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important issues.
The decision to provide faculty with an iPad as a part
of the initiative was likely the step that encouraged
the most investment, but receiving a new piece of
technology would not have been enough on its own.
Multiple professional development opportunities
were provided to ensure that instructors did not
become frustrated trying to determine how to use
the device on their own. Lastly, although, in order
to receive an iPad, faculty had to agree to use
the device in at least one course during the first
semester of implementation (with increased use in
each subsequent semester), they were allowed to
determine the strategies that best aligned with their
course competencies. In short, faculty were provided
with a device, expected to use it, and offered multiple
layers of support in their efforts to do so.
Students and Parents
To be sure, many an educational initiative has
navigated the treacherous straits between
administrative and faculty support only to flounder
on the shores of student rebellion. Not only did we
need to engage current students in our teacher
preparation program, but we also needed to find ways
to communicate with those who had not yet applied to
the program and, also, those who may not have even
applied to the university yet. In light of this challenge,
our launch included discussions with the education
representatives on student government and the
student leadership team for the dean of the college of
education. We offered the general population of the
college an opportunity to offer input at a convocation
for all educator preparation students that included
videotaping, and we shared information through
mass e-mailings and posts on the college Facebook
page. We also informed all incoming students about
EDvolution® (and its associated costs) at new student
orientations. Despite this multi-faceted approach to
disseminating information, we still, unfortunately,
failed to reach one important group of stakeholders:
the parents of the impacted students. As a result, the
university received a significant number of telephone
calls—ranging from concern to heated complaint—
during the initial implementation semester. Resolving
to better communicate with parents, we have plans
to send a letter with information about EDvolution®
costs to the home mailing addresses of every student
newly admitted. Marketing documents have also been
enhanced to include more information about the iPad
initiative.
No amount of passion for a project’s goals can
replace adequate preparation for the tasks required
to meet those goals. All of us involved in EDvolution®
had experiences in schools—both P-12 and higher
education—in which excellent ideas had withered on
the vine for lack of well-trained educators to nurture
them. We resolved not to make the same mistake.
Understanding that continued faculty and student
investment in the project would be undermined by too
many failed attempts to use iPads meaningfully in the
classroom, we devised a multi-layered approach to
professional development.
Faculty
Prior to implementation of the initiative, all faculty
participated in the SAMR survey (Romrell, Kidder,
& Wood, 2014) to determine their current level
of instructional technology use. This assessment
categorizes uses of educational technology according
to the way in which it is implemented, from simply
completing a traditional task with a new technology,
through intermediate levels of augmentation and
modification, to, ultimately, redefining the task of
teaching through the use of electronic technology. The
results of this survey helped us to identify the needs
of faculty and to design experiences that conformed
to those needs.
Apple Workshops.
iPad was our chosen
device, in part because of the variety of support
offered by Apple. Company representatives met with
faculty in the fall a year before teacher candidates
received the first iPads in order to help define the
college’s vision. Once the university had committed to
the initiative, faculty input again helped to influence
its direction, with college personnel selecting
the topics of the first two Apple sessions: literacy
instruction and tools for differentiating instruction.
Mid-way through the following year, two members of
the university community were sent to Apple Academy
to further enhance their knowledge of use of iPads in
instruction. These two staff now serve as lead trainers
for the initiative. Finally, a lead Apple instructor came
to campus and offered one-to-one tutoring and live
observational feedback to faculty desiring such
support.
Ongoing Professional Development.
Some degree of iPad training was mandated for all
users. Faculty did not receive their personal iPad
ADEQUATE TRAINING
until they had committed to a training date and
signed the user agreement. This initial professional
development ensured that faculty began using their
devices with at least a minimal level of knowledge.
These were hands-on workshops that provided
instructors with opportunities to observe others
accomplishing teaching-related tasks with iPad apps
and allowed them the time to explore those apps
themselves. In addition, the early versions of these
sessions included dozens of faculty members from
a dozen different departments, encouraging lively
interaction across the institution that increased
excitement about the initiative.
Hoping to build upon momentum instigated by the
initial trainings and fed by subsequent classroom
experiences, we have endeavored to provide
faculty with a variety of opportunities for additional
professional development. Some departments have
designated time in department meetings for faculty
to share experiences and apps, and we regularly
promote workshops offered by university personnel,
such as Take-Away Fridays, where lunch is provided
and some aspect of educational technology shared.
Relevant sessions have included training with apps
such as Nearpod, iMovie, and ClassDojo. The fact that
our own faculty have led some of these sessions has
only increased interest. Perhaps the most interesting
of our professional development opportunities has
been
Appy Wednesdays
.
Appy Wednesdays.
In addition to the formal
professional development offered, the college also
wished to create a climate of shared learning with
our students. We developed a monthly open meeting,
Appy Wednesdays, to which both teacher candidates
and faculty are invited to share new-found or favorite
apps. Early meetings included prizes to incentivize
attendance, but the opportunity to share with and
learn from other educators has kept attendance
growing. In particular, teacher candidates seem to be
excited by the opportunity to offer something of value
to the teaching community on campus.
Three-Phase Introduction for Teacher
Candidates.
The student professional
development model resembled the faculty program
but with shorter training sessions. While both groups
began with an introduction to the iPad and its major
functions, subsequent faculty development was not
linear and consisted of different experiences for
different instructors. The professional development of
teacher candidates, however, was based upon a more
organized conceptual model that overlay the four-
year university experience. This structured approach
allowed us to intentionally and gradually integrate
iPad use into the academic and professional lives
of our students. Table 1 illustrates this three-phase
framework.
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