How many hats do you wear?

I attended the ISTE Conference last summer in San Diego and it was an AMAZING experience!  While in San Diego, I was able to collaborate with educators from all over the world, meet “tweoples” I follow on Twitter in person, hear amazing Keynote speakers like Sir Ken Robinson and Dr. Yong Zhao, run along the ocean side, eat authentic Mexican food, take in the diverse culture of the area by riding the trolley down to the border as well as visiting Old Town, and much, much more.  As I think back on that entire experience, one image comes to mind.  It was from a presentation I attended and for the life of me, I can’t even remember what the session was about.  The image just resonated with me on so many levels, so I had to take a picture of myself in the same pose.

Question:  How many hats do you wear? 

On a personal level, I wear the hat of wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and volunteer.  I struggle to find the right balance in wearing these multiple hats.  The same is true in my professional life.  I am a teacher, mentor, coach, leader, developer, problem-solver, presenter, creator, lifelong learner, member of professional organizations like PDK, ISTE, and NETA, and pursuing my doctorate at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  I know I am not unique in the variety and number of hats I wear, so I approach most personal and professional situations with the attitude, “We’re all doing the best that we can!”  I am not on this earth to judge, rather to use my God given strengths (empathy is my number one strength on the StrengthsFinder) to build relationships.  I have found this approach to be very beneficial during the past five years as an instructional technology specialist for Westside Community Schools.  In my position, I have the opportunity to work with K-12 teachers from 13 different buildings and truly feel it has been the best professional development I have ever received.  Here are a few reasons why...

1. When I taught middle school students, I was responsible for pretty specific content.  I felt comfortable and confident in what I was teaching and found natural ways to make mathematics real for my students.  As an instructional technology specialist, I have the opportunity to work with K-12 teachers and a wide range of content areas.  My toolbox has grown exponentially and I am focused on changing opportunities for learners (students and teachers) in a positive way (Hayes, 2001).

2. During the past five years, I have been able to experiment with different models of staff development.  My current position lends itself to the individually guided approach as I respond to teachers and their unique situations.  Some teachers are very comfortable with technology and just need someone to collaborate with in identifying the right tool for the content they are teaching.  Other teachers know very little about technology, so I help create tutorials and newsletters to help teachers grow in their knowledge.

3. My current role still allows me time to work directly with students, which in itself has been an amazing professional development opportunity.  It’s not uncommon for me to work with a group of students and learn something new about a program I’ve been working with for years.  I try to model relationships with teachers and students by not coming across as someone who knows-it-all, but someone who is willing to learn from others...even if it’s a 5-year-old kindergarten student.

Each year my position brings exciting possibilities.  This year, I had the opportunity to join Staff Development Cadre and Leadership Westside.  My involvement has allowed me to expand my knowledge about best practices in teaching and leadership.  I was also able to travel with my superintendent and eight other individuals to Apple this spring to talk about the future of technology at Westside.  In his first year as superintendent of Westside Community Schools, Dr. McCann has already outlined the “Next Generation” of our school district emphasizing the future trends in public education.  One of his recommendations is to collaborate with faculty to develop personalized and differentiated professional development opportunities supporting staff as they innovate with student customized learning pathways.  Personalization and customization has been the focus of all my reading recently.  I am not sure how it will fit into my dissertation, but I am confident I am heading down the right path.

I enjoy wearing the hat of lifelong learner.  I recently began a paradigms class where we will be discussing, researching, and presenting paradigm shifts in education.  Right now I'm thinking my work will focus on customized and personalized education.  So far I have enjoyed reading the assigned texts and articles and feel inspired as I make personal connections.  One goal I have is to work on my two-minute laser talk or elevator speech (Richardson, 2008) regarding personalized education.  I have read several books, articles, and blog posts related to this topic and I see the importance of having that two-minute talk ready so that as I encounter key stakeholders, I am prepared to engage.

Hayes, K. (2001). School librarians as staff developers. The Book Report, 19(4), 6-8.

Richardson, J. (2008). The power of one. Tools For Schools, 11(3), 1-8.