Last week, our Tech & Media Team hosted our first Digital Learning Summit for administrators in the district. We spent a day outside of the district participating in fun, meaningful activities and building a vision and plan for how technology use in each building. Below is a list that highlights the activities as well as a little reflection.
Presentation
Below is the presentation that we used for the day. Some screenshots from the presentation are also included in this post.
If you are unable to view the presentation below, please click here.
If you are unable to view the presentation below, please click here.
Breakout EDU
This was such an amazing activity and experience for our administrators that it got its own post! Click on the button below to view a recap of the activity.
Survey Results
As a little bit of a flipped PD model, we asked our building administrators to complete a survey prior to the day of the Digital Learning Summit. The information provided in this survey was used in various ways throughout the day. For our second activity of the day, we showed the group of 7 administrators 4 different pie charts of their results (based on 4 areas of the survey - Planning & Preparation, The Building Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities). Based on the pie charts alone (and the list of questions asked in front of them), we asked them to share their thoughts about what the charts represented. We collected their thoughts and added them to the slides to create a snapshot of our discussion.
Technology-Rich Unit Design and Look-Fors in Classroom Observation
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During our day, we had the opportunity to have the awesome Ron Houtman come and talk to our administrators about things to look for in regards to teacher's lesson design and in their observations. He provided them with some great insight as to different technology evaluation models, things to look for when they conduct classroom/teacher observations, and how the 4 C's fit into the effective technology use. As stated in his outcome for the day, the administrators would work, "To develop a classroom design template that will allow educators to assess technology integration within the context of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) that infuses important disciplinary concepts. ". His presentation led to great discussion and sharing among our administrative group.
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Shown to the above are the sketchnotes I took from the first part of his presentation.
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Murder Mystery Activity
For this activity, we wanted to reinforce the 4 C's (Communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Collaboration). We found this activity online, but modified it a bit to fit the needs of our group and our intended outcome. Some of the changes we made:
- We changed the names of the people in the story to the names of some of the administrators in the room.
- We selected pairs of administrators to work together based on our observations of their 4 C's strengths. This put our admins in 4 different groups.
- Based on their 4 C strength, we created custom rules for their group, taking away the strength. For example, the group with the strength of Critical Thinking was given the solution and told they just need to recite the facts and the solution to the group as their presentation. The only exception was the group of 1 individual who had full reign and access to any resources to put together the solution.
- Each group needed to present their solution at the end of the allotted time.
It was interesting to see how each group worked to find a solution based on their customized rules. Some groups became frustrated with how they could/could not give their presentation or work through their thoughts. The look of shock on the faces of the group that was given the incorrect solution was priceless. So, why would we subject our eager group to an activity that looks like it was setup for failure from the beginning? Because that is how our students feel sometimes. This is not a strike against teachers and all of the hard work they do for our students and the thought, time, and resources that go into planning on a daily basis. This was meant for our administrators to be put in the shoes of our students to feel as the thoughts our students feel on a daily basis. Due to state constraints and district/building requirements, it is easy to get lost in assessments, data, and the daily struggle to make learning relevant for every student. Again, why would we do this? To show different learning options, differentiation, and to demonstrate how when you take away one of the 4 C's, you are left with a C that stands alone - CARING. And what does caring look like if you don't have the other 4 C's? You be the judge. Because it truly can be whatever you make it to be for your students.
Listed below are the cards and information we used for our activity.
Listed below are the cards and information we used for our activity.
So what does it look like when you take verbal, written, and electronic communication away from a group? Hand signals and charades (which were permitted)!
At the end of the allotted time, each group was asked to present their solutions to the whole group. The group that was not allowed to communicate was allowed to verbalize their solution. Somehow with utilizing non-verbals, they were able to present a picture solution that was pretty accurate!
Action Plan - Planning Time
We spent the last part of the day putting everything into action that we had been discovering and working on throughout the day. Our goal was for each administrator to start thinking and developing an action plan for their building that states the administrator's vision for how technology will be utilized in their building, incorporate the 4 C's, and make sure that it is inline with the district's vision ("Godfrey-Lee Public Schools will provide the comprehensive, innovative and creative instructional programs that prepare each learner to succeed in a global society.").
As part of this action plan building, we delved further into the results of the pre-survey that each building administrator filled out prior to attending the Digital Learning Summit. The questions that were asked were aligned and organized by the Four Domains of Danielson’s Framework for Teaching. Each question was aligned with a change order and well as proficiency level. A scoring guide was created to help provide administrators with suggestions for strengths and weaknesses as well as how to move forward. How the administrator interpreted these results and used them for their building vision was unique and allowed them freedom to focus on areas that might not have been as strong as others. It was meant to be a guide based on their own self-evaluation.
As part of this action plan building, we delved further into the results of the pre-survey that each building administrator filled out prior to attending the Digital Learning Summit. The questions that were asked were aligned and organized by the Four Domains of Danielson’s Framework for Teaching. Each question was aligned with a change order and well as proficiency level. A scoring guide was created to help provide administrators with suggestions for strengths and weaknesses as well as how to move forward. How the administrator interpreted these results and used them for their building vision was unique and allowed them freedom to focus on areas that might not have been as strong as others. It was meant to be a guide based on their own self-evaluation.
In constructing their plans, we asked each administrator to include the 4 "things" below to provide some continuity. In a month, our group plans to meet again to continue the discussion we started at the Digital Learning Summit and refine their action plans.
What Is Next?
Our building administrators will refine their action plans and work on the 4 "things" above. We asked that they build an action plan that they will not only share with their staff, but also present to the Board of Education about how technology is currently being used in their buildings and their plan for moving forward.
We had a great day working with everyone and we can't wait to see what our administrators come up with!
We had a great day working with everyone and we can't wait to see what our administrators come up with!
