I am a teacher-librarian investigating e-coaching. In this context an e-coach would be a teacher with special skills and training whose primary purpose is to go to planning meetings and into classrooms to support teachers integrating technology into their lessons.
I am looking for different models and job descriptions of this kind of program. A Google search throws up a lot of e-coach results, but very few relevant to schools. I feel this is a job for the SDMB.
One school I found says their e-coaches: stay up to date with technology, support teachers in their classrooms, are able to troubleshoot tech problems and promote the use of technology. This promoting tech goes from encouraging teachers to providing articles for the school newsletter and website about how technology is being used in the school.
Any educators out there with a similar program in their schools? Feel like sharing or discussing?
I haven’t seen that position in a school yet, but I know it exists. I know there are graduate certificates in technology integration. I’m the librarian at an elementary school, and I’m often the one who does this type of thing (for instance, I’ve set up and administered all the online tests).
I’ve never heard of this before but it seems awesome. In my limited experience, there is definitely a gap between teachers and technology and the idea of having a liaison to close the gap so schools and teachers don’t have to keep falling behind is great!
Thanks, I know they are out there!! Tracking them down is proving tricky though…
We’re thinking that the computer teachers and librarians will move into the role, they do a lot of it anyway. It would be good to have a clearer vision of what it will really entail though.
The closest I’ve come to what I have in mind is this description:
“Our Learning Innovation (LI) team has two branches, eSupport who build and maintain our learning environment and eCoaches who focus on pedagogical practice and the integral use of technology.”
I’m really looking at the eCoach part. It’s more than setting up or administering tests. We are looking at eCoaches being involved in PD and planning meetings, as well as in class support.
The description I found, and the website it came from are interesting, I am really looking for more though before I begin reinventing the wheel. Even hearing about librarians who are doing this without the title and some of the things they do, and how they feel it works, or what would improve their eCoaching?
Thanks ZipperJJ! I just saw your post, we posted at the same time and I didn’t register yours until now
The idea is that these expert teachers help show others how to integrate tech into their lessons and assessments. Maybe just choosing one unit a semester and then expanding from there. It’s a more personal way of helping the teachers become tech savvy and tech happy.
They can do it, they really can but many feel intimidated by the kids being so far ahead of them. We need to help them see the classroom as a place where everyone is a learner, and give them the confidence to try things out. I hope to do this by coming at it from a teacher point of view, not a tech point of view. More of a “this is how it helps your students and you” than " try this cool new app it’s great."
I know there are schools doing this, but it is difficult to Google or otherwise track them down. I popped in to bump this for the weekend, hoping some educators would be online
I don’t see it being a career that hasn’t been glommed to already. At my university, there was a branch of Library Science that offered a degree in that sort of thing, at the Masters level. Limited market-everybody and their dog is into tech for the classroom, and, once one teacher learns it, they want to teach it to the others. Fast glut.
