Recently, I had the opportunity to participate as a professional learning facilitator at a districtwide all day educational technology themed event. The district has had student devices for a couple of years. Leadership verbally supports pedagogically sound methods of student technology use in the classroom. District and site administration message the importance of integration of tech in a way that empowers students to engage with content and demonstrate understanding in creative ways.

Positive Intentions: Are They Enough?

I had been to the district for a similar purpose once before. At that time, I spoke with administrators eager to build the capacity of their teachers. These leaders sought to ensure that technology would be used effectively, to fuel student learning. I was impressed by the goals of these leaders and their positive intentions.

In my most recent visit to this district, I noticed a definite digital use divide. Educators had already attended three full days of educational technology choice-based learning opportunities over the past couple of years. A few educators had taken this learning and applied it to the classroom quickly. Students in these classrooms utilize technology to take part in digital conversations (both written and verbal), create videos to demonstrate learning, and both access and curate digital content.

Unfortunately, the majority of the teachers had not yet applied the professional learning from the previous professional learning days to their classrooms. Because the learning had not been used, it had been forgotten. In these classrooms, chromebooks collected dust in carts. This is not to say that these teachers were ineffective at designing learning experiences for their students. I am certain that these educators’ students benefited from their teaching. However, student learning experiences were not equitable in contrast to those in the classrooms in which educators had leveraged technology. The divide resulted in a group of students who lacked equal access. While technology is not the most vital component of quality education, it is a powerful tool that can transform the student experience. It can expose students to the outside world, connect them with peers from across the globe, and spark creativity. Technology fosters resourcefulness and critical thinking, as students must evaluate the credibility of sources.

District and site leadership had rolled out technology with positive intentions. They focused on technology integration led by learning and communicated a vision for empowered students. Full day professional learning sessions had been designed for teachers, complete with choice and autonomy. All of these actions demonstrate a commitment to building support and capacity of stakeholders to make vision a reality. Why then was the digital use divide so pronounced?

Job-Embedded Coaching: The Missing Link

Educators, like students, need time to engage in new learning, opportunities for application. Imagine a football team: a coach can guide players in studying a playbook, watching film, and practicing plays. But if the team does not ever play a game, have they mastered the skills? Would we consider the team proficient? It is one thing to watch technology modeled in a professional learning session, to follow along, and to even create lessons to implement in the classroom. It is quite another to utilize these strategies in the “game”, in front of students. Instructional coaches can support those they serve by being present during the “game” with teachers. By embedding support within the context of classrooms, coaches provide educators with a “lifeline”, if you will. Educators that are taking a risk, implementing technology they have used only a couple of times outside of the classroom, often fear they will be lost if they forget a step, if there is a technological glitch, if they are unable to answer students’ specific questions. A coach on the side gives these educators confidence to take a risk. Coaching bridges the digital use divide. It takes educators from professional learning to implementation. And students themselves are those who benefit the most.

What does job-embedded coaching look like? The following blogpost provides guidance on how to conduct job-embedded coaching that works: https://www.wonderexplorelearn.com/position-yourself-to-personalize-support/ More blogposts regarding coaching: https://www.wonderexplorelearn.com/category/coaching/