I have been a Digital Leader for the past year at school. When COVID19 started, I was immediately assigned the task of preparing my school for digital learning. I am the Network Administrator for my school but I have never had any training in preparing teachers for online learning. I was happy to grasp the opportunity to become a Digital Education Leader back then. I am familiar with buying products online and using social media. In the past, I had registered my school for the GSUITE. This gave me a head start into venturing to the digital era. Hence, I am already familiar with the G Suite. I have a good knowledge of IT. However, how do I transmit this information to the other teachers and to my students. I am certainly hoping to receive more training. Seeing that this opportunity is on the horizon with the C-Delta training, I decided to give it a try.
Having now receive training to become a DEL, I will commit to work on the following:
1. Discuss with the administration of my school of the importance of having a good WI-FI in school. When teachers have a good wireless system, teachers can perform. We definitely need to setup a budget to accommodate for these changes.
2. Work with the administration of my school to organized a workshop to train our teachers. In this workshop, have our teachers learned about the different tools available that are very effective in delivering lessons. The purpose is to make the workshop very interactive by having teachers accessing the tools as they are being taught.
3. Plan a workshop, involving parents and students. On many occasions, teachers are trained, but our students are neglected. Our students need to be guided into using these tools effectively. This workshop will allow students to understand how the tools work and how they can use them properly. At the same time, students will be provided with the established rules (netiquette) of the institution. Students need to understand the impact they can have while being online. Many students do not understand that they are leaving behind digital footprints and that this footprint is easily accessible to the outside world.
4. It is very important to continue learning. The best way to learn is to setup a network of people who are knowledgeable in the area. I would definitely consider setting a Facebook group where other teachers can post and share ideas that are working with them. For example, whilst doing this workshop, I became familiar with Menti. Similarly, a network of Belizean teachers will definitely allow me to become acquainted of what others are using and how effective it is.
I would want to train our teachers and students by January of next year. I can have both workshops simultaneously but on different dates for both groups. Since our institution has a population of about 600 students, I can divide into groups of 100 students and have 2 sessions per day via Zoom. The goal is to have the training for at least two weeks. If I see it necessary for more training, during the two weeks I will determine based on the input of the students if that is necessary. The training of teachers will be for a month. More time is required for teachers as they will need to understand the tools and be able to apply them properly. The tools that I plan to teach to teachers are Zoom, Menti and Google Jamboard.
Change is good. Especially when it involves using technology properly. Our teachers and students can be impacted with the right online tools. However, guidance and training are required. If students and teachers learn how to use the tools effectively, then learning can happen. Once learning happens, we can change our community.