#admin — Page 19

#EDUDO: Giving feedback…easy ways to make it happen!

November 2, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

Taking part in the #EDUDO movement, I thought I would share a couple of tips and tricks discussed in our admin meeting last week on providing feedback. There was an ASCD post recently from Robyn Jackson that highlighted 4 ways to give effective feedback. There was a post in the Washington Post that came to the conclusion that feedback was a crucial part of the walk through process.

“Although the researchers suggest that their results should be considered exploratory, they do suggest a general principle of instructional leadership that fits well with one overarching principle of learning: feedback is essential. Instructional leadership activities that offer meaningful feedback to teachers may help. Those that don’t, will not.”

How then can you give quality feedback when you have so much else on your plate? By planning, making it a priority, and having the right tools!

1. Plan to be in classrooms to actually GIVE the feedback!

We use Eduphoria which has several tools to help me keep track of how many walk throughs & observations I have done for each teachers. (You could easily make a checklist in Evernote, which I’ll come back to in a moment. Put that in your pocket, save it for later.) Each week I get an email telling me how many I have completed. Within the system I can I easily check to see how many i have done for each teacher. I also have it sent to email me each every other week when there are teachers that don’t have a certain number of walk throughs.

I also, with the greatness of Melinda Miller, have made it a point to write down on our calendars exactly who we plan on visiting. If not by specific names, then at least with a number of rooms per day. It sounds completely simple, but it has been surprisingly effective!

2. Go old school with a note!

I’ve used this form and it’s been my go to for several years. It’s template based but allows me to personalize. I print multiple copies each week and commit to sharing them. Being intentional in looking for the good…I never run out of good things to brag on! Print your own at “Technology rocks. Seriously.”

3. Tech it up a bit with a suggestion from the greatness of Jessica Branch. I like taking pictures when I see something happening in the classroom, but she suggested combining the Red Stamp app and the picture to send a teacher a visual “wow!” instead of a paper post it. You have the option to even email it straight from the app, so it’s easy!

4. Remember that Evernote from earlier? Pull it out of your pocket to enjoy it now! Evernote is a tool that I’ve used in the past to keep a running record of the classrooms I visit. I’m able to create a page for each teacher, and take notes of what I see happening. Our standard walk through form doesn’t allow for a longitudinal record of my visits, but in Evernote I can make simple notes of what I am observing and be able t track feedback over the semester/year. Teachers have access to what I’ve written and know what I’ve seen each time I’ve been there. This is valuable to help keep me in line with visiting at different times and making sure I am seeing different subjects and teaching styles. (whole group, vs small group, etc.) there’s also a handy checklist option! You can read more about that here.

Feedback needs to be timely and relevant to the learner’s needs in order to be effective. Keeping that in mind, be ready to share something timely, something constructive, and something positive. Without feedback of any kind, we would not learn at all, period. We would end up doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again…but it also ensures that teachers (or students!) feel as if we know what is happening with each teacher (or student!) individually. Their lead learner should be the person who delivers that feedback as well the one who can help them move forward.

feedbackN,

Amber

edcampDallas hosted by Wylie ISD! October 25, 2014

October 9, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

We have another opportunity to participate in an edcamp this month! EdcampDallas is being held October 25th, 2014 at Wylie East High School.

The tweetup, an opportunity to see and meet some virtual connections, will be held Friday night at 6pm at Houlihans.

Why should you give up a Saturday to go to an edcamp?

10. You are passionate about what you do and see the benefit in always modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner.

9. You know how tight your budget is AND how tight our budget is! Why pay to go away when you can have the best for free?

8. Differentiation is important to you and your development as well!

7. You agree that your favorite part of any staff development is talking with your peers, those who are in the trenches with you! Their perspective can give you support and strength.

6. You know that you bring something to the table. Your skills and expertise in what YOU do has value! (Think about hosting an session!)

5. There’s no pressure! Love it or hate it, you’ve invested no $$ to make you feel guilty about switching sessions during the day!

4. Meeting new friends and creating (or extending?) your PLN makes your heart happy!

3. Walking away with free, applicable tools for your classroom is a undeniable perk.

2. Edcamps are ALL inclusive. You get a breakfast, free sessions, door prizes, GREAT PD, and it’s all free. All you have to do is show up!

1. And the number one reason why YOU should come to edcampDallas at WEHS??

edcamps are EMPOWERING. It allows the true voices of the classroom to have a say in what is being done, in how it is being done, and in ways to IMPROVE what is being done. Take charge!

Take a chance! Come to edcampDallas! You won’t regret it! There are already almost 400 people from all around the STATE committed to attending!

edcampR,

Amber

It’s Connected Educator Month! (Huh? What?) #CE14

October 1, 2014 by Amber 2 Comments

Even though it looks different for each learner, being a connected educator simply means leveraging technology to expand one’s personal learning network. Doing so not only provides you with a network of like-minded people, but also inspires you to try new activities and strategies to create the most effective learning environment for your students. No one has time to be alone on their educator island! Jump in this month and try something new!

There is a calendar through ASCD & the USDOE and that gives a multitude of activities that you can partake in. From tweeting to blogging to an online book club, there’s an activity for every type of learner. Don’t feel overwhelmed by the choices, pick just ONE a week (or the month! baby steps!) even to get your feet wet in the connected waters.

