Human+Relations+&+Staff+Devlopment


 * Human Relations and & Staff Development**


 * Objectives:**
 * 1) To critique a filed based study involving communication with multiple constituencies
 * 2) To provide multiple perspectives to human relationships with a focus on motivation, counseling, individual analysis and conflict resolution
 * 3) To apply problem solving skills approaches to identified issues in your school’s context
 * 4) To develop, implement, and assess staff development inservice programs
 * 5) To identify skills and abilities necessary to manage situations effectively

Christine Mazza Admin 604 Human Relations & Staff Development
 * Activities:**
 * 1) Identify and analyze a communication issue through multiple perspectives
 * 2) Develop a problem solving approach to addressing the issue
 * 3) Purpose an inservice program to improve professional skills in specific area
 * 4) Determine the effectiveness of multiple frameworks that address conflict resolution

Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year snooze and is, of course, utterly bewildered by what he sees. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices pinned to their ears. Young people sit at home on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens. Older folk defy death and disability with metronomes in their chests and with hips made of metal and plastic. Airports, hospitals, shopping malls--every place Rip goes just baffles him. But when he finally walks into a schoolroom, the old man knows exactly where he is. "This is a school," he declares. "We used to have these back in 1906. Only now the blackboards are green." http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html

21st century students, 21st century tools and our administration and pedagogy practices are somewhere in the 20th century. My office is tasked with this dilemma on a daily basis. How do we change the ways teachers teach, administrators administrate to meet the changing needs of our 21st century thinkers that walk through our doors daily. Answer: iTeachiLearn and iLead. The Office of Instructional Technology has embarked on a professional development effort designed to provide the instructional community with technology-rich tools and resources to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum while improving student achievement. This is the result of a collaborative effort of the Office of Instructional Technology with the Departments of Math, Science, Social Studies, Literacy, School Library Services, English Language Learners, Intervention, and Special Education. http://www.nycdoe.org/home.aspx

This program was rolled out initially to 22 NYCDOE middle schools which included 100+ administrators, 15,000 students and 1200 teachers. For the success of this program schools needed to buy, not fiscally but in philosophy, it was a commitment to change. Change pedagogy, change learning, change administrating. Through the past three years the program has hit many bumps, which have been addressed by our office as growing pains. To fine tune a program that is so large requires time, patience, feedback, energy and effort. Below are some of the “growing pains” this program has gone through and the approaches we took to solve the problems:


 * Problem:** //I’m Scared! You gave me a laptop and I don’t know what to do with it!//

Technophobe teachers who were given a laptop, projector, smartboard and 25+ tech savvy students with their own laptops. iTeach http://www.nycdoe.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=f12be590-8109-46ed-b56e-b646e3271033 is a 16 hour professional development course designed to help alleviate anxieties of the technophobe teacher, begin changing pedagogy to embrace the technology and meet the needs of the 21st century student. The class focused on management of technology, basic computing, using a laptop to teach a lesson, troubleshooting, email for communication and developing a 1:1 frame of thinking. This class was offered throughout the last three years as a prerequisite to additional professional development. We employed a T3 model which allowed us to not only teach classes at the center, but allow schools to have the control to teach at their own schools. Using this model allowed the class to be taught wide and far. Once the teacher/administrator attended the iTeach class they were invited to attend professional development in the core content areas. Science, Math, Literacy and Social Studies. These 8 hour classes were grade specific and teachers were invited to attend as many as possible. http://www.nycdoe.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=cdcd3f37-b122-4f82-a47f-490d4e16ef92 This was also taught in a T3 model so it kept the schools accountable for their own professional development. Additionally, by expanding this to T3 we created a much larger list of trainers that in the future could teach CityWide, thus creating sustainability in the program and its message.

All professional development written for the iTeach iLearn program was written in 1 hour increments. In doing so, schools can have their master teacher, easily and seamlessly turnkey it during a teacher’s lunch or prep. The courses do not have to be taught after/before school or for extended periods of time. They can be taught over a series of days, allowing the participant an opportunity to go back, practice what they learned and bring questions to the next session.
 * Problem:** //I don’t have the budget to sustain the professional development//

Part of the buy in to the program was following a structure that was put in place to help schools manage it. Schools leaders were to designate an iCoach. This person’s role is crucial to the success of the program. The iCoach must attend ALL T3 classes. This will allow them an intimate understanding of all aspects of professional development. It will also allow them to turnkey in their own school. The iCoach works with teachers in the room as mentor/coach/co-teacher. Filling all these shoes will support the technophobe teachers and help teachers who are blossoming to rise to another level. Schools were to designate a Depot Manager. This person’s role is to maintain inventory, repair devices or reimage them, swap out and anything related to the devices. Schools were to designate a Course Coordinator. Their role is to schedule PD, maintain a budget, chart the progress of the school's teacher’s PD and submit all paperwork to central. These are key roles that help support an administrator to run this program effectively in their school. PD is provided to all people in these roles so that they can complete all tasks requested. There is a prescriptive definition and expectation of these roles and all information necessary is found for them at http://www.nycdoe.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=66eb15af-5e7a-4086-9b4b-0325a66249f9
 * Problem:** //As an administrator, how do I manage all of this and still focus on other issues in my school?//

The Office of Instructional Technology has partnered with i-Safe to provide cyber safety professional development designed to support the safe, appropriate, and acceptable use of the internet by New York City students, parents, teachers and leaders. http://www.nycdoe.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=e97de23f-913e-4428-8df7-83c4268ea9ad Through professional development to the “whole” school community, OIT and i-Safe teach to students what is acceptable and appropriate use of the internet. This professional development is on going as this will continue to be an ongoing concern, but students need to be taught how to use the internet. It is assumed that because they know how to “surf” they know how to use the internet, however, they were never taught how to appropriately use it and be safe.
 * Problem**: //The children are accessing inappropriate websites.//

While it was mentioned earlier that there needed to be a buy in and commitment from the administrator prior to signing on to the iTeach ilearn program, administration has changed over the last three years, administrators have switched their focus or other factors have interfered and the program has lost its punch in some schools. This has been one of the biggest hurdles/problems. Through professional development and a built in mechanism of roles and responsibilities: iCoach, Depot Manger, Course Coordinator, iSquad Faculty advisor, iSafe faculty advisor, eChalk manger many of the programs continue. In some cases, communication has been very limited from administrators and central is left wondering what is going on in those school but the programs still continue because the staff has been trained and they can continue the work.
 * Problem:** //My principal doesn’t see the point to all this technology//