Coaching vs Mentoring: Helping Teachers Integrate Technology Effectively - #TCEA17

Coaching vs. Mentoring: Helping Teachers Integrate Technology
Dr. Bruce Ellis
Senior Director of Professional Development
TCEA

Resources:

• Presentation: https://goo.gl/vNXSzc

Check out the Region 13 Instructional Coaching Conference June 26-28, 2017

The coaching/mentoring process is different for each teacher:

• Some can run with just an idea
• Others need a demonstration
• Some need you to teach a lesson with them/for them

Coaching

• Is about skill & knowledge acquisition
• Content expert focusing on concrete issues
• Short term - only as long as needed
• Clear expectations and goals from the beginning.

Mentoring

• Mentoring is like counseling
• Relationship-oriented to address professional adn personal issues
• Ongoing - preferably more than a year
• Trust comes before sharing

Which is Best for Your Teachers?

• It depends!!!!!

Strategies for Mentoring

• Journaling - mentor doesn't necessarily look at this
• Reflection Journals - mentor responds to what the teacher has written
• Blogging
• Tweeting - You can encourage folks to lurk!
• Leaving Post-it Notes - much more personal than email!
• Post Cards - much more personal than email!

Strategies for Coaching Using Google Tools

• Create a form with a list of goals from which to choose.
• Teachers go to and complete the form. Print out the individualized plans.
• Meet with teacher and go over their plan. Begin scheduling visits.
• Continue to visit, model, and observe. Give specific feedback.
• See links to online "supplies" in Bruce's PowerPoint
• Also see links to instructions for using Google Sheets Add-on autoCrat in PowerPoint

**************************************************************************************** All original work in this post by Sandy Kendell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Please see specifics on my re-use policy in the right-hand column of my blog before re-posting/re-using any of my blog content.

Tips for Planning for Technology Integration in the Classroom

As much as I work in educational technology, as much as I read, as many tools as I try, I still find it difficult to communicate what meaningful technology integration looks like. I think the most difficult thing to get across when I'm discussing this topic is "Don't start with the technology. Start with your learning objectives - what do you want your students to know and be able to do - and then let's talk about how technology can support your goals."

The video below came across my radar this week. It is a wonderful, concrete example of how to think about the incorporation of technology into teaching and learning. Although labeled as part of The Teaching Channel's New Teacher Survival Guide, I think all educators can pick up some tips for integrating technology into their classrooms. 

Some things I love about this video:

• It shows what is a real-world situation for the majority of schools and teachers - there aren't enough devices in the classroom for everyone to use one, and the teacher gets access to a computer lab on campus on a limited basis. 
• It emphasizes the importance of collaboration with technology staff
• It highlights the benefits of having a mentor to help plan technology integration. And it shows that if you have access to the Internet, your mentor can come from anywhere!

OK, I'm about to commit the faux pas of revealing the contents of the story before you get to watch it! So, I hope you'll set aside 15 minutes to watch this teacher progress through the planning of an engaging experience for her students. After you watch, I hope you'll share your take-aways and thoughts in the comments so we can all learn together!