GOOGLE CERTIFIED INNOVATOR PROJECT

At the Google Teacher Academy in Mountain View, California, July 30-31, 2014, new Google Certified Innovators were taught about Moonshot Thinking and "Solving for X". The idea is to identify a "huge problem", a problem of practice that extends beyond just own our classrooms, buildings, or even districts. The next step is to propose a "radical solution" and to use "breakthrough technology" to help solve the problem.

As both EdTech Coach and Educator Effectiveness Coach in the Pewaukee School District (Pewaukee, Wisconsin) where the The Danielson Framework for Teaching is used to evaluate educators, I will focus on how technology can help teachers with Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities (the four domains of the Danielson Framework).

“THE HUGE PROBLEM”: Teachers often view technology integration and professional development as “just another thing” that they have to do rather than recognizing how effective use of technology will not only improve student performance and engagement, but also their own teaching practice, i.e. “educator effectiveness.” The State of Wisconsin’s Educator Effectiveness system uses “a performance-based evaluation that leads to improved student learning by supporting the continuous improvement of educator practice.” Districts implement the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System “to ensure that educators receive quality data to identify and inform individual areas of: 1) strength; 2) needed improvement; and 3) ongoing support for professional growth” (http://ee.dpi.wi.gov/). The challenge is to help teachers recognize that educational technology is not a separate event, but rather an embedded practice that will assist them in becoming more effective educators.

“THE RADICAL SOLUTION”: I will combine my two roles of EdTech Coach and Educator Effectiveness Coach to provide tools and examples for teachers to use as they seek to improve their professional practice (as scored by the Danielson Framework For Teachers). I will begin my project by aligning the components of the Danielson Framework with the ISTE Standards for Teachers. I will then provide technology tools (including Google Apps for Education) and examples of how those tools may be used to improve a teacher’s effectiveness in each of the four domains and subcomponents.

I have already shared my ideas and preliminary alignment of the Danielson Framework with the ISTE standards with the Danielson Group and with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. After I have done the planning and organization of the project, I hope to create a repository of artifacts for Wisconsin educators (as well as those in other regions who use the Danielson Framework) to contribute to and reference as they seek to improve their educator effectiveness.

“THE BREAK THOUGH TECHNOLOGY":

• Google Tools:

  • Apps for Education (Docs, Sheets, Forms, Sites, Presentations, etc.)

  • Social Media (Blogger, Google+, G+ Communities, Google Groups)

  • Google Hangouts and Hangouts-on-Air

• Other social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.)

• More tools to be determined

Intended Timeline: 2014-2015 school year and beyond

Intended audience, estimated numbers: Teachers and Administrators (starting in the Pewaukee School District - approximately 200; hopefully extending throughout Wisconsin and beyond)

Evidence of success, intended results: A website that aligns the ISTE Standards for Teachers with the Danielson Framework for Teaching and provides technology tools and sample artifacts that model use of technology to improve educator effectiveness ratings.