This year I decided to implement a new plan for teacher edtech PD to try to accommodate their schedules as best as possible. I came up with the monthly Lunch & Learn idea, and so far it’s gone over pretty well!
Today was our January session. We focused on revisiting DyKnow, which is very versatile software that we have on all student and teacher tablet PCs. Most notably, DyKnow allows teachers to view and “monitor” students’ tablet PCs in real time and control (or “block”) which student applications they choose for that particular lesson. It does a lot more than monitor and block, though. Our teachers were all trained on this software a while ago, but haven’t received “formal” training as a refresher in a while. It’s always good to refresh!
This Lunch & Learn session was called DyKnow: More than Monitoring and Blocking.
I asked one of our experts in the trenches, math teacher Jack Kaniecki, to take the lead during this session because he uses a lot of the interactive features with his students on a regular basis. He did an incredible job, and I wish I had thought far enough in advance to video record this session for those teachers who were unable to make it. Duly noted for next time.
Prior to this session, Jack and I met a couple times to discuss what he would show the teachers. He taught me a couple new things about DyKnow during these demo sessions- thanks, Jack!
As always, I started out by sharing with teachers the results of their pre-survey, so they know why I chose to highlight certain features. To see those results and the Prezi that was used during the presentation, click here.
Photo credit: Ellyn Whiteash, school photographer
I made a Lunch & Learn class in DyKnow and added Jack as the instructor. I made six new student accounts and added each “student” to the new course in DyKnow. Teachers teamed up with at least one other teacher to use the tablet PCs that were already set out and logged into DyKnow as one of the six new “students” and took on the role of students in Jack’s classroom. Jack was able to show his teacher view on one projector screen and interact with the “students,” just like he would on a normal day. While interacting with one another, Jack walked them through how to do/set up each task. I had set up a resource folder in our Schoology PD Course ahead of time with links to instructions and videos for each of the tasks preformed during the Lunch & Learn (and then some), so teachers can refer back to them at a later date. While Jack had his tablet PC projected on one screen, I had the Prezi with the corresponding how-to instructions up on another screen.
Photo credit: Ellyn Whiteash, school photographer
Between the two of us (mostly Jack) and some input from other teachers, we went over how to use the following features: filter URLs; submit, collect, grade, send back and retrieve students’ panels; send polls; use the “private ink” to avoid writing over students’ work; embed a web page on a panel; place students in groups and work on group panels; and the chat feature- whew! I haven’t checked out the results to the post-survey yet, but judging from the interaction, engagement, and “ohh’s!” from the teachers, I’d say it was a pretty successful Lunch & Learn.
I definitely plan to utilize more teachers in future edtech PD sessions, especially after todays session seemed to have gone over so well. After all, they are the experts of their content area in the trenches with the students day in and day out!
If you’re interested on other Lunch & Learns I’ve put together, click here.
How do you utilize and encourage teachers to lead edtech PD sessions at your school? If you use DyKnow at your school, please share your favorite feature by commenting on this post.
Tech To You Later!
Katie
Katie- VERY impressed with how comprehensive and thought out all of your initiatives always are. I love the Lunch and Learn Concept. Thank you so much for haring your hard work!
Holly, thanks so much for your kind words!
That would be “sharing”