As I wrote in Experimenting with a Google Apps Lab, Mercy’s approach to professional development with current teachers has shifted from presentations and workshops to one-to-one help in “labs”. Our first lab occurred during our Final Exam period and focused on Google Calendars and Google Sites. We had 8 volunteer trainers and about 35 attendees, which I considered a terrific success.
Last week, week we held our first lab during summer vacation. Again this was very well attended and we had seven volunteer trainers. This lab and the ensuing July and August labs will focus on specific skills that we wish all teachers to possess by the beginning of the next school year. In fact my fellow A.P., Colleen Rozman, and I wrote some instructional modules for our staff. Colleen was the chief architect and modeled the approach after the Learning 2.0 Program (conceived by Helene Bowers). Here is a condensed version of the skills that ourprogram includes
- Setting up and Organizing a Moodle Page
- Creating and posting a Google Calendar
- Using the iPad to take a photo, edit it and post it
- Shooting, editing and sharing a movie
- Using Evernote
- Creating a document with CloudOn and sharing it through Dropbox
- Creating a video explanation with ShowMe or Explain Everything
- Communicating through Google Groups
The results of our experiment were very exciting. Staff plunged into the skills and received significant individual attention. As I trainer, I can attest that I learned a number of “tips”, too. I continue to be impressed by how determined most of my colleagues are to prepare for our shift to Mercy 2.0. I am already looking forward to our next lab in July. . . . But now I have to get back to my own “Ten Things”! — L. Baker
Screen Capture of Mercy "Ten Things"
Mercy Technology Innovation Team 