Custom PD for Districts and Schools

Resilient pedagogy combines course design principles with teaching strategies to withstand sudden changes to learning environments whether due to snow days, emergencies, or global pandemics. While remote instruction may not be the desired choice for teaching and learning, it can be implemented successfully to reach all learners including those who do not thrive in traditional settings. When programs are designed for remote learning, educators can use in-person instruction to reinforce strategies or checks for understanding. Keeping these design principles in mind, educators can create an academic program that can withstand the absence of a brick and mortar classroom.

This academy will prepare participants to develop a plan of action to be leaders in data privacy at their districts. Participants will develop an understanding of current state and federal student data privacy legislation, how to assess current data privacy policies and practices, examine relationships with third-party technology providers, support and empower district employees, and communicate with stakeholders how student data privacy is being protected. Throughout the sessions, participants will review best practices in student data privacy from state and national organizations supporting student data privacy. Participants can feel confident drafting policies and procedures for their districts after reviewing sample and exemplar policy and procedure examples provided throughout the session. Upon completing the academy, participants will have an action plan to help guide their work to improve student data privacy in their districts.

In this course, leaders will learn about the history and current state of digital citizenship education. Leaders will then critically evaluate the explicit, implicit, and null curriculum around digital citizenship in their schools. Throughout the course, participants will dive deep into each of the six competencies of a digital citizen by growing in their own competency knowledge, examining resources to bring into their schools, and considering how each competency can be further supported. Leaders will finish the course by developing an action plan to improve digital citizenship education that addresses immediate, short-term, and long-term goals.

By leveraging social media, educational leaders can connect with experts across their communities and the world to expand their perspectives, build relationships, and create opportunities for student learning. Face-to-face networks provide leaders with opportunities to engage local peers in deeper conversations about the educational landscape. Understanding the social media landscape will also equip leaders to help professional staff as they integrate these powerful tools in their instruction. This course will provide the knowledge and skills required to become connected leaders by focusing on multiple social media platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) and productive face-to-face networking opportunities (EdCamps, PLNs, etc.) to help them leverage the power of social networks for professional learning and community engagement.

Technology coaches help ensure high-quality, ongoing, job-embedded professional learning for educators, and a strong partnership between technology coaches and principals is critical to ensuring coaching success. The principal-coach partnership depends on a common, forward-thinking vision for technology and instruction; a culture of collaboration, innovation, capacity building, and empowerment; clear definitions, roles, and responsibilities; shared ownership and accountability for professional growth; and meaningful planning, policies, and implementation. This six-week online session will explore these topics and provide specific strategies to create and/or strengthen the technology coach/principal partnership, and ultimately, the coaching program. Three times during the course, participants will meet in a 60-minute synchronous video conference. Weekly, they will complete required reading(s); and post and respond to a weekly “slow chat Tweet” based on a guiding question. The course is designed to be a joint learning experience between the principal and technology coach(es), but it can be taken by the administrator or coach alone.

Future Ready administrators are the foundation of a successful Future Ready Schools and are critical to sustainable growth in student outcomes. For personalized learning to thrive, administrators must create a culture of innovation that brings together students, teachers, other administrators, parents, and the community to share a vision for an improved learning experience. The Future Ready Framework is a research-based planning tool for digital learning, visioning, planning, and implementation focused on personalized student learning.

Personalized and Digital Learning: Systems for Transformation will prepare district leaders to plan and implement personalized learning in their schools. Participants will be guided through a planning process to produce a road map for transforming schools. Key questions that will be addressed include: What supports do teachers need to transition to personalized learning? What systems need to be in place for a successful personalized learning transition? How do I plan for sustainability of personalized learning initiatives? These questions and more will be explored through online resources, on and offline activities, online and face-to-face discussions, group activities, presentations, multimedia explorations, and hands-on experience with technology tools used in personalizing learning. Throughout the day, participants will be working on a Personalized and Digital Learning Road Map which will serve as a final product and help participants plan and implement the transition to personalized learning in their schools.

Districts that have success with technology integration have done so through planning and alignment to district goals. To ensure consistency and equity throughout classrooms it is important to implement a technology framework that aligns with district goals and allows teachers to integrate technology at the stage they are most comfortable at. This academy introduces participants to several research-based frameworks that are used with technology integration: SAMR, TPACK, Triple E Framework, and the Four Shifts. Participants will examine and assess each framework to determine which aligns with their district’s vision and mission. Participants will be asked to confer with stakeholders to determine if a technology framework is needed and if so create a timeline for implementation which includes how staff will be trained in the framework adopted by the district. Participants should obtain access to their district School Improvement Plan prior to beginning the online academy.

This course is designed to help administrators understand common cybersecurity threats and appropriate responses. This course will also provide foundational best practices to secure student data. Through this course, you will develop a collection of cybersecurity resources and policies for your school or district. This course was created in partnership by Ed Leaders Network, Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology, Illinois Principals Association, and the Learning Technology Center.