If you were an educational technology specialist working for a district, provide three things to recommend to an ELA Coordinator looking to re-align maps to the CCSS. What would you do to prepare teachers for these changes?
I interpreted this question in a bit of a different way. Here are my recommendations to our ELA coordinator:
So, here we are, with less than a year before we are going to adopt the new CCSS, and many school leaders and teachers are starting to panic! Undoubtedly, you’ve done a lot of work on mapping your current curriculum to get it where it is today, and here come the CCSS, shaking things up. While the task of realigning your curriculum maps may seem daunting, have no fear! Every single ELA coordinator in this state and the other 38+ who are realigning are in the same boat, and rather than working in isolation, I’m going to provide you with some ways that you can use some of the wonderful technology tools that are available today to make this a collaborative, and therefore more successful, effort.
Start to Create a Network
There are thousands of educators out there who have been given the same task you have before you. Start by reaching out to the other districts in your direct area, but since these standards are national, you will have a ton of other resources to tap. There are many websites and blogs of individuals, groups, consortiums, and companies who have already done some great work in this area. I will show you how to search for these resources, and we will set up a way for you to instantly get updates from news organizations, websites or blogs, about curriculum alignment with the CCSS using something called RSS. This way, you can follow along with the progress others are making integrate the combined knowledge of thousands to focus your work.
Here are just a few places to start – (From “Are We Ready for Testing Under Common Core Standards?” By Patricia Deubel / THE Journal) “Heidi Jacobs, who is noted for her curriculum mapping work, has resources and sample maps at her Web site, Curriculum Designers. The Rubicon International Podcast Channel promotes the latest developments in education, technology, and curriculum mapping. Common Core, which is not affiliated with the CCSS initiative despite its name, has developed a draft of K-12 curriculum maps aligned to the CCSS for English language arts, but not mathematics.”
Get Teachers Involved in the Process
Since the realignment process will not be perfect in the first go-around, and probably will never be perfect, as maps are meant to be fluid and changing, it will be very important for teachers to have the ability to easily and functionally collaborate with each other about the implementation of these new maps. They are, after all, the ones on the front lines who will be implementing this new curriculum. Creating a school “wiki” through a site like wikispaces, would allow teachers to collaborate together using map templates, upload their lessons or lessons of others that they have found, and make comments in discussion tabs, among tons of other things! Here’s a blog post by New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) Manhattan Technology Innovation Manager, Lisa Nielsen that explains some of the wonderful ways wikis can enhance schools. Also, here’s a “Wiki Walk-Through” from TeachersFirst.com
Prioritize Staff Development in Using Technology
Now that we have a wiki, we are going to have to teach these teachers how to use them! Whenever new technology is implemented, it is critically important to provide solid staff development in using these tools so that teachers feel comfortable in these new areas and will be able to fully experience their benefits. However, it shouldn’t stop with wikis. Teachers should trained about how to tap in to other teachers out there who are doing the same things they are. We should have staff training on how to set up and/or find blogs, use RSS, find valuable educational websites and resources, and collaborate with other teachers in our district and across the country by sharing ideas in spaces like blogs. Many teachers are unaware of the wealth of valuable resources out there. Supporting and training them how to use technology is just as important as supporting and training our students to use technology.
“Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.” - Author Unknown
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