INFOhio ICoach

There are several ways to create communities of practice. I am currently in a PLC, professional learning cohort with my 4th grade teachers to support students needs with developing information literacy and other needs that the library can assist with, every Wednesday during 7th period. I am also part of a WhatsApp group that the staff uses to bat around ideas and information about the school and district activities. I can see how a blog or the Open Space would be a good way to communicate and pass on information about INFOhio or other specific groups that are trying to solve a proplem or find teaching resources for specific learning groups. Technology can be so useful to reach out to other teachers in a community since we don't have to use physical memos to rely messages or have meetings in person to discuss topics or solve problems. Of course even after online meetings or other communications it is always a good idea to follow up with questions about any gaps there may be or any new questions someone may have. I would imagine using Google Meet or Zoom would be a good way to meet face to face, but certainly, groups could share info on Open Space or another blog format. We also use Google classroom in our building to create student and staff groups to share resources, lesson plans, class activities, and assignments for students. 

INFOhio does such a good job of providing a variety of learning resources, not just for the students, but also, for professional training. Infohio Learning Pathways and the webinars are extremely useful. I would certainly include these resources along with the variety of Educator Tools that are avaible, for teaching staff to use any of the student resources they may need for their lesson plans.

I belong to several learning communitites and find the hardest part it finding the time. With that in mind I could create a Google classroom page for teachers/staff that would have all kinds of information relating to INFOhio resources and links to any new things shared monthly by INFOhio.  Teachers would have a way to access the information in a flexible space and respond to posts as necessary. It would be a casual group without too many expectations and more as a way to present information.

In almost any project or community of professionals, the biggest componant is time. Where do we find the time to be involved in a healthy way? I believe that self guided work online is the easiest way to achive these things. My teaching staff had an open chat thread for just themselves so they could be supportive of each other and share new ideas. I will be creating a new digital thread again that they can use and i can support with infohio so they have a way to access and ask what they want to know efficiently. this means i can also send them links they can easily access and more importantly, use as they feel necessary with a healthy work home balance.

I am starting a new position as an educational technology integration coach. I will be teaming with another coach and we will focus on our district educators PK-12 across all subject areas. We want to create a space for teachers to share what they are doing in their classrooms to celebrate and share the greatness within. We are working to brainstorm a streamlined way to do this. This could look like a resource hub of some sort so anyone can access materials. We will also be sharing "tech-tidbits" periodically in order to share resources. OpenSpace is an awesome resource for communication and resource/ideas sharing as well. Time is always a factor that plays into commitment, so having a way to virtually share/collaborate is awesome. 

I think starting a Google Classroom for the staff at our school would be a great start. It would allow staff to check and respond in their own time. It coud be a place for questions and ideas for resources available. It would be a great way to present the resources available from INFOhio. 

Adrienne I think that's a really good idea. I may try to initiate that at my schools. 

Yes, the staff could learn together. They are more aware of what classroom teachers needs are

I will try my best with this response. I dont really see myself initiating any new practices for the community of educators. I will try my best to use all the resources given to me that I have learned how to navigate thus far. It is my first year as an LRC tech. I went from being an assitant in an Achieve Unit with 6 kids, to working with every class in the building. Dont get me wrong, I love it so far. it has been very rewarding and exhausting. Im going to be honest, Im not fully into this INFOhio ICOACH training. Im more focused on making my library a welcoming enviroment for kids to experience a love for reading and learning. I want to learn the most I can about using inforhio, but being my first year, its all a little overwheming.  

To not have so many students that are unable to read and do math.  The core audiance is students and teachers as these are the people who have the greatest impact on our students.  With the interactive lessons that can be done at down time in school and at home to edcuate out children.  The community leaders should be staff and parents/those raising the students as they have the closest bond with them and impact them on a personal level.  To encourage students and sustain engagement, I think IWonder is really good as it has multiplayer games that allow students to play with other students which building learning and social skills.  Starting a google classroom with teachers where I can post links to various resources within Iready which will also allow for open discussion and one place to answer questions/concerns.  I think they should always be able to participate as long as they are willing to learn.

