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In 2013, I was hired to teach computer science (CS) and video game design to students in grades K-5 at Monte Sano Elementary School in Huntsville, Ala. It was my first full-time teaching job. A year earlier, I had graduated with a teaching degree in elementary education. Though I was technology savvy, none of my classwork or student teaching prepared me for this. I wasn't trained to teach computer science, how was I supposed to make this work?

At the time, my district didn't offer any professional development (PD) opportunities to prepare educators without a computer science background to teach CS in their classes. I started exploring online resources like Code.org and Tynker, but even those offered limited support at the time.

Five other technology teachers from my district and I were committed to designing a computer science program for elementary students, but we didn't have a clear pathway to get there. After months of research and visiting other schools in the Pittsburgh area that were doing similar work, we created a robust elementary computer science program in which all students had a dedicated 30-45 minute period of time each week to learn about computer science, video game design, robotics, animation and more, but our path forward wasn't without challenges. Along the way, we learned a lot about how to teach coding skills and what types of professional development opportunities effectively supported our efforts.

In 2018, the Alabama State Department of Education announced that it would be creating digital literacy standards with the goal of every student learning computer science. This sounded like a great plan, but how were teachers going to be trained to implement these standards? Fortunately, a few of my colleagues and I had developed expertise in incorporating CS into our curriculum, but what would the other teachers in our state do?

The reality was that although technology had evolved rapidly since 2013, professional development offerings for computer science teachers-especially at the elementary level-hadn't changed much.

I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of technology support and PD opportunities in our district. We were expected to teach something that many of us had no experience in and by the way-to create personalized experiences for students. But no one was providing professional learning opportunities for us, and any attempt at training certainly wasn't personalized.

I decided I was well-positioned to help make a change. I wanted to create a hands-on lab for teachers that focused on STEM and computer science and that provided opportunities for teachers to learn how to use new tech tools in meaningful ways with their students. I wanted to change PD in our district, but I couldn't do it alone and I knew that in order to gain support, I needed evidence to prove this was a critical need-and the evidence needed to come from teachers.

Surveying Teachers and Sparking Interest

In January 2018, I launched a survey about professional development on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and the response was overwhelming. To date, close to 3,000 educators have taken the survey.

I asked simple questions like: "When you leave PD, how excited are you to return to the classroom and implement what you just learned?" and "Would a lack of professional development offered by your district be a factor on returning next school year?" The responses were jarring. Many teachers shared that they had left their district because of a lack of PD opportunities. Over 300 teachers wrote individual comments on the survey about leaving their district to move to another one that was promoting professional growth, and those were just the teachers who were willing to share. And 94 percent of the teachers who responded, were in agreement that PD needs to be interactive, personalized, innovative, exciting and not just "sit and get."

The comment section on the survey, and the stories I read from teachers who were also frustrated about professional development spurred me to continue this work.

Over the summer, I took a new position as an instructional technology coach for Decatur City Schools. Though I changed districts, I still wanted to build the lab. I shared the idea with Emily Elam, Decatur's technology coordinator, and she was very supportive. We decided to invest in teachers and make this happen.

In Fall 2019, for the first time, Decatur City Schools was rolling out 1:1 Chromebook initiative for grades 4-12, so having an effective professional development plan was a necessity. Thus, the Spark Lab-named after Figment, Disney's mascot of imagination who sings the lyrics, "One little spark of inspiration, is at the heart of all creation," was born.

The lab has two goals: to provide personalized PD and to offer teachers a space to play, create and explore many of the tools they're expected to use with students.

Teachers exploring and learning at the Spark Lab, Image Credit: Faith Plunkett

Dr. Michael Douglas, superintendent of Decatur City Schools, and Elam, were both extremely supportive and helped fund the project. We found space in a middle school that was being converted into an elementary school, bought new furniture, lighting and shelving. I reached out to several vendors including zSpace, Osmos and Bee-Bots to ask for donations of products that would be useful for our teachers and received over $5,000 in donated materials.

In addition, our school system was awarded with a $27,000 grant from the Decatur City Schools Foundation supported by Rep. Terri Collins. With this grant, we were able to purchase additional materials and create a lending library of STEM tools that all teachers in the district can check out and use in their classrooms. I hand-deliver these tools to the teachers and coach them on how to make the most of the most instructional impact in their classroom. We recently found out we were awarded with an additional $15,000 from the Daniel Foundation to expand our lending library and provide virtual and augmented reality experiences for our students.

