Week 4: Mentoring Plan

Introduction: I'll be mentoring a colleague in my building, who I'll call Carol.  She has been a teacher in the building for 8 years, and is interested in integrating technology into her classroom.  Over the past 5 years, she has participated in several workshops I have given about using blogs and wikis.  Although she had not set one up, the trainings gradually gave her an understanding of what she could do with these platforms.  This past summer, I taught a week-long class to teachers in our district as well as those in Delta-Greely about using Web 2.0 applications. Again, I trotted out my old standards, wikis and blogs (with the newer addition of websites).  This time, Carol stayed in an extra work session with me for the afternoon - she wanted to set up a blog, and she was sure that this time, she could do it. By the end of the day, she had set up a blog, and had listed several ideas for content she wanted to add to it immediately (gadgets), and who her audience would be (students and parents).  She visited me for several tutorials over the next 2 weeks, and by the end of the first week of school, she had her blog up and linked on the school site.  Publishing and maintaining this blog so far has given her a tremendous amount of confidence.

Timeline and Plan: I'll be working with Carol's students (elementary aged) once a week this year, and will also be spending time with Carol in some PLC sessions weekly to collaborate with her about ways she can take what I am teaching her kids each week, and integrate that into her content in her classroom so they can apply it there. This should give her added confidence, as she is not solely responsible for teaching the technology specifically.

Data Collection: Each week when I meet with Carol, I'll be using a collaboration form I have used with teachers I have mentored in the past.  It's called a Collaborative Assessment Log.  It is a form that aides our conversation with each other each week.  Usually I base these on the Alaska Teacher Standards, and the teacher selects one or two standards they would like to focus on as a basis for our conversations and ongoing plans.  However, for technology integration, I'll keep the teaching standards on hand, but will be basing our discussion on the ISTE Nets. Carol and I will begin by discussing those a little bit, then she'll decide which one she'd like to focus on in her classroom.  Then we'll go through the discussion log by talking about what she is doing right now that is working (in terms of instructional strategies, classroom management, etc). We will then turn the conversation to her current challenges - this will be focused on technology, and might include things she is worried about, such as classroom management, lack of technical expertise, lack of working equipment, etc. At this point we turn the conversation to what her next steps will be.  I can give her suggestions about how to work some of the tools her kids learn with me into her lesson plans, and she can agree to try one, or she might need to get some working equipment in place, such as a video camera.  To wrap up the conversation, I'll tell her a few things that I'll be able to do to support her - such as finding a piece of equipment, giving her a quick tutorial on something, or finding her a resource that will support her. The following week when we meet, we'll begin the conversation the same way, except when we talk about what's working, I'll have our Collaborative Assessment Log from the prior week. Our weekly conversations then become a cycle focused specifically on trying something new, reflecting on and celebrating success, addressing barriers, making plans, and making sure she has the support she needs. The Collaborative Assessment Logs will be my data.

Resources:
Hertz, M. B. (2011, November 14). Mentoring and Coaching for Effective Tech Integration | Edutopia. Edutopia | K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work. Retrieved February 13, 2012, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/mentoring-coaching-tech-integration-mary-beth-hertz

Kacer, L. (2012, May 10). ASCD Express 7.16 - Retaining Beginning Teachers Is a Matter of Principal. Membership, policy, and professional development for educators - ASCD. Retrieved May 16, 2012, from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol7/716-kacer.aspx

Highly Effective Teachers . (n.d.). New Teacher Center. Retrieved September 27, 2013, from http://www.newteachercenter.org/services/fas/effective-teachers