I’m choosing to share these ideas with my staff, thinking that if just one of them becomes more “connected” this month, they’ll have changed the trajectory of their classroom of learners!

(Link to an editable version of my tic tac toe board)

What activities are you going to try?

AmConnctedber

PS: Join Joe Mazza and I on October 16 as we host a #CPchat on “Using Social Media for Professional Learning” at 8pm ET.

It’s not the snap shot you should remember, take time to watch the movie!

September 21, 2014 by Amber 3 Comments

Have you ever been guilty of making a judgement about someone? Maybe a coworker? Or a student? A parent who was defensive or absentee? Someone who did something you thought was “wrong”?

I saw this video that my favorite Canadian George Couros posted on FB this weekend and it really reminded me of how often we make generalized judgments about someone based on one interaction we’ve experienced with them.

We encourage students to make mistakes, the proof that they are putting themselves out there, trying new things. As a teacher, I know I made mistakes. I am so thankful that I had supportive, encouraging administrators who saw beyond those mistakes. They saw my heart, my passion, and that my intent was always with the best of intentions. They saw ALL of me, not just an error I made. That snapshot didn’t define me.

Each year as an assistant principal, I have grown, I have learned, and I have done the very best that I can. Have I made mistakes? Absolutely! There’s no manual that comes with this job. You are dependent on those around you to help guide, lift you up, and support your efforts. I hope that you are able to say the same. There’s toxicity in surrounding yourself with people who won’t look past a moment to see the bigger picture. In my role, I challenge myself daily to see the BIG picture, and how I can help empower our entire staff to see beyond where they are (or were!) to where they can be. Their movie isn’t finished yet.

As an educator, before you make decision on someone you know, work with, or work for…take a minute to question their intent. Do you KNOW that person or are you just basing your decision on a single snapshot of their career? What would the whole movie say?

tissue grabN,

Amber

Quick ways to model “Digital Leadership” #leadershipday14

August 15, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

This year I am choosing to take part in Scott McLeod’s Leadership Day 2014. He challenged us all to write about any digital topic that spoke to our heart. Having led the inaugural Digital Fluency Academy for Region X this summer, I think there are easy fluid ways to easily embed technology into your admin day.

1. Find a digital way to share campus news.

Whether it be a Smore, a YouTube video, or a blog, try sharing your Friday Focus or campus news in a digital fashion. There are too many free & easy tools out there for you to be sending out a word document to your staff each week!

2. Utilize Remind with your teachers.

Instead of a flyer, or a callout, try sharing reminders with your teachers via Remind. We have seen a lot of success with using this with our staff. We got them all in with jeans pass bribes, 🙂 and then used it to send intentional timely reminders. From grade book lock down to potluck lunch reminders…these easy texts were SO much more effective. Did you know that 90% of text messages are read in the first three minutes they are sent? 99% of text messages are read, period. Take advantage and get that important info out there! Utilizing my favorite techie trick from Erin Klein, I plan on taking pictures all throughout our staff development next week, creating an animoto, and then sharing the video via Remind on our last training day. (An easy creative tool for our teachers to then use in their classrooms!!)

3. Google Drive, Google Drive, Google Drive!

There’s always a question I need answered, or a form I need access too…google drive is the answer! Create a form in minutes, collaborate with team leaders, track RTI data…all in a form that doesn’t have to be downloaded, updated, re-uploaded and then reshared. Why take 9 steps when you can do it in one? My digital bestie, Kasey Bell, has a Google handout for you that you can use, or share. She is amazing!

4. Instead of a notepad, keep your notes in Evernote.

I’ve created a checklist for walk throughs to utilize. I’ve also created a shared document with each of them that will serve as a running record of all of my visits. I plan on adding pictures, documenting our PLC progress, as well as any “above & beyonds” that happen throughout the year. As the instructional leader, I want to see a longitudinal “glimpse” into the classroom each time I visit. This shared doc holds us both accountable!

5. Techno Tuesdays

One of our campus improvement plan goals was to increase staff members comfort and familiarity with technology in the classroom. As a way to help them see how seamless it truly can be, I am going to hold monthly “Techno Tuesday’s” where on the first Tuesday of the month I’ll have a short & sweet mini tutorial on a different tool and show, K-4, how it can happen in the classroom. We know that teaching is already hard enough without having to feel like we are struggling in the classroom with something we aren’t familiar with. I want my teachers to be able to come and ask me how to use something, or know that I am giving them the time & space to figure it out. No pressure! I hope to ask our awesome learning specialists, and fabulous instructional tech guru, to host some sessions, as well as some of our more techie teachers. To better educate our kids, we need to first better educate their educators! These integration strategies aren’t difficult but teachers need to SEE and PLAY before they are going to be willing to use it in front of their students.

I struggle with being the “that girl” as Justin Tarte as articulated recently. The problem is, in order to really see a relevant, 21st century authentic learning environment, there is going to have to be a technology integration component. If we as the campus leaders aren’t the ones modeling and showing our teachers the way to make that happen, who will? Our students deserve it!

Technology isn’t something that just “adds” to your plate. It genuinely isn’t an extra. Tom Whitby had a great post about the separation of the tech world and the academia world. Angela Watson talked about the ponds of fishie fishs that we are all swimming in. I think as long as keep we keep separating pedagogy from technology integration, it’s never going to be seamless. Hopefully these tools will allow you to do something differently in your world! You are a LEADER. Use your power for good!

Leadershiply,

Amber