Mentoring: 38 dots

  • Demonstrate samples that are relevant to the teacher/student work and connect to the curriculum
  • Pedagogical shifts: Model uses so people see how things would work
  • Model, model, MODEL!
  • Modeling the way...inspire through infusing tech into my daily work
  • Embedding technology into professional development workshops. Modeling the change we want to see
  • Models that teachers can adapt and implement
  • Team teach in school/in division
  • Sign up sheet for staff members who's knowledgeable in which tech area
  • Pair teachers in mentoring situations
  • Knowledge: find a willing mentor
  • Mentor: in school, in division, in province
  • Teachers who are paid as part of their contract to help their colleagues integrate tech into their classroom
  • I can show that learning (curriculum) does take place in student directed learning
  • Be a leader
  • Helpful hints: show by example, share what's working

Listening: 7 dots

  • Administrators need to trust teachers
  • Connect and share success stories with families, stakeholders
  • Have students share their successes/voices at PD
  • I can ignore negative people who always think nothing will work
  • Listen to the learners and support them with their journeys
  • Increase opportunities for student voice and engagement in professional learning

Teachers: 6 dots

  • Teacher accountability for Professional Development
  • Make individual shifts in thinking
  • Do what you can, tip toes or giant leaps, but do something
  • Helping teachers to see and realize the benefits of web 2.0
  • Model positive gains or benefits
  • Teachers as lead learners
  • Embrace a life long learner mentality and welcome the opportunity to learn along with students
  • Personally continue my learning journey
  • Raising the bar, expecting our professionals to be learners and made/passionate learning to their students. Share this learning on PD practices, documents
  • Professional Learning can take place 24/7

Pedagogy: 24 dots

  • Planning and administering, student centered
  • Have teachers reexamine their role as teachers but a facilitators
  • Individuals can focus on specific tools to be used more frequently rather than trying to use as many different web 2.0 tools as they can
  • Try to see the bigger picture for student learning, support this
  • Learning is not limited to the four classroom walls
  • Inquiry (asking essentials questions)
  • Empowering learners to ask questions to drive their learning
  • Streamline curriculum by combining outcomes from several disciplines into a major project
  • Multiple choice accountability is outlawed, let students show what they know
  • Classroom "management" courses are outlawed
  • More team teaching, collaboration by, for and with students
  • Be the teacher you want to be rather than the teacher "they" expect you to be. Take a risk, love the reward
  • Invite staff for discussion and planning of how to move forward, ownership of ideas, sharing of leadership
  • In high school allow students to have choice in how they demonstrate their understanding looser control

Funding: 11 dots

  • Students with high needs or behavior problems have support with TA's
  • Every student has a tablet
  • Find a way to increase tech access, fundraise to provide tablets/laptops for each class
  • Each school has a tech specialist to problem solve
  • Funding for education includes more teacher time for PLCs
  • As a socialist province, run by NDP, all schools have all resources needed
  • School community council, capitol project money
  • Budget: Allow students to use own devices
  • Extra tech pieces so if kids don't have them/can't afford them they can participate
  • Provincial standards align with the "change"
  • Invest in education. Make education a funding priority and change the end users (businesses) for the costs through higher corporate taxes

Infrastructure: 13 dots

  • Experiment with change
  • Access
  • Open networks
  • Encourage student owned devices in the classroom
  • Pods of computers in the classroom (more accessible)
  • Let teachers each only what they are passionate about, not what fits their schedules
  • Each school has 1 focus on technology for a year
  • There is a need to remove standardized testing so teacher can teach rather than teach to a test
  • As an individual you will need to work within the system to make the changes that are needed
  • Experiment options, less boxes
  • Need to have technology that works, that won't frustrate teachers
  • Recognize learning resources are not equal. Meet individual needs not establish a common denominator
  • Larger classrooms so group work collaboration has elbow room
  • Computer Pods in each class, students bring in and use own devices

Parents: 0 dots

  • Parent education

Students: 15 dots

  • Off task: Set/explain/discuss expectations for tech. Use and follow up with them. Give examples of what's acceptable and what's not
  • Start in Kindergarten and Grade 1 to give ownership of learning to their/our students
  • Trust students to own learning aware that differentiation means some can be more autonomous than others
  • Somehow the process of change needs to include students with a voice greater than the classroom (school, divisionally, provincially)
  • Hear voices of students, how engaged are they? Do they enjoy learning at school? What would they like to experience?
  • What's working now? Giving students the flexibility to choose the type of web 2.0 tool to complete an assignment with
  • Teachers release control... students accept responsibility
  • Turn learning back to students
  • Take the plunge, give kids the curriculum and let them unpack: peer to peer, really life learning, less emphasis on standardized testing. Act as a facilitator

PLNs: 9 dots

  • Find like minded individuals to learn from, get support from and to share with
  • Cultivate a network whose goal is to eliminate barriers, one at a time
  • A learning network is not something that can be created artificially. It must grow organically and in an ad hoc fashion
  • Focusing on one aspect to change at a time
  • Continue to grow a PLN, invite others to join one
  • Administrators should be blogging and using Twitter with their staff. If they do not model what we need teachers to do they will not use those tools