If You Build It-Will They Come?

Getting teachers to fill out a survey is one thing, but bringing them into a physical space is a whole other thing. Elam and I considered how we could intentionally build flexibility into the lab. Some teachers might want detailed, step-by-step professional development, while others might want to learn by doing and explore tools more independently. We wanted to eliminate as many barriers as possible, and truly make this lab a build-your-own professional development experience.

We decided to start with a few offerings:

1. Weekly PD Sessions: There are several PD opportunities each week such as book studies, one-hour sessions, half-day sessions on coding concepts or specific tools such as Makey Makey and Seesaw.

2. Full Faculty Activities: Some schools opt to bring their entire faculty to the lab for a full day of PD. Sometimes they lead this work and other times I run whole-group activities like a Breakout EDU game where teachers learn to use different STEM materials and practice innovative teaching strategies.

3. Open Playground: Teachers can come on their own to explore, ask about different ways they can use specific tools or get advice about how to teach specific CS or STEM-related standards.

A teacher tries out a new tool with her colleague, then with her students, Image Credit: Faith Plunkett

Technology integration doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. But without effective, hands-on PD, no matter how much time you have, it won't work.

Although Spark Lab is still pretty new, we're already seeing results and that's because our teachers are eager to learn and they're showing up. The Spark Lab has served about 350 teachers since it opened a little over four months ago. And, by exposing teachers to different technology integration possibilities, carving out time and space for them to ask questions and get advice and offering flexibility around what to learn and how to learn it, we've seen a big change in classroom instruction.

PD at the lab transfers to the classroom, Image Credit: Faith Plunkett

Dr. Douglas has noticed the change. "All systems talk about STEM, but we fail to provide our teachers with the necessary professional development," he explains. "The Spark Lab has given our teachers the ability to explore, test and practice the implementation of high quality STEM education."

Students using Bee-Bots, Image Credit: Faith Plunkett

Teachers also see the benefits. Lori Ashbaugh, an ESL teacher at Oak Park Elementary, where the Spark Lab is housed, recently shared that technology has always been an area where she felt she needed to learn and improve, and that having the Spark Lab at her school has helped her learn about new ideas and tools that she never even knew existed.

Ashbaugh has been using the Bee-Bot to support her ESL students. In grades 3-5, she uses the little robots to work on story sequencing, placing pictures from stories on the path mat and having students program the robot to follow the sequence of events in the story. With her younger learners in grades K-2, she's using the Bee-Bot to practice number and letter recognition and order, and Ashbaugh says even her Kindergarteners are able to grasp the concept of programming the robots to find the correct letters or numbers. "These students may not have language," she explains, "but they are able to pick up the technology and begin language acquisition very quickly."

The Spark Lab is a continuous work in progress. Technology changes fast, and I know that for the lab to remain effective, we must continue to build relationships with teachers, help them realize the need for innovation in the classroom and continue to support them to reach each and every student.

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This Teacher Started a Hands-On PD Lab That's Sparking Change Across the District - EdSurge News

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In 2013, I was hired to teach computer science (CS) and video game design to students in grades K-5 at Monte Sano Elementary School in Huntsville, Ala. It was my first full-time teaching job. A year earlier, I had graduated with a teaching degree in elementary education.

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We love to take our kids up to Big Bear Lake, CA to go snowboarding at the Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski resorts. We load them up, bring along their friends, and head up to our getaway in the mountains as often as we can. But this year there has been a major problem...no snow!!! It is the middle of December and the only snow was a short-lived surprise flurry on the morning of 12/16. In fact, it was such a surprise that I took this video and tweeted it!

The whole town depends on the ski resorts opening and the corresponding influx of tourists visiting the slopes to thrive...no snow is nothing to joke about in a ski resort community. They only have two real choices: Complain about the bad fortune of the weather or MAKE THEIR OWN SNOW.

Easy choice, right? They make it.

They have the snow blowers going full steam and make enough snow to open as many runs as they can. In fact, my kids have been snowboarding for the past two weekends and having a complete blast.

How true is this for us in our school systems?

Far too many people waste their time complaining about the negativity and poor attitude in their building, the lack of forward progress, irrelevant or non-existent professional development, and all of the myriad of things, people, and circumstances holding them back. Don't wait for the weather to change...change the weather. Get out the damn snow blower and make your own snow.

