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Revisit my personal reflection on PD from earlier in the semester (May 2017).

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Sarah Layton quotes Cristina Costa in an article that explains why teachers may be reluctant to new technology. I can agree but also disagree with this mentality.

Agree -> When it comes to literal and physical skills (i.e. hammering a nail, doing a kart wheel, riding a bike, etc.) humans are more likely to reteach the same strategy/ies that they were taught.

Disagree -> Good teachers are a special breed whose mindsets use differentiated teaching methods by default. In other words, teachers do not necessarily think to teach fractions the way they learned. A teacher planning a lesson on fractions thinks to him or herself... how will my students best learn

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We've blogged at length about motivating students. Recently, we were asked, "how do you motivate teachers to try new technology in the classroom?"

On the surface, this seemed like a very easy question to answer...If teachers see value in it, they'll be motivated to try new technology.

But then, with more consideration, I realized, how do you get them to see the value if they don't try it?

Why aren't teachers motivated to try new technology?

I think it is worthwhile to first take a look at why teachers might be reluctant to use new technology in the classroom. In a post by Cristina Costa on CloudWorks, she shares that teachers might lack motivation because "most often we teach the way we have been taught" and "initial teacher training (most often) still does not contemplate the full integration (please note the word: integration, not simple use and learn 'how to')."

How to motivate teachers to try new technology

If those two reasons are true, then I concede that motivating teachers to try new technology is a challenge.

Most importantly, I think that we owe it to busy teachers to find the very best technologies to use. When I say "the very best" I'm not saying, go out there and purchase the most expensive, most elaborate, most feature-heavy technology you can find. No! Your teachers will run for the hills as you drag that monster into their classrooms.

Rather, do your research and find the technology that balances easy-to-use interfaces with the effective curriculum and automated assessment. As a bonus, make sure it's cloud-based so teachers and students can use it inside and outside the classroom. Heck, I'm just going to make a checklist.

Characteristics of Technology that Will Motivate Teachers to Use It

1. EASY-TO-USE for teachers. Can't stress this one enough.

2. Easy-to-use for students.

3. Engaging curriculum that keeps students motivated.

4. Automated assessment.

5. Content that easily integrates with other classroom tools.

6. Internet/Cloud-based.

7. No maintenance, ie automatic updates and upgrades (see #6).

8. Doesn't require dependence on IT staff for, well, anything.

9. Includes projects.

10. Just the right amount of customization (too much is too complex, too little is too inflexible).

Don't skip the basics

It's not all about the technology, though, I know. You need to do a little research on your teachers, too. You need to know what their more personal/less technological objections are and then figure out how to end up on the same page.

On EdTech Chic, Jessica Johnson, describes her successful badges program. I'm almost ashamed that I didn't think of this one right out of the gate. We have had teachers requesting that we add a badges program to our HealthCenter21 and Business&ITCenter21 products to motivate students. Now why haven't we made the leap to realize that the same practice might be successful with teachers? I like her easy-to-implement ideas, like "Our goal was to keep it short and give them something easy they could use in their classroom the very next day."

Another easy idea Johnson shares, "At Tots and Technology, Lori Gracey said some things that really got me thinking. She asked how can we give positive feedback to teachers? My initial thought was by rewarding them with badges and training and "stuff." Her thoughts - praise and validation. DING DING DING! Hello?! Of course! And you know what...they don't want to hear it from us. They want to hear it from... THEIR BOSS - the person who EVALUATES them!" Who doesn't need a little validation from time to time? Fearless leader, are you reading? This is a great post, right?!

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We've blogged at length about motivating students. Recently, we were asked, "how do you motivate teachers to try new technology in the classroom?" On the surface, this seemed like a very easy question to answer...If teachers see value in it, they'll be motivated to try new technology.

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#1 When teachers "own" the way in which they are being assessed they are more likely to be receptive to critical and constructive feedback. This is similar to SLO's at my school. Since teachers create their own Student Learning Objectives they own the data and they own the way in which their teaching is being evaluated. Part of the SLO process includes taking PD into your own hands to see that your students meet the objective you defined.

#2 Just like anything in this world... PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! There are no perfect teachers but it is important that teachers refine their practice. They can do so by continually implementing a new tool, app, or strategy until they feel comfortable.

#3 I have always stated that the best PD is the kind that can be implemented into tomorrow's lesson. Teachers will be more inclined to use a new strategy or tool if they are guaranteed immediate success. They also will be more likely to try something new if it solves a current problem.

#4 Teachers likely seek out PD that can address their current needs. In other words, a teacher who is successfully teaching his/her students how to add decimals and has 100% of their students achieving this standard is not going to seek out an app that teaches students how to line up decimal numbers.

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Expanding on Principles 3 & 4 and Connecting them to my DTTP

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Expanding on Principles 3 & 4 and Connecting them to my DTTP

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Knowles' Principle 3 and Principle 4 are copied below:

3. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact to their job or personal life.
4. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented. (Kearsley, 2010)

As I develop my DTTP I'll need to consider PD that teachers NEED! In other words, I think about one of the current problems in our district such as effectively administering Cornerstone Tasks. I believe that SMART Amp is a tool that can make this way easier for students and teachers. This will be my selling point for this particular PD module.

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Pink's trifecta of internal motivations has taught me that I need to rethink the way teachers will be rewarded for completing PD during my DTTP. Specifically, if a task is too complex then the concept of higher incentives will not work. Instead I need to consider these three principles for my DTTP:

Autonomy - Provide teachers with the opportunity to seek out PD that will solve one of their own problems (Knowles' 3rd principle).

Mastery - Provide teachers opportunities to get better at something!

Purpose - Students ask "why do we need to learn this?" Teachers can and should ask this too!