Sharing: 27 dots

  • Modeling examples of teachers who do teach this way
  • Bring all stakeholders to the table when we talk about the new future
  • Break down teacher isolation
  • Individuals need to be accessible to administrators, time for sharing, learning to improve instructional practices aimed at improving student learning
  • Be open, authentic, transparent
  • Share, share, SHARE!
  • Sharing not only success stories but also struggles and challenges
  • Encourage discussion about these topics; staff meetings, chats, twitter, google docs
  • Present technology in such a way as to not increase load of teachers
  • Let the high flyers fly but share their learning with others
  • Make a team to work with another
  • Lunch meetings
  • Try to build capacity within teachers. Everyone share activities that are working well in class. May not directly correlate but others can apply it
  • Tech tuesdays
  • Transparency with learning to colleagues and students
  • Admin to encourage sharing at staff meetings. Share and model what's happening in classrooms. The "transparent" classroom
  • Demonstrate benefits to teaching and assessing
  • Sharing of vision and need for change with all staff
  • Always sharing with administrators what you are doing
  • Generate wants from teachers and then address

Restructuring: 39 dots

  • Compartments, open up the timetable. Teachers that teach more than a "subject" can then be flexible with time. Have "open" periods where kids go where they need/want to
  • Revamp PATs so tests written marked and interpreted in school
  • Removal of diploma/department exams
  • Structuring our spaces in new ways to promote collaboration in classrooms
  • Different school days/model
  • More flexible and fluent structures (i.e. how time and space are organized)
  • Reconfigure timetable of the school day
  • Rethink timetables
  • Even playing field for resources and opportunities
  • Compartmentalization: Teach in multidisciplinary teams, taking time to work on all academic skills to process in project based learning
  • Combine classes. Ex: Social with a computer class so there is access to technology and the ability for kids to have tech opportunities with core courses
  • When teachers are hesitant to be explorative with engagement strategies because of the pressure that they feel for diploma exam results. Rotate subject area teachers through 10, 20 and 30 level courses, with the idea that teachers would be more explorative with their 10 and 20 courses
  • A curriculum that supports a balanced learning approach to; reflect passion, reflect societal values, encourage skills as well as knowledge
  • Focus on competencies and purpose
  • Curriculum change! Integrated students directed learning
  • Curriculum that integrates disciplines
  • Overcome time barrier: more flexible curriculum

Support: 49 dots

Determine where everyone is at (so we know how/what to support)
People need to get own goals (may need support/coaching)
Coach/model/peer teaching/peer coaching/collaboration
Try new things, allow for risk taking and provide feedback for improvement. Create a culture of risk taking individuals
Allow time for reflection (with peers, grade team, admin) Did I achieve this goal?
  • Support of change (PD, coaching etc)
  • Have admin and divisional support for trying new things and taking a risk
  • My division is led by and includes many teachers and administers willing to support challenges that our staff and students meet
  • Support to take risks and use technology
  • What is working now? For me I have the support encouragement and guidance to take risks and learn along the way
  • Extend a helping hand to those who are scared to take a risk
  • Risk taking, give positive feedback along the way. Stop worrying about the PAT test! Use a coaching model, support
  • If you encourage riskers give them the "time" to be creative. Plates are full!
  • Support for change
  • Using the knowledge in the classrooms/school (students, colleagues)
  • Modeling with teachers with their students in their classrooms how changes can be made, it is possible
  • Understanding that small steps toward change are ok (it doesn't all have to be big)
  • Coaching, coaching, coaching
  • Coaching from Trev.
  • Administrators need to be technologically aware. if they are not knowledgeable they will not support you monetarily or in the classroom
  • We (our students and teachers) have tremendous access to open technology
  • $
  • Guest (sub) teachers, preps, have them relieve other teachers. Hire a sub to provide work time. Piggyback on AISI
  • Be creative with prep time/coverage to allow collaboration

