Resources for EdTech Coaches
Education technology coaches play a vital role in their learning communities — they empower educators to make purposeful use of technology, provide them with the support and inspiration to take risks and strive for innovation, and help teachers and learners alike navigate a new digital learning environment.
The role of the education technology coach or facilitator is still evolving, and will continue to evolve as various digital learning environments take shape. They fill a vital space that has emerged in the era of personalized and digital learning, where our understanding of “teacher” and “student” has adapted to become fluid, where teachers are learners and students often become teachers. Education technology coaches give that role fluidity direction and purpose.
As an education technology coach, doing your best in such an emerging space and new role can be challenging. Learning from the experience of others and seeking out helpful resources can go a long way in setting yourself up for success and boosting your confidence in your abilities.
To help, we’ve collected a few resources for education technology coaches, just in time for the new school year:
ISTE Connect EdTech Coaches Network
If you don’t already know about the ISTE Connect EdTech Coaches Network, go check it out now. It’s a fantastic resource to connect with other education technology coaches and seek out professional development. In a new and emerging role, where best practices are still being developed and every day presents new challenges, seeking out peer-to-peer learning opportunities is one of the best strategies to strengthen your skills. Learn more about this network here.
Understanding District Digital Transformations
Much of what education technology coaches do every day is moment-to-moment, high-energy, dealing with classroom instruction and working directly with teachers and students. But it can also be helpful to take a step back and consider your community’s trajectory for digital learning and technology integration from a district-wide perspective. Think about how you can gather a better understanding of your district’s digital transformation plan, if you don’t already know, and in what areas your experience and expertise might help district leaders to develop an even stronger plan — because a good district digital transformation plan is always evolving. For an overview of best practices and critical needs in digital transformations, see this guide:
Future Ready Schools Groups & Events
As an education technology coach, Future Ready Schools will be able to provide you with so many helpful resources, connections, and tools. A planning and resource hub for personalized, digital learning, Future Ready Schools hosts events across the country for district leaders and edtech stakeholders to spend time collaborating and planning a digital learning strategy. They also have plenty of online networking groups, including Facebook communities by role. To explore their free events or online communities, see:
Approaches to Personalized Learning
You’re likely an expert on personalized learning already — but it can be helpful to take a step back and seek out a refresher, especially as we approach the new school year. Our curriculum and professional development specialists created a guide to the six hallmarks of personalized learning in a digital environment built from some foundational research in the field. We’re constantly referring back to this piece, because it outlines some of the core components of effective personalized learning and offers definitions of other common terms in a clear, concise way. Consider reviewing this piece yourself and perhaps use it to communicate with classroom teachers when you’re coaching them on personalized learning in practice:
EdTech Podcasts
If you haven’t already, we suggest exploring the wealth of podcasts created by educators, for educators. Bam Radio Network is a great place to start — you’ll find podcasts about the use of instructional technology, teacher innovation, and creating a meaningful classroom environment. TED Talks Education is, of course, another great audio resource. House of #EdTech is a great place to get inspiration from a variety of rockstar educators. Any other podcast recommendations we missed? Leave your favorites in the comments!
For more digital learning resources, visit:
