10-Minute Professional Learning Experiences

My colleague Kate @mineo_katherine and I had a quick conversation at lunch last Friday. She had just settled in after meeting with her middle-school reading group. We talked about engagement, time, materials, and her goals. One of those goals was to get the students interacting with each other digitally and publicly. Our students are 1:1 with iPads and this goal along with the challenges of time and engagement presented a great opportunity for professional learning.

I asked if she had time at the end of the day to meet. She  agreed to the meeting, but mentioned that she would only have about 10-15 minutes. I then went through some ideas and tech tools while considering the limited time we'd have for the session. Padlet came to mind and seemed match her goals.

Next, I began thinking of just how I'd present the tool and offer sound professional learning. I knew I would have to present this tool to her and I wanted to learn more about how the tool fit her thinking and goals.

We met at 4:00pm. I had Kate watch as I logged on and created a board. I demonstrated how to access the link and share it with students, how to change the background, how to name her board(s), and quick options for viewing the board. Then, I had her join the board using the iPad so she could experience what her students will. She was hooked! We wrapped the session by creating her account and an agreement to keep me in the loop about her progress with this new tool.

The keys to the 10 minute-ish PD for me were:

1. Clear understanding of the teaching and learning goals
2. Strong knowledge of the tool being shared
3. Demonstration
4. Active participation
5. Providing possibilities
6. Asking for feedback
7. Plan for the future

Early that following Tuesday provided me with all that I needed to know. Kate was sharing the tool with another one of our colleagues and conducting a 10 minute-ish PD of her own. She shared how she used it on Monday and the enthusiasm she and the students had when launching the tool for the first time. The motivation to share and learn was clear.

Professional learning needs to be ubiquitous and we're all responsible for sharing within our PLN. Ideas spread quickly, think about where you can jump in and provide a quick learning experience for someone in your building. Take something you know; make it informal, make it clear, make it engaging and you will make a difference!

Launching a 1:1 Environment Using the SAMR Model

I am embarking on a new role this year that includes my previous role as an instructional coach, but now includes responsibilities as a technology coach as well and mentor for the literacy and math coaches. This is a great opportunity for growth and development. However, in thinking about each of these roles separately, I realized that the need for frameworks is crucial. In thinking about the technology portion of my work, I canvased the web and Twitter for results. Everything pointed to the work of Dr. Ruben Puentedura and the SAMR Model. 

We were lucky enough to have Dr. Ruben Puentedura visit us in Buffalo, NY for a full day of professional development. Before the session, I felt as though I, along with a few staff members, had a pretty good understanding of the SAMR Model and how to intergrate technology in the classroom. However, there was much more learning and understanding that occurred in that short six-hour session.

One of the biggest lessons of the day was understanding that it is in fact okay to start at the substitution level instead of reaching for redefinition right away. Then, as you become more comfortable with the work, look ahead to augmentation and the possibilities at the next level.  For each progression you can consult the chart below and reflect on the implementation. The process seems to follow a plan, implement, reflect, and revise format. This work is always rewarding if you can link up with a colleague or a coach so that you have a thought partner alongside to think through and evaluate the work.

The SAMR Ladder: Questions and Transitions
• Substitution:
• What will I gain by replacing the older technology with the new technology?
• Substitution to Augmentation:
• Have I added an improvement to the task process that could not be accomplished with the older technology at a fundamental level?
• How does this feature contribute to my design?
• Augmentation to Modification:
• How is the original task being modified?
• Does this modification fundamentally depend upon the new technology? • How does this modification contribute to my design?
• Modification to Redefinition:
• What is the new task?
• Will any portion of the original task be retained?
• How is the new task uniquely made possible by the new technology? • How does it contribute to my design? 

In order to work through the SAMR Ladder, Dr. Puentedura also suggested trying to launch into a "ladder project." We tried a simulation of this in the actual session and it was beneficial to hear each group make decisions about the project and work at each of the levels. They used the questions and transitions above to work through the progressions. Most importantly, they used the "ladder project" options below to get the work started.

Choosing the First SAMR Ladder Project: Three Options
• Your Passion:
• If you had to pick one topic from your class that best exemplifies why you became fascinated with the subject you teach, what would it be?
• Barriers to Your Students’ Progress:
• Is there a topic in your class that a significant number of students get stuck on, and fail to progress beyond?
• What Students Will Do In the Future:
• Which topic from your class would, if deeply understood, best serve the interests of your students in future studies or in their lives outside school? 

Our staff has worked intensely over the last few weeks to begin designing instruction using the SAMR model. This growth will continue as we come together in future professional development settings and share the work from our classrooms. In these PDs, we will use the SAMR Model and the SAMR Questions and Transitions to reflect on our work. Finally, any teacher looking for a place to start will work through a "ladder project."

This is an exciting time for me as well, as I will have the unique opportunity to work side-by-side with so many great educators as they embark on the 1:1 experience. I will work with veteran teachers as well as new teachers to help facilitate teaching and learning with iPads. The work of Dr. Puentedura and his SAMR model has provided us with the necessary framework to launch the work and now it's up to us to climb the ladder of possibilities ahead.


Resources:
Dr. Ruben Puentedura, Putting SAMR and the EdTech Quintet to Work.(2013) Online at: http://hippasus.com