A Tech Coaches Guide to Staying Relevant at the End of the School Year

In this episode of “Ask the Tech Coach,” Jeff and Susan welcome our guests Adam Juarez, Katherine Goyette, Dr. Dan Kreiness, and Rebecca Reynolds who all work as tech coaches, writers, etc. We discuss how your role as a tech coach can evolve as the school year comes to a close. What can you do to keep yourself relevant and meaningful to teachers as you end the year? If you would like to be a part of future podcasts and share your thoughts, please contact the podcast. We would love to have you join the show. Join the TeacherCast Tech Coaches Network! Are you a Tech Coach or looking to become one this year? Are you searching for support in your position? The TeacherCast Tech Coaches Network, is a brand new Professional Learning Network designed specifically for Tech Coaches and designed to provide weekly support for all Instructional Coaches. Click Here to Join! How Can Tech Coaches Stay Relevant As The School Year Ends? Stay consistent with your teachers. Continue popping your head into classrooms Keep creating Newsletters Ease pain points – curate resources for summer planning Do more listening than coaching as the year comes to a close Be open to listening to new ideas and teachers’ reflections on how things worked (or didn’t work for them) Play the long game ... it’s not about this year ... it’s about next year Keep feeding them relevant tips that they need at the moment – cleaning/archiving files, learning management system, etc. Have it ready for when they ask. Sticky notes Videos re-introducing yourself and what you can do to help them Encourage the teachers to take some risks that they normally wouldn’t take in the regular timeframe of the year and day to day instruction Keep yourself fresh / refreshed on edtech topics that are relevant to your teachers and school/district. You can’t stay relevant to your teachers if you, yourself, are not up to date! TCOY –Take Care Of Yourself - Digital Learning Playbook Focus on efficiency – tech to make end of the year paperwork more simplified Help create memorable end of year activities (portfolios, video montages, etc.) Provide summer learning opportunities, offer asynchronous opportunities too! CELEBRATE teachers and leaders wildly – social media, school based emails, YES cards, giveaways, Google Meets where they can just have a space to speak Continue to co-teach with teachers, offer your time and support for new ideas they wish to try! (VR, Minecraft EDU, etc) Keep building your team, community, and supports for teachers/leaders About our Guests Adam Juarez Adam Juarez is a Technology Integration Coach for Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District. He supports teachers through individualized coaching, demo lessons and professional development. Adam is a Google Certified Trainer and Innovator, CVCUE Board Member, Leroy Finkel Fellowship Finalist, co-founder of #CVTechTalk, 2020 30 K-12 IT Influencers Worth a Follow (EdTech Magazine) and co-author of The Complete EdTech Coach: A Organic Approach to Supporting Digital Learning. Social...