What’s Working for You?
As an Apple Distinguished Educator and Apple Learning Coach, stepping into a new role this year has meant rethinking how I connect with staff to support their instructional technology needs. In my new role as Instructional Technology Coordinator, I support 7 high school buildings with about 2,000 staff and 13,000 students.
Whether you’re just starting as an instructional coach or looking for fresh ways to engage educators, I’d love to share what’s been working for me so far, and PLEASE share what works for you!
🌟 School Visits: Meeting Staff Where They Are
One of the most effective strategies I’ve found is dedicating full days at a school. Instead of a “sit-and-get” model, I structure the day to make tech support accessible to different staff groups:
🔹 Morning Focus Sessions – During zero hour or teacher planning time, I run quick, focused sessions on topics like GenAI for educators, MacBook tips, or iPad accessibility features. These are open to all staff and designed to be immediately applicable.
🔹 Personalized Drop-Ins – I break up the rest of the day by meeting with different groups:
- Division-based visits (Science during 2nd period, English during 3rd, etc.)
- Role-specific meetings (ESP staff one period, teachers and instructional aides another)
- Admin meetings in the afternoon to discuss big-picture instructional tech integration
🎥 Webinars: Supporting Staff Beyond the School Day
I also host morning mini-webinars for staff who can’t always meet in person. Topics range from:
✅ Keynote for storytelling
✅ Easy ways to enhance instruction with Photos & Clips
✅ Time-saving iPad and MacBook workflows
These sessions are designed to be practical, with quick wins that educators can immediately implement.
▶️ On-Demand How-To Videos
To provide even more flexible support, I create short, how-to videos covering all things instructional technology. These videos serve as quick references for staff who need help but don’t have time for a meeting or webinar. Topics include:
📌 Using AI for lesson planning
📌 Making the most of iPad features
📌 Creative ways to use Keynote and Pages
📌 Best practices for digital organization
I host these on my YouTube playlist, and here is the link if you want to take a look!
🚀 Follow-Through & Upselling Opportunities
Once I connect with staff, I always follow up and provide personalized recommendations. My goal is to 'upsell' them into trying new and free tools that align with their needs. For example:
- If a teacher asks about Prezi, I suggest Keynote Live, since all students have iPads and staff have macbooks.
- If someone is hesitant about using tech with students, I offer to co-teach as an elbow partner, modeling the lesson with them.
📢 Bytes & Bits: Celebrating Staff Wins
To keep the momentum going, I send out my Bytes & Bits newsletter, featuring a staff spotlight from each building. Showcasing success stories encourages more educators to explore instructional technology in a way that feels natural and exciting. I send this out once per month.
What’s Working for You?
Coaching is all about meeting educators where they are and helping them move forward at their own pace. I’d love to hear what strategies have worked for others in finding “in-roads” to support staff. Let’s share and grow together!
#AppleLearningCoach #InstructionalTechnology #EdTechCoaching #D214
February 21, 2025
These are great! We started hosting Pop-up PDs this year, with each topic being offered 6 different times and in different buildings, so there are plenty of opportunities for staff to get the content. Since we are all teachers as well, we worked together to create presentations that any of our team can present, and it will still be over the same material.
I would be interested in learning more about your webinars!
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