My mom is a retired educator. I started my journey in professional learning about the same time she was retiring. As I told her about new devices and software, applications, and websites, she said, "I think I retired at the right time. I wouldn't know what to do with all of that!"
Now, Mom has her desktop, her tablet, and her iPhone. She follows her favorite YouTubers and has online shopping down to T. Social use of digital resources vs. professional use looks very different, though. This one conversation with my mother has completely framed the way I hope to serve teachers.
If Mom were still teaching and a consultant/trainer came to support a digital initiative, or otherwise, I would want that person to understand the differentiated needs of the audience. A college degree and teaching certification does not automatically equal someone that is digitally literate, regardless of age or experience. I would want that person to meet my mom where she is and provide the scaffolded support to make everyone feel supported and successful. In my initiative, this will mean ongoing support. Not every teacher will need the same level of support, but for those who do, we'll be there.
Fortunately, I work with a team of Professional Learning professionals that also were previous educators. We know that new initiatives can be exciting and nervewracking. Teachers can get frustrated with the learning curve and just like students, may shut down if the going gets too tough. This video will give some insite into how we work and how I'd like our school partners to view what we do on the Waterford.org Professional Learning team.
Speaking of frustrating... allow me to speak a bit on the making of this media. I originally planned on recording in Zoom. Then, I remembered our professor sharing that Google Slides might have a new recording feature. I changed my PPT to a Google Slide dec, only to learn I don't have the recording option.
In a previous class, I utilized CapCut for a video and liked the outcome. I was tempted to turn to what I knew, but then a Vimeo add popped up. It did it's job and here I am, waiting for my 3 minute Vimeo embedded video to load.
After waiting way too long for the upload, I realized my new Vimeo account may not have a sufficient access level and I was correct. I'm now in a "free" 7-day trial of Vimeo Pro, but my video loaded immediately, so I may just have to keep it for future projects. (Just to be safe, I have set an alarm to cancel within the week.)
While a big frustrating, I may have just discovered my new favorite tool! Possible subscription charges aside, it was worth the hassle to be reminded of the frustration some teachers may feel when new initiatives come their way. How nice it would have been to have someone, not a chat box or help button, to lean on. I hope to be that someone for the educators I serve.
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