Professional Development: 42 dots

  • Teachers need PD that will allow development time embedded for creation rather than focusing on tools
  • Administration mandating time to be spend on PD
  • Find innovative ways to "work the system" and still ensure students have enough of the right credits to graduate
  • Provide PD time for teachers to enhance their skills (i.e. embedding web 2.0 tools into SLO's and pedagogy)
  • Frequent, short PD for teachers
  • Online PD so teachers can learn anytime, anyplace, anywhere
  • Common PD to align language teaching practice while honoring teacher creativity
  • Set general expectations for teachers that guide them towards critical thinking activities and web 2.0 tools. "Choose 1/5 of these to implement in your class this month"
  • Meaningful PDs
  • Stop with "TPGP" and frame them as PD plans. Have teacher's formalize where they want their teaching to go and then support that!
  • PD create opportunities for teachers to delve deep into projects without setting parameters
  • Teachers take back PD (responsibility for their own)
  • Get together to do "stuff" Exploration time
  • Built in time to develop PLN
  • PD shift to PLC and onsite, in school sharing and collaboration (may replace traditional go to convention type workshops in PD
  • Set up PLCs within the school so teachers can push each other to achieve a specific goal -need accountability, expectations, motivations, passion based learning.
  • Can we/We can: Have a division wide "PLP like" experience for teachers who want to build a meaningful PLN. Open for whoever want to be involved
  • Teachers need guided/modeled instruction
  • Opportunity for PD, for observation, for modeling, for collaboration
  • Work with other teachers of other subjects in the school
  • Isolation in K-12. Partner with other like minded people in order to generate ideas/create activities
  • Build collaborative planning time into school day by combining classes for PE, art
  • Exemplar of student learning and progress projects
  • Require more teachers to present at division based PD or school based PD rotate through a staff for instance, and have teachers present in groups. This would encourage research. This would encourage research, exploration and create a culture of sharing
  • Brown bag lunches with colleagues for "fun non threatening PD"
  • Work with those teachers who don't see the need for change to see the reality of what the change brings
  • Forced retirement: timely, goal oriented PD (20th century)
  • Pushing envelope with teachers, no excuses
  • When teachers resist exploration and get stuck teaching the same way year after year
  • I can: Entice/invite/encourage one or two teachers to work with me next year to learn more about 21st century learning PBL, student centered learning, inspired web 2.0 etc
  • What's working now? We have 11-12 teachers in our division who have embarked on this paradigm shift (@ PLP) We can lead others, maybe more can get involved next year?
  • Required professional development and growth expectations
  • Continue to provide evidence to higher ups
  • Teachers should be required to attend and document yearly PD to maintain their certification "They choose the PD"

Time: 22 dots

Prioritize, what impacts teaching and learning focus? Reduce others.
Opportunity, created opportunities for meaningful professional collaboration within a flexible, self-motivated framework
Incorporate reflection as part of teachers' practice
Experimentation is an essential condition for innovation
  • Balance
  • Ability to make mistakes
  • As teachers we have pressures of time and location that often prevent innovation
  • Give staff time to implement changes
  • Sandbox time for kids and teachers
  • Allow opportunities time to experiment and play
  • Set a personal goal of a set amount of time each week to set aside for technology so "I don't have time" can't be an excuse
  • More release time
  • What actions can be put into place to overcome the barriers mentioned? More needs to be embedded within the working day for using technology
  • Time built into timetable to focus on technology
  • Teachers willing to learn and implement new techniques or strategies should be awarded time to practice
  • Additional teachers in the school to give everyone more and less teaching time. Make the PD component of prep time a performance expectation
  • Provide teachers with more planning time to research/practice/learn how to use/incorporate/embrace 21K tools/learning
  • Reduce school day by 1 hour to provide planning time. 4 day week, 1 day to plan
  • Give time for teachers for collaboration and meaningful professional development
  • Collaboration
  • Time to talk at staff meetings
  • Time to reflect and the ability to make more mistakes
  • Reflecting
  • Collaboration/Reflection time (built into schedule)
  • Choose 1 direction at a time (otherwise overwhelming)
  • I can put learning before the time line or fear of failure
  • Take something else off your plate. E.g. Cursive handwriting, we can't keep adding without letting some things go!
  • Time: more
  • Time: Prioritize
  • More time for specific learning goals of teacher

Collaboration: 32 dots

Encourage and look for opportunites to visit each others' classrooms in an informal, collegial manner.
Meeting outside of 9-3 (don't have to plan for a sub)
Use sub teachers if there is prep time available
Common prep days/AISI/Focused PD. Can we use convention differently?
"Time to play"- Present new into in a.m. and then use the p.m. to work with the new into/tools
Get admin involved/visible-make them apart of it!
  • Admin is completely supportive of shift
  • I would suggest that students be encouraged to blog more with other schools and teachers should be encouraged to voicethreat or screencast (etc) with other teachers with lessons, experiments, projects, etc
  • Creation of school collaborations so whole staff one together making changes
  • More division collaboration time
  • Create a network of teachers working together (researching, collecting data)
  • Share/collect ideas that work for others to meet the outcomes while still keeping it real
  • A PLC group that is focused on a goal and working together to achieve it
  • Connecting and collaborating with colleagues
  • Connecting with other educators either as teachers or instructional leaders. We are not alone
  • What can individuals do? Share collaborate and invite colleagues into classrooms
  • Provide the environment to collaborate and connect
  • Co-create learning projects
  • Offer collaboration immediately after or before school
  • Collaboration time
  • Show and tell for teachers
  • During tech time have the tech leader meet one on one with teachers to brainstorm ideas for more "21st century learning" projects
  • Teachers are motivating self directed, keep encouraging others
  • Collaborating with each other. There is a wealth of untapped knowledge in our system, province, online community
  • Encourage those interested to propose how they will do this, then give them extra planning time to implement. Ask that they share experience with staff. Rotate this opportunity