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About the Author Coaching During COVID Home Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author |
Meet Sarah Magallano
I remember the heavy feel of the wooden chalk holder as I dragged it along the dusty green board, drawing straight(ish) lines, and pretended to teach my best friend during Open House. It was September, 1986 and I was in second grade. That exact moment defined who I would become.
In that old two-room schoolhouse for 20 kindergarten through fifth grade students (at one point I was the only fifth grader), magic happened. The teachers in the “big kid room” had to manage 2nd-5th grades all at once. We did art projects, hiked the hills across the empty, rural road, dug holes in the mud, and splashed our feet in the lake. We took tests, we read, we sang, we acted in plays, and learning was fun.
One day, during my second grade year, our tiny school got a Macintosh computer. You know, the green screen with a floppy disk drive? And Oregon Trail was our game. Although fourth graders were designated to learn about California history, we all learned about it in that small school. It was here that my love of art and technology was nurtured.
Now that we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I rely even more heavily on art and technology in my teaching practice. I suddenly found myself with endless time during the summer to start the master’s program. My goal was to graduate with a master’s degree to learn to be more innovative and foster students’ 21st century transliteracy skills.
I have been teaching for 16 years and this year, I am a part-time coach helping my colleagues learn to integrate art, engineering, and technology into their lessons. My research was designed to run parallel with my position. With the pandemic in full force this school year, I found that the plan of physically being in a classroom with the teachers and their students during the integration sample lessons, was not to happen.
But hey, being flexible and making things work with constraints, is what it takes to become a great teacher, and coach!
In that old two-room schoolhouse for 20 kindergarten through fifth grade students (at one point I was the only fifth grader), magic happened. The teachers in the “big kid room” had to manage 2nd-5th grades all at once. We did art projects, hiked the hills across the empty, rural road, dug holes in the mud, and splashed our feet in the lake. We took tests, we read, we sang, we acted in plays, and learning was fun.
One day, during my second grade year, our tiny school got a Macintosh computer. You know, the green screen with a floppy disk drive? And Oregon Trail was our game. Although fourth graders were designated to learn about California history, we all learned about it in that small school. It was here that my love of art and technology was nurtured.
Now that we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I rely even more heavily on art and technology in my teaching practice. I suddenly found myself with endless time during the summer to start the master’s program. My goal was to graduate with a master’s degree to learn to be more innovative and foster students’ 21st century transliteracy skills.
I have been teaching for 16 years and this year, I am a part-time coach helping my colleagues learn to integrate art, engineering, and technology into their lessons. My research was designed to run parallel with my position. With the pandemic in full force this school year, I found that the plan of physically being in a classroom with the teachers and their students during the integration sample lessons, was not to happen.
But hey, being flexible and making things work with constraints, is what it takes to become a great teacher, and coach!
TPACK
"Technology, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge" is a framework to round out a students' knowledge base, thus preparing them for their future. It doesn't minimize the importance of one idea, but sees all three as equally important in the scope of a learner. Sadly, I find that many teachers across our country often do not spend enough time in the center of that diagram. And part of the solution, is being open to change.
For me, I thrive to know more. I want to read everything, watch everything, and share knowledge with others. I want my students to be "in the now" and "in the know" with new ways to learn and share information. I use all kinds of technology myself, why shouldn't they? Using apps like TikTok are fun and engaging, so I design lessons that incorporate Flip Grid as a way for my students to mimic TikTok to respond to content. I ask students what specifically they are into, so I can better gauge my audience and tailor their lessons to suit their needs.
When coaching, I also am thinking about how teachers can use the technology. I make sure that my professional development sessions have a lot of time for teachers to explore what I'm presenting. I want them to go back to their classrooms with at least one tool they can use the next day.
For me, I thrive to know more. I want to read everything, watch everything, and share knowledge with others. I want my students to be "in the now" and "in the know" with new ways to learn and share information. I use all kinds of technology myself, why shouldn't they? Using apps like TikTok are fun and engaging, so I design lessons that incorporate Flip Grid as a way for my students to mimic TikTok to respond to content. I ask students what specifically they are into, so I can better gauge my audience and tailor their lessons to suit their needs.
When coaching, I also am thinking about how teachers can use the technology. I make sure that my professional development sessions have a lot of time for teachers to explore what I'm presenting. I want them to go back to their classrooms with at least one tool they can use the next day.
Reflections on My Journey
This has been a fun, interesting, and sometimes hard, journey through the master's program. Although attending classes while in a pandemic is not ideal, it did allow me the ability to hone in on my technology practices and learn new and innovative ways to teach and collaborate. I discovered new apps, websites, and resources to use in my classroom and beyond.
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During my time in the program, we had the opportunity to draw our journey in a sketch. This was a perfect way for me to express myself through art.
I had an idea that I wanted to get my master's in innovative learning. I did the work all while being on Zoom for what seemed like 24 hours a day. It was a hard climb at times. My grandmother passed away, there were fires that claimed my childhood home, my aunt, and my great uncle passed, and yet, I continued. It felt great getting my paper done before the end of 2020. I look forward to graduating and seeing my wonderful Cohort 19 classmates in real life! :) Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning programWell, I have learned how to research! Although it was broken down into small chunks, it wasn't easy, but it was worth the experience. I have a new found respect for doctors, scientists, and fellow educators who have also gone through the process. The data wasn't always what was expected, and there is learning in that as well. Unexpected life hardships happened during my research, and I had to work through that as well. Researching during a pandemic and being 100% virtual made for a challenge, but again, it was worth the experience.
You can follow my journey on my blog at sarahssteamers.com and see my work throughout the program. |
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