| Q |
What
professional development opportunities are available online? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online is
a networked learning community that focuses on coaching and mentoring.
Some of the professional development opportunities available include
action research, literature review, curriculum development, collaborative
planning, finding best practices and coaching from their mentor
and others in the community. Mentors can use the online tools to
help their teachers meet their professional learning goals. Teachers
are encouraged to collaborate and support each other to help them
become better teachers.
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| Q |
Does it
address any needed technology skills development? |
| A |
Teachers create individual learning plans (ILPs)
that address their technology integration goals and the steps to
take to meet these goals. Mentors refer to the teacher’s ILP
to customize coaching. My eCoach® Online members have access
to over 200 step-by-step technology tutorials and other resources
in the eLibrary. Teachers use the online tools, tutorials, and receive
coaching support to learn new technology skills that address the
NETS Technology Standards for Teachers. Teachers can use the tutorials
with their students to increase their technology skills as addressed
in NETS for Students.
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| Q |
Is professional
development embedded in the workplace to promote practicing new skills
and collaboratively discussing experiences? |
| A |
My eCoach® is a coaching and mentoring program that promotes
building capacity and ongoing sustainable professional development
on-site, online, during the day from anywhere at anytime. Mentors
are curriculum and technology leaders of the organization. My eCoach®
coaches the mentors and provides ongoing online support. Mentors
have access to online collaborative and coaching tools and just-in-time
resources to facilitate their teachers learning new skills to improve
their teaching practice. Mentors create and manage their coaching
program in the form of feedback, coaching, and encouraging teachers
to share ideas using discussion boards, chat, reflective journals,
an internal messaging system, and other communication tools. Files,
documents, and data can be shared, reviewed, and uploaded for all
to use.
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| Q |
Is professional
development accessible to those who need to participate? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online is accessible
at anytime from anywhere. Mentors have access to coaching, management,
and feedback tools to support their teachers. Teachers can store
resources and projects in their online locker and have access to
communication, collaboration, and curriculum tools. Administrators
can join their district team to provide feedback and receive coaching
and resources. Guest experts and student mentors can join the team
to provide feedback and support. Students can access copyright-free
resources and curriculum activities without logging in.
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| Q |
Do those
participating in professional development have access to the technology
tools they need to apply new skills immedi-ately following the training?
How will professional develop-ment plans be coordinated with purchasing
plans to facilitate access? |
| A |
Teachers and mentors receive a login to My eCoach®
Online at the initial face-to-face training and throughout the implementation
of the program. Teachers immediately apply their learning of new
skills by using My eCoach® Online’s tools to develop standards-based
activities that integrate technology into the curriculum and are
able to publish on the web for students to use immediately.
My eCoach® provides district representatives free accounts with
a walk-through to determine if the online program is appropriate
for their professional development needs. Plans to purchase memberships
and training can be coordinated to fit the district’s timeline
and budget. My eCoach® can provide coaching on other resources
if they meet the goals of the program.
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| Q |
Is timely
support available as teachers and administrators try to implement
new skills? |
| A |
The My eCoach® staff and technical team provides
just-in-time support for mentors through online coaching tools,
comments, feedback forms, an internal message system, phone, and
e-mail. Each page offers a Help screen. Tips and Hints are included
with all the features. Tutorials, checklists, and worksheets about
the curriculum builders are available in the eLibrary. Teachers
and administrators work with the mentors for support first since
they received coaching on the features.
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| Q |
For each
grade level and each content area, how can technology be used to help
students meet or exceed grade-level standards? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online has a large collection of resources, lessons,
projects, and activities aligned to national, state, and local grade-level
content standards. Teachers use curriculum builders to create and
submit grade-level activities to the eLibrary for their students and
others to use. Technology integration is encouraged as part of the
coaching program. Benchmark activities aligned to specific content
standards and state-adopted textbooks are being added to the resource
library. Each benchmark includes links to websites, handouts, templates,
graphic organizers, and other relevant resources.
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| Q |
How
can technology be used to extend the school day for students and to
make learning resources available during after-school hours? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online has a public
and community eLibrary with over 10,000 resources and projects.
All resources are copyright-free and are contributed by members
of the community and partners. Activities are accessible to students
on the Internet without logging in and can download files and access
links. Members can login before, during, and after-school. After-school
programs can use any of the resources and projects.
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| Q |
How will
the school district know whether implementation of this plan has made
a positive impact on teaching and learning? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online provides tools for teachers
to create ePortfolios that share their reflections on what worked,
what did not work, how they modified their teaching practice, examples
of projects, artifacts of technology use and integration, samples
of student work, and compiled student data and other evidence of
how the program impacted teaching and learning. Completed and implemented
projects can be shared in the eLibrary searchable by grade, subject,
theme, or standard. Evaluation is ongoing within all programs to
monitor progress and make changes as needed.
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| Q |
Does
the professional development program help teachers use technology
to increase their own subject matter knowledge and/or advance their
own professional learning? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online focuses on standards-based curriculum
and uses technology to facilitate increasing knowledge of the subject
being studied and improving teaching practice. Because of the coaching,
communication, and collaboration tools, teachers, mentors, and students
can provide support for each other. Research, pedagogy, and best
practices are included within curriculum builders and the eLibrary.
Mentors can develop pedagogically sound projects to help their teachers
increase subject matter knowledge.
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| Q |
How
will the professional development program incorporate “The Design
Elements for High-Quality Professional Development”? |
| A |
My eCoach® Online was developed around the
design elements based on cumulative years of classroom and professional
development experience. Below are references to how My eCoach incorporates
the design elements. My eCoach®:
- Uses student and teacher data to drive the design and implementation
of the program.
- Facilitates the professional development planning process based
on the school site plan, reform efforts, and individual learning
needs.
- Offers teachers opportunities for professional learning that
improves teaching practice.
- Respects and encourages the leadership development of teachers
- Focuses on pedagogy and best practices while increasing content
knowledge.
- Includes the use of continuous inquiry and reflection throughout
the program.
- Encourages collaboration among members of the community, balanced
with opportunities for individual learning
- Follows adult learning principles by providing an online learning
as a respectful environment.
- Creates broad-based support for professional development through
reciprocal processes for providing information and soliciting
feedback
- Builds in accountability and evaluation of the professional
development program for monitoring and modifying any needed changes
for success.
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