I love how Jimmy Casas puts it in his INCREDIBLE new book, Culturize: Ever y Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes. "No one person is responsible for determining your success or failure but you, and no one is responsible for your morale but you." (GET THIS BOOK! WOW!)

So how can you make your own snow?

Take responsibility for the energy you bring into all of the interactions you have in your life.

Intentionally focus on that which empowers you.

Consciously connect and associate with people who inspire and uplift you and relentlessly avoid negative people who will sap your superpowers like Kryptonite.

Own your own professional development. ( Rich Czyz has a wonderful book about going ROGUE with your professional development called The Four O'Clock Faculty!!)

Start a book study in your system. I taught at my school for 17 years and was never once handed a book. To me, that is crazy talk. Did I read anyway? Heck yes! But if I could go back, I would have organized others to join with me. (If you want help with a book study on any of our books please contact me!! I Skype and Google Hangout with study groups ALL of the time! It's free!)

Host an #edcamp. There is something magical about a grass roots effort to get positive educators in the same physical space together and then have them design their learning experiences in an organic way.

Hold a #CoffeeEdu or an Appy Hour type event. Find a venue and invite people to join you.

Go on an #EduHike or #EduWalk with educators in your area. Get up early, get out in the world, and get your exercise in while you talk education.

Put together or join a Voxer group of educators to build your mastermind professional learning network.

Start a podcast. I am an avid listener...love putting on my headphones and multi-tasking while learning and being exposed to new ideas. I'd love to add yours to my play list! Have you checked out the new gamification podcast of Explore Like a Pirate author, Michael Matera? It's called #WellPlayedU

Write a book! Do you have a story and message that you think could change the world? You need to share it! Does writing a book intimidate you? Read my Eating an Elephant post from 2012!

BLOG! Finally get that blog going so you can not only powerfully reflect on your journey as an educator, but also share your journey with us so we can benefit, too!

How about #PedicurePD? I know people who do it! (Or #PDicure)

Attend conferences. Once there, don't just go to sessions and then hide. Connect with fellow attendees beyond the hours of the set schedule. Tweet and share your learning into the conference hashtag. Head out to dinner, grab lunch, meet up in the fitness center, gather for coffee and chat all things edu ( Alice Keeler is a master of this one), and just find as many ways as possible to build connections.

Create your own conference! I love how Ditch That Textbook and Ditch That Homework author, Matt Miller, created his own virtual conference entitled...wait for it... #DitchSummit. (Read about it HERE ...PD in your Pajamas!)
Start a movement!
Take a look at Sean Gaillard. He was tired of the negative energy surrounding Monday's and wanted to shift that whole paradigm and reposition Monday as something to be celebrated in education...a chance to get back to changing kids' lives and uplifting each other! He started the hashtag #CelebrateMonday (Plus #TrendThePositive) and it took off!

Feel the passion for student voice that emanates from high school student, Isaiah Sterling.

See how Tamara Letter is changing the world with her kindness projects.

Spread JOY like Akilah Ellison ...contagious enthusiasm!

Check out #JoyfulLeaders with Bethany Hill.

Join the #RunLAP community and crush your fitness commitments with Adam Welcome.
Find people with a common interest and build a chat community.
Look at the critical discussions about race happening with many powerful voices, including Jose Luis Vilson, in #EduColor

Are you into hip hop and how hip hop culture can impact us and inform us as educators? Check out Christopher Emdin and #HipHopEd

Go see how Teresa Gross builds community with the #PD4UandMe hashtag.

There are so many more examples of people who have made their own snow this same way...what about the amazing #MomsAsPrincipals community (Learn all about them RIGHT HERE!) or the more recent #DadsAsPrincipals? So cool!

If you don't think a small group of like-minded educators can impact an entire system (or the whole world!), then read my Rolling Snowballs Downhill post NOW! YOU are the start of the snowball. Find your crew...start moving.

Don't wait for the weather in your school system to change.

Do you want something new?

Build it. Make it Design it. Create it. Organize it. Inspire it. Join it.

The new year is coming. Don't let life happen to you.
MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN SNOW.
I'll snowboard on it with you!

Dave

P.S.

If you want to truly be inspired and create meaningful cultural change...please check out Culturize by Jimmy
Casas. The reviews are in...it is AMAZING.

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We love to take our kids up to Big Bear Lake, CA to go snowboarding at the Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski resorts. We load them up, bring along their friends, and head up to our getaway in the mountains as often as we can.

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Featuring Trevor Bryan and Rich Czyz For educators looking to improve learning for themselves and their students