches Standard 4
AS I SEE “IT”
By Kara Gann
Kara Gann is the
information technology
program administrator for Laramie County
School District #1 in
Wyoming, USA. She
recently completed a
two-year term on ISTE’s
Board of Directors.
T hink back to your last professional de- velopment (PD) opportunity. Were you anticipating innovative and fresh ideas
or feeling trepidation because the training was
mandatory? In either case, we have all received
PD that was energizing or less than engaging.
PD is the heart of an effective technology
coaching program. Standard 4 of the NETS
for Coaches focuses on PD, program evaluation,
content knowledge, and professional growth.
To remain effective, we must continually evaluate the PD we provide.
How does a team of coaches determine if they
are effective? There are a variety of ways, such
as analyzing data; looking at trends; receiving
feedback from the users; and even noting appreciative smiles from our administrators, teachers,
staff, and students. The technology coaches in
Laramie County School District 1 in Cheyenne,
Wyoming, USA, have been evaluating their PD
program since its creation more than 15 years
ago. The program has evolved as administrators
and coaches examined data from student and
staff technology assessments, student projects,
surveys, and logs of the coaches’ time and effort.
In team meetings, the tech coaches have
conversations about how they can change their
practice and the program’s strategic planning to
be more effective. This past year, other departments within the district have replicated our
coaches’ data collection methods for program
evaluation. It’s been exciting to see how much
we have improved our program by participating
in celebratory and critical reflective practice.
Our PD is data driven. For example, we developed a two-hour university-approved course
with the help of surveys, end-of-course evaluations, and conversations with our teachers and
students. This 18-hour class includes an additional 12 hours of individual and group coaching. The class is popular and fills up within the
initial day of posting. The course includes using
interactive whiteboards, document cameras,
video, and a variety of storage methods; converting files from paper to digital format; and many
more all-inclusive topics.
For the first time in our coaching program,
we see noticeable change within the teaching
pedagogy in our schools. Principals noticed and
requested that we offer the course onsite during school hours. During the classes, teacher
cohorts developed within the schools and began
to collaborate on curriculum and explore how to
incorporate technology, such as whiteboards and
video, into their instruction. Students began to
notice a change in the delivery of their content,
and teachers who were considering retirement
decided to remain in the classroom because of
their students’ improved engagement.
We are now at a point where entire schools
have had all their certified staff complete this
program. Although we have not collected quantitative data, we are planning to develop case
studies to support our findings.
Technology coaching is not about knowing everything about technology or content. It is about
growing as an individual professionally, creating a
community, analyzing data, supporting curriculum
ideas, and doing this in a strategic and systematic
manner. In my opinion, it’s the best job around!
