Chapters 8/9

My ALTIC Journey

I knew about ISTE standards for coaches before I became a part of the ALTIC cohort, but I never used them to evaluate how I was doing as an EdTech coach. Through the ALTIC cohort, I was able to look at what I do as a coach and compare it to the standards to have tangible ways to improve my role. I really enjoyed this process and feel like I was able to give myself goals that will improve my role and therefore help my teachers and students to improve learning outcomes. Below are the ISTE Coaching standards and how I feel the ALTIC Cohort has impacted me:

Standard 1- Change Agent: I have become a better change agent in my school through this journey by being empowered and encouraged through other educators I have been able to connect with. Through learning about different coaching models, I have been able to improve my practice of creating positive changes in my school and classrooms.

Standard 2- Connected Learner: Being a part of the ALTIC Cohort in and of itself is evidence of being a connected learner. Through this cohort, I have committed to the ideals of being a lifelong learner and wanting continuous improvement. Through the Book Study and Passion Project, I have gained expertise through professional learning and continue to learn how to be a better Coach.

Standard 3-Collaborator- One of my favorite parts of the ALTIC Cohort has been the opportunity to connect with other Coaches across the state. Through this experience, I feel like I have a better understanding of how the coaching model can look, and have improved my practice of connecting with teachers and collaborating to impact learning.

Standard 4- Learning Designer- I have continued to help teachers design lessons and introduce EdTech tools that can help enhance student learning. As a Coach, I feel like my biggest goal is to help teachers know when a tool is appropriate to use. Not every lesson needs and online component, but sometimes the online tool can totally transform learning. I feel like I am continuously reading research and best practices to improve my understanding of how technology can improve learning outcomes.

Standard 5 - Professional Learning Facilitator- This was my strongest area going into this school year, and I believe it continues to be a strength of mine. The way that my systems builds in professional development into a weekly rhythm of our school, I feel like I have ample opportunity to provide professional development to my teachers. Since I see them so often, I am able to introduce things in small increments so teachers are not overwhelmed, and then offer plenty of one on one support to go deeper into a teachers needs.

Standard 6- Data-Driven Decision Maker- Looking at Data is an area that I want to improve in. Our district is fairly new to ClassLink, which we use to look at data usage with our EdTech tools. I feel like a lot of growth in this area to take that data and actually use it to evaluate effectiveness on a larger scale. It is easier to look at individual classroom data, but I want to improve more in using data to drive larger scale decision such as what district apps are used for specific targets such as math and reading intervention.

Standard 7 - Digital Citizen Advocate- Through the Common Sense Media Educator program, I was able to look at our current Digital Citizen lessons with a more critical eye. I was able to recognize areas of improvements and provide lessons to students through our leadership classes on social media behavior and Computer Science courses to look at digital footprints and online behavior. I was also able to become more involved in our Homewood Connected group, whose goal is to provide resources to parents to empower them to take charge of how to handle devices and online behavior at home.

Homewood City Schools Technology Specialist Job Description