Leadership Role: Technology Integration Coach

--
Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership
and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
--
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirement for the
Master of Arts in Education
--
by
Nikhil Dandekar
The American School of Bombay
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
October 14, 2014
--
Dr. Timothy Gilson








Future Leadership role : Tech Integration Coach

Job Description

The Technology Integration Coachs primary focus will be to assist grade level/subject
area teachers in their division to successfully integrate the use of effective strategies and multiple
technologies in order to design differentiated learning experiences and assessments that enhance
student learning.

Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Director of Educational Tech, to identify the grade level/
departments teaching and learning tech integration needs, barriers and areas for growth
in order to provide effective professional development for the integration of technology.
Work with the Director of Ed Tech to facilitate school-based high quality professional
development to refine teachers tech integration knowledge and skills. Training
opportunities could include in-class coaching, peer observing and/or modeling of
technology integration strategies and multiple and emergent technologies; guiding
teachers in looking at student work; and developing lesson plans with teachers based on
student needs.
Equip their own professional development for this role through online and face-to-face
courses and regular meetings with the Director of Ed Tech.


Required skills and impact within the school community:

Strong emotional and social intelligence skills as exhibited through flexibility and sense
of humour in order to coach colleagues effectively and sensitively.
Passion and vision for pursuing emergent technologies and for sharing technology
integration practices with colleagues.
Willingness to act as a change agent in the school and engage in change management.
Meet the schools tech integration coaching standards.

How would you go about achieving this role
Care about helping others grow as they would like to. I believe that my empathy and
ability to listen and understand the verbal and nonverbal cues given to me help me to set
pathways for others to reach their goals and for our school to reach its goals.
Demonstrate sensitivity, tolerance and respect for diverse value systems. Inspire
professional trust and confidence.
Join a Professional Learning Community (PLC) or Critical Friends Group (CFG) that is
related to my goal.
Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and
technology.
Read, research, recommend, and implement strategies for initiating and sustaining
technology innovations and for managing the change process in schools. Learning leads
to innovation, and innovation generates results (Hess, 2008, p. 14).
Demonstrating continual growth in knowledge and skills of current and emerging
technologies and applying them to improve personal productivity and professional
practice (ASB's Tech Integration Coaching Standards, n.d).
Maintain a reflective journal. The discipline of reflection is one of the most powerful
tools for developing teacher leaders (Hess, 2008, p. 77). Regularly evaluating and
reflecting on professional practice and dispositions to improve and strengthen the ability
to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences.
Coaching teachers in how to collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and
evaluate digital tools and resources for accuracy, suitability, and compatibility with the
school technology infrastructure (ASB's Tech Integration Coaching Standards, n.d).
Providing evidence that coaching and/or modeling practices related to the effective use
of technology for teaching, learning, and assessment resulted in enhanced student
learning (ASB's Tech Integration Coaching Standards, n.d).
Providing evidence of improved teaching and learning as a result of helping others
successfully adopt/adapt technology innovations (ASB's Tech Integration Coaching
Standards, n.d).
Demonstrating continual growth in knowledge and skills of current and emerging
technologies and applying them to improve personal productivity and professional
practice (ASB's Tech Integration Coaching Standards, n.d).
Foster a supportive, collaborative and a trusting environment.


What do you hope to learn from it?

Gain experience beyond the classroom, understand and be involved in more of the big
picture aspects of school life and education.
Use technology to improve student learning and achievement in their classroom in
authentic learning situations.
Gain deep knowledge of both pedagogy and their instructional content areas.
Gain knowledge of current research regarding communities of learners, instructional
practices linked to student learning and achievement, differentiated instruction,
mentoring, coaching, and emergent technologies.
Communication skills with multiple stakeholder groups - colleagues, students, and
parents.
Gain experience and familiarize in adult learning theory, coaching/mentoring scenarios,
or at minimum, having led school level workshops or PD support.
Gain a deeper understanding and insight with International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE) Technology standards for Students, Teachers and Coaches as
evidenced in their instructional practices and artifacts of student learning.
Develop interpersonal relationships and build community relations.

References

Hess, R. T. (2008). Follow the teacher: Making a difference for school improvement.
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

ASB's Tech Integration Coaching Standards - Google Docs. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 13, 2014, from
https://docs.google.com/a/asbindia.org/document/d/12m09bD05O4AVKNP9sZKdDlEC4
k1C81diink9xHgTfCs/edit