Students, given voice and agency, surprise us in ways unimaginable. When ASU Preparatory Academy, through our i3 Grant, was able to acquire new technology for our campuses, we knew that we were going to provide training and support for the device rollouts. Beginning with our first graduating class, students were ready to take the lead on a number of the projects related to rolling out new devices.
The ASU Prep students created their own group called Tech Prep U. These students became the technology leaders on campus for both teachers and peers. The mission of this group is to help their peers to improve technology skills in order to be ready for college. The group passed from one generation to the next, or from the graduating seniors to their underclassmen sophomores and juniors. This collective group of students helped teachers in the classroom, assisted preparing devices over the summer, joined the quality assurance review of digital courses, and supported younger students in after school programs. ASU Prep was better because of these young adult tech leaders. Yes, the campuses improved because of these projects. However, the even more inspiring aspect was watching how the fruits of the i3 Grant changed these students. The personal development and growth among these students, who sometimes felt out of their element in traditional classroom settings, were incredible to witness. Here is an interview with a former Tech Prep U student who shares about his growth as a leader in this program. Interview with Matt from ASU Prep on Vimeo. Are you interested in starting a Tech Prep U program at your campus? We would love to talk more about the successes, lessons learned, or professional development resources. Contact me at [email protected] to innovate together.
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Reflection Not Perfection: How Technology at ASU Preparatory Academy Supports Teacher Growth1/17/2017 Welcome to the first post on our ASU Preparatory Academy technology and digital learning blog, called "ASU Prep Innovate." In this blog we will share about the ways we are using technology to support both teacher and student growth. A few years ago, ASU Preparatory Academy received a federal Investing in Innovations (i3) grant, which has helped us to progress our dream of creating technology-rich learning environments. When focusing on technology and education, we begin and end with a focus on the students. After all, increasing the college-going outcomes for students is why we are here. But ASU Prep's goals for i3 also extend to our families and teachers. We believe that it is the partnership of students-teachers-families that creates a positive trifecta on educational outcomes. Today's blog will highlight the recently launched ASU Preparatory Academy High Yield Behaviors online course for teachers. Our ASU Prep teachers and leaders live out the mantra, "Reflection not perfection." This means that we strive to embody a growth mindset not only with our students but in our own professional practice. The i3 grant helped to provide the resources to develop online, personalized professional development that allows teachers to reflect and grow anytime, anywhere. The ASU Prep High Yield Behaviors are 17 behaviors that form the teacher walkthrough and evaluation protocol. Following the inquiry cycle practice used in our learning communities, or clusters, on campus, each module begins with research and a video model from one of our own ASU Prep teachers. Next, teachers engage in discussion with colleagues surrounding the research and model before getting ready to put it into practice. The module ends with an artifact submission and mentor feedback. Many of the artifacts are in fact videos of teachers demonstrating the High Yield Behavior, which only continues to build our on demand library. All teachers reflect on how the High Yield Behavior supports student outcomes. Our goal is to continue to develop ASU Prep created online professional development to support the growth of our staff through a customized learning experience. Are you interested in speaking more about the High Yield Behaviors at ASU Prep? Or maybe you want to view the courses more in depth in our LMS. We would love to talk more about the successes, lessons learned, or professional development resources. Contact me at [email protected] to innovate together. |
AuthorJohn Sharp is the ASU Preparatory Academy Director of Curriculum and Professional Development Archives
May 2017
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