It Took A Pandemic to See the Value of Technology Coaching in Schools

For some schools, it took a pandemic to get technology into education. Schools that were slow to adopt technology and the coaching necessary are paying the price. And, unfortunately, the price is being passed down to the students.

In the days after school closures, schools tried to make up for the inadequacy by providing online training. But unfortunately, it was too late. Many teachers were already overwhelmed by having to figure ways to deliver their content, never mind learning new technology.

With schools set to begin distance learning, teachers found they were ill-prepared to teach students from home. Why were they unprepared to use technology to teach their students in a distance learning environment?

The answer is simple. The time hadn’t been allocated for tech training and follow up coaching. If teachers weren’t able to effectively use education technology in their classes, then surely they wouldn’t be able to use it to teach online.

Tech training left up to the school site was often not utilized. Administrators didn’t understand how technology could help because they weren’t familiar with the technology themselves. This left technology coaches having to squeeze in wherever they could. oftentimes coaches were left out of participating in staff meetings and professional development days because other things took “priority”.

Without having a captive audience, tech coaches were left to other means to reach teachers. Coaches had to rely on producing technology newsletters, podcasts, and instructional videos as a way to reach teachers.

I have a feeling that when we return to the classroom, tech coaching will be prioritized. My hope is that administrators will see the value of technology coaching and will make it part of their on-site professional development. After all, don’t we want to prepare our students and teachers for 21st-century learning and teaching?