Working in 2 separate buildings the Communitiy is basically the same(teachers, parents, and students) just in different grade levels. So what I would share could be relatively different depending on whether its the High School or the Middle School. I can share resources with teachers casually in the hall or email, with students in class and parents during Open House.

The community for me would be my two schools I work at staff, students, parents, administators. I could use a google classroom to share and communicate with the commuity as someone else stated which is a great idea. You can have an open chat or stream to answer questions or post information or links. Keeping the communicationopen will help keep the engagement and adding interesting facts or findings will give them options to explore on their own.

Currently, I teach at a middle school and I am also a K-12 technology coach with another teacher in our district. The technology coach role is new to our district, so the information and resources provided during the ICoach course is extremely helpful. INFOhio has unlimited value to add to upcoming Professional Development, coaching cycles, small learning communities, and more. I can see the INFOhio resources also being shared during our middle school’s monthly newsletter that students, parents, and community members can access digitally. We also send a “Tech Tidbits” and quarterly “Donut Trivia Question(s)” which we can easily incorporate the knowledge of INFOhio resources. Specifically, as a coach, it is important to keep a welcoming, engaging, and life-long learning environment for the staff.

The community here at my building is working towards increasing rigor in all teaching. The core audience would be teachers, techs, and support staff. My role as librarian and our librarian/tech group are here to support increasing rigor using digital literacy, print, and STEM resources. I think the easiest way to implement these resources and strategies is to start small by suggesting various resources as I go to PLCs and staff meetings. From there I can work with staff to integrate digital literacy and HQIM to increase rigor in their content areas. Teachers will be motivated if it benefits them and will support their students. Our community leaders would be our content chair leaders or department heads. Resources, if easy to naviagate, can help with our goal of increasing rigor using HQIM. Teachers have been very responsive to STEM technology, but a little more hesitant with digital literacy resources. I think the reason for this is they often get overwhelmed with the gaps in students learning and understanding. The hope would be to encourage educators that this would be a way to bridge those gaps and that would increase engagement. I am able to provide training, suggestions, and support in their classrooms with my flexible schedule model. Time is always a barrier for each of us and I think the easiest way to engage with teachers is through their PLC time which they are already required to attend.

I am in my first year at a new school teaching 9th grade English. Next year I will have my same students, but will be 10th grade. My school principal approached our MS/HS ELA department several months ago regarding the fact that we are thr only department without at least a skeletal curriculum that outlines what each teacher should be teaching each year. The ELA standards are vague due to being skill based and there are a number of ways to reach those skills, so which grade should teach which skill?

We have not gotten to spend a lot of time on this question this year, so building a community through Open Space or Google Classroom would allow us to reflect on our teaching practices to make sure we are best serving our kids. The Ohio Curriculum Support Guide resource found on Infohio's resources for educators would be a great resource to get started with to evaluate our options. We could then each explore other resources and slowly work to build a curriculum with weekly or monthly check-ins. 

Coming out of the pandemic, our department has tried a host of techniques in our TBT meetings to increase engagement and share ideas.  As we are all ELA teachers or intervention specialists, we share a common focus however all come from different backgrounds.  We discovered that we also have different approaches to learning and engagement and left us at odds at times using different practices.  Some in our cohort excelled at virtual meetings, self-paced group discussions through a digital dialogue space and could create online presentations to share.  Others prefered a more 1-on-1 approach and liked the immediacy of the back and forth an in-person dialogue creates.  However, we did find that in either instance, continued engagement beyond our initial interactions was difficult to maintain.  I think this goes back the topic of this module in which it discussed the time and experience factor of adult learners.  Unlike school age children, adult learners are gaining education in supplement to their other responsibilites.  This requires an increased focus or drive to maintain engagement that sometimes even educators lack.  Finding the carrot (and avoiding the stick) when it comes to PD etc is something I am still struggling with in regards to our cohort. 

Time is one thing that most educators to not have nearly enough of on a routine basis.  So when planning a community to host PD it is important to make it valuable.  It needs to address specific needs and allow collaboration among those staff who are teaching in the same area.  I feel that the resources available in Infohio need to be highlighted with specific staff in mind.  These could be posted in an Open Space or in a Google Classroom that is just for the teachers it will serve not one huge community.  This will allow the facilitator to post an Infohio resource that will be specific to that community.  Staff can contribute virtually and plan a time to meet in person if that is a viable option.  A truly valuable resource will promote use and discussion for additional ways to use it thus making it sustainable. 

Designing a community would be useful for sharing resources. I think a 5-8 middle school science group would be nice to share resources and also learn about how other science teachers are teaching standards. Face-to-face meetings, staff meetings, and Google Classroom could be useful in sharing info. Two resources I think would be helpful for this group would be Today's Science and World Almanac for Kids. By sharing useful resources that teachers would be able to use immediately in the classroom, teachers would be more likely to participate. Setting up a weekly fun fact for science educators might help teachers to to engaged with the group. 

The Infohio.org platform equips educators with tools and resources essential for differentiated instruction, enabling them to address the diverse needs of their students effectively. In my role as the school librarian, I am positioned to assist educators in accessing instructional materials that cater to varying proficiency levels, learning preferences, and cultural backgrounds. Moreover, Infohio.org offers professional development opportunities focused on inclusive teaching practices and strategies tailored to support diverse learners. As the librarian, I play a vital role in serving our community by advocating for the integration of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) in classroom instruction, both for students and teachers, as well as during committee meetings. Through personalized guidance, I can demonstrate how to navigate the platform to locate tools and resources that support differentiated instruction, thereby empowering educators with the necessary support to meet the diverse needs of their students effectively.

As a trainer with many certifications to upkeep, I am required to teach so many sessions of professional development.  However, if there isn't buy-in by the adult learners in our building then it won't matter what I offer if they don't show up.  I believe that it is our responsibility to teach how the learner is going to learn and to teach content that is relevant and can be immediately applied to the learner's coursework.  This is what keeps our staff coming back to the PD sessions that I am allowed to offer.  

A solid community would focus on communication and collaboration. Relationship building would require a pooling of resources, sharing of experiences, willingness to learn new things and mutual respect. 

As the librarian at my school, I am serving a staff who often need supplemental materials or are looking for ways to increase rigor in an engaging way. We have a lot of tools in the library that can be shared with staff. I have found that it can be hard to implement training in a meaningful way because of time constraints and buy-in. I hope to be able to do some station rotation in the beginning of next school year to (re)introduce different resources to staff. Then throughout the year I might be able to invite staff to the library every few weeks to engage in a lesson or experience if they are interested. If they find value in what I am offering, hopefully they will seek me out.

This platform serves as a valuable resource for educators, providing a wealth of tools and materials essential for implementing differentiated instruction strategies. In my positiion as a media specialist, I serve as a  facilitator in connecting educators with these resources to meet the diverse needs of their students.

With Infohio.org, educators gain access to vast amounts of instructional materials tailored to various proficiency levels, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds. As a media specialist, I am dedicated to supporting educators in navigating this platform effectively, helping them discover resources that align with their instructional goals.

Additionally, Infohio.org offers professional development opportunities focused on inclusive teaching practices, equipping educators with the strategies needed to support diverse learners effectively. I am committed to promoting these opportunities and facilitating their integration into our school's professional development initiatives.

In my role, I advocate for the integration of high-quality instructional materials during committee meetings and within classroom instruction.

Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that educators feel supported in their efforts to meet the diverse needs of their students. 

I would say that my "community" is primarily the other LRC techs in the district and our audience is both the teachers in our school  and the scholars in our classes. My community has been gathered several times for educational purposes and/or to share "best practices" as it pertains to LRC classes. While I think this is good information (and perspective) to have, I don't really think that my role is a driver. 

As teachers are expected to do more and more, I have noticed any PD needs to be quick, specific, and in the moment of need. Giving them quick emails, videos, links, converstations, etc is much more effective. Constitution Day coming up? Oh look a collection of resources appeared in my email from our librarian. I keep collections of resources on topics in a format such as Symbaloo and deliver them at appropriate times. I have also set up a course in our LMS for teachers to access these and other information at any time. There are so many resources from INFOhio. As someone who has used them it is still overwhelming! 

 I think the idea below about creating a google classroom for staff at our building/district is a good start. Maybe next year my district could set aside some time for a brief PD on the features of INFOhio. I think many educators do not know all of the great resources that are available to them for FREE!!! A google classroom would help to build community and all an open space for questions and discussion that everyone in our district is familiar with using. Asking questions like those posted above will elicit a response from colleagues. Keeping the material and suggestions relevant will also keep colleagues engaged.   

The audience for INFOhio is mainly high school teachers and students. The platform gives educators the tools for differentiated instruction which is wonderful for students of all abilities at the high school. In my role as the adolescent literacy coach, I assist students and educators in accessing reliable materials that allow for safe, valid research. Also, Infohio.org offers professional development opportunities focused on teaching practices and strategies tailored to support learners of all abilities. I plan to meet with teachers and students to provide both profession development and in-class learning about the uses of the INFOhio platform. Creating engaging lesson for both students and staff will ensure the utilization of the platform for future years. 

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for each team have already been established.  The teams are grade level based, with the exception of electives. The goals of each team are driven by the school's yearly plan for success. Participation is mandatory and actions are data-driven.  In my team (electives), my role is that of researcher. Access to quality instructional materials is essential. Additionally, I use this meetng time to learn of the different projects in the classrooms and offer support where needed.

Within my role as an elementary school librarian serving grades K-5, I think the community I would hope to be a part of, and to help build, would be a community of teachers, support staff, students, and parents who are finding that there are resources on INFOhio that serve their needs. 

I've already begun to teach the basics of INFOhio navigation to my visiting classes in the library. My students are increasingly becoming familiar and adept at navigating the various resources INFOhio offers them.

In the future, I hope to expand the guidance I'm offering to not only students, but teachers and parents who will further aid students in accessing these resources.

 I work at two schools, one middle and one high school. I am the Library Clerical/Technician and work under the direction of two very talented and knowledgeable supervisors who are also InfOhio certified iCoaches.  I do not have the opportunity to carry out any instruction within the library.  Any training and scheduling falls to the discretion of the media specialists in the Library.  The best way that I can use the information that I have obtained through this training is to be able to collaborate with my supervisors and possibly give my opinions.  They would be the ones to create a 6 Hour Option training for the community of teachers.  They would instruct student classes visiting the library by teaching them the information about the programs offered through InfOhio.  The best I could do with this knowledge is to help assist teachers and/or students to navigate what they have learned from the media specialists.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

My school building's culture can be a bit different.  We are a very small staff, but very friendly and get along well.  We operate on a different school calendar and bell schedule than the rest of the district high schools.  Due to the fact that we are on a different calendar, I often miss out on district level professional development and meeting.  For this reason, sometimes it's easy to feel like you are out of an island.  There are not study halls in our master schedule either, so it can be a challenge getting kids into the library for use unless I can schedule classroom visits with teachers.  Our staff is very tech savy and very interested in new equipment and resources that I present to them.  The easiest way to present is during our Focus Fridays.  Twice a month we run an altered schedule in which students finsih at 1pm and we have professional development for the rest of the day.  If I ask my building principal for time to present to the staff she is very accomodating to provide me that time.  That is probably when I do the majority of presentations to the staff.  Although the staff is tech savy, it is sometimes a delicate procedure trying to implement new things.  It is a balance of trying to show the staff new strategies, resources, and technologies to help them while also trying to get them to alter their processes and procedures that many of them have been doing for years.  Implementing new things often takes self reflection afterwards and you work to improve each time.  

I too am a new LRC tech and this year I have used most of the InfoOhio apps; some more than others. I want to know that my students enjoy learning and reading in my class. Although, i don't know everything, that which I have explored on my own and with my class has all been a helpful resource and we both have gotten more excited about InfoOhio and how to use it.

A community of practice using INFOhio resources can enhance instructional practices and student outcomes by integrating high-quality instructional materials. It addresses the need for consistent professional development and resource sharing among teachers, coaches, and staff, promoting diverse perspectives and collaborative learning. The community can be implemented through online platforms, monthly meetings (virtual or in-person), and collaborative projects.