Category: #educoach

Coaching Choice Board! (Free template)

1/8/2020

Coaching Choice Board

Since so many people outside of education have asked what I do as an "Instructional Coach", I figured a lot of teachers didn't really know what I did either! It turns out, I was right!
Elementary school teachers are usually more familiar with the role an Instructional Coach plays in their schools, but not as much in Middle School. To help clarify, I decided to take our district job assurances and make them public so teachers knew what was required of me on a daily basis.
I took it a step further and made a "Choice Board" for my "services" so teachers had some ideas of how I can help them and/or their students.
This isn't a long post, I just wanted to share my resources in case someone else wanted to do the same for the schools they serve. This is a time consuming process and I genuinely feel like #sharingiscaring! I have my Google Slides Choice Board featured below. Click the link below the image to make a copy for yourself!

Choice Board Template

Directions have been placed in the speaker notes on page 1 of the template so you can change the background to work for you. The Google Drawing background template can be found here .

If you use it, please tag me on Twitter so I can see what was helpful for you! Feel free to comment below and share this post if you know other #educoaches that might find it useful.
For directions on linking slides and other Google Slides tricks, check out this @ShakeUpLearning post or click here to sign up for Kasey's Google Slides Master Class! It's super affordable and totally worth it!

19 Comments

SCMidlands Summit Resources

6/11/2019

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Calling all EDU Coaches! Let's Get Organized with Google!

Tech Integration to Reach All Learners with UDL & GSuiteEDU

Click the images above for my session resources. I appreciate you joining today! Please leave feedback on the Summit website and feel free to share with others that may benefit from these resources. I look forward to connecting with you! @specialtechie.

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Google Tips for Instructional & Tech Coaches

5/11/2019

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Post via Shake Up Learning

Here's my latest guest blog post for Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning!

As an Instructional or Technology Coach, we have a lot to do on a daily basis. It’s not more or less than a classroom teacher, it’s just different.

The trouble with a coaching schedule is flexibility. I know… that doesn’t sound like a problem, but it can be. This is where productivity and organization are key!
If you don’t plan out your days, weeks, even school year, it can get away from you and then you’re often disappointed with the number of goals you complete.

The purpose of this post is to give coaches some ideas and tools to manage your time and energy.
*Note: I am fairly new to coaching, so I am not claiming to be an expert by any means!
This post also includes tips from coaches that are a part of the Shake Up Learning Facebook group. Make sure to join us today!

Read the full post on Shake Up Learning and
check out her new Podcast while you are there!

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Using Blended Learning to Personalize Learning

11/17/2018

5 Comments

Blended Learning

Have you ever understood one of our educational "buzz words" to mean something completely different than one of your coworkers? This happens all the time, especially when we mention Blended or Personalized Learning. Some people think of them as the same thing.
They can be used together, but they are not the same. So, how are they different? How can they be used together to enhance our classrooms today?

If someone asks me about Blended Learning, I always share the Blended Learning Universe site.
They describe 7 models "in action" as well as some videos and visuals to help you understand what they look like. Below are the definitions of each of the models from the Blended Learning Universe site, make sure to check it our for more details!

7 Models of Blended Learning

Blended Learning Universe

1. Station Rotation: allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule, where at least one of the stations is an online learning station. This model is most common in elementary schools because teachers are already familiar rotating in “centers” or stations.

2. Lab Rotation: like a Station Rotation, allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule. However, in this case, online learning occurs in a dedicated computer lab. This model allows for flexible scheduling arrangements with teachers and other paraprofessionals, and enables schools to make use of existing computer labs.

3: Individual Rotation: allows students to rotate through stations, but on individual schedules set by a teacher or software algorithm. Unlike other rotation models, students do not necessarily rotate to every station; they rotate only to the activities scheduled on their playlists.

4: Flipped Classroom: flips the traditional relationship between class time and homework. Students learn at home via online coursework and lectures, and teachers use class time for teacher-guided practice or projects. This model enables teachers to use class time for more than delivering traditional lectures.

5: Flex: lets students move on fluid schedules among learning activities according to their needs. Online learning is the backbone of student learning in a Flex model. Teachers provide support and instruction on a flexible, as-needed basis while students work through course curriculum and content. This model can give students a high degree of control over their learning.

6: A la Carte: enables students to take an online course with an online teacher of record _in addition_ to other face-to-face courses, which often provides students with more flexibility over their schedules. A La Carte courses can be a great option when schools can’t provide particular learning opportunities, such as an Advanced Placement or elective course, making it one of the more popular models in blended high schools.

7: Enriched Virtual: is an alternative to full-time online school that allows students to complete the majority of coursework online at home or outside of school, but attend school for required face-to-face learning sessions with a teacher. Unlike the Flipped Classroom, Enriched Virtual programs usually don’t require daily school attendance; some programs may only require twice-weekly attendance, for example.

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PLC Communication Using Google Apps!

9/9/2018

7 Comments

Problem:

In the beginning of this year, I started a new job as a Reading Coach for a K-8 school. I asked about how PLC's ran, what worked, what didn't work, etc. During that discussion, my Principal asked how we could improve the communication between administration and the teachers asking questions or needing feedback during PLC's if they weren't able to attend.
In previous years, the Reading Coach had a great PLC agenda/notes template, but knowing when they were filled out or even if there were questions was hard for administration to keep up with. Our Principal really wanted to know if she could get a notification each time a PLC was held, but using a Google Team Drive, she'd have to just check the folders every day or watch the activity panel. We all know that is a time consuming task and not very productive. I knew we could use our GSuite tools to do it, just needed to figure out the best way to use them effectively! I'm sure there are add-ons and extensions for this, but we needed to keep it simple to be productive.

Solution:

I racked my brain and searched for easy solutions, I knew there had to be a way!
I guess I never really stopped thinking about it, then it literally came to me first thing the next morning as if I was still working on the problem in while I slept! Here's what I did...

7 Comments

Coaching Choice Board! (Free template)

Coaching Choice Board

SCMidlands Summit Resources

Calling all EDU Coaches! Let's Get Organized with Google!

Tech Integration to Reach All Learners with UDL & GSuiteEDU

Google Tips for Instructional & Tech Coaches

Read the full post on Shake Up Learning and
check out her new Podcast while you are there!

Using Blended Learning to Personalize Learning

Blended Learning

7 Models of Blended Learning

PLC Communication Using Google Apps!

Problem:

Solution:

Author

Archives

Short Cuts

Coaching Choice Board! (Free template)

Coaching Choice Board

SCMidlands Summit Resources

Calling all EDU Coaches! Let's Get Organized with Google!

Tech Integration to Reach All Learners with UDL & GSuiteEDU

Google Tips for Instructional & Tech Coaches

Read the full post on Shake Up Learning and ​check out her new Podcast while you are there!

Using Blended Learning to Personalize Learning

Blended Learning

7 Models of Blended Learning

PLC Communication Using Google Apps!

Problem:

Solution:

Author

Archives

Short Cuts

Read the full post on Shake Up Learning and
check out her new Podcast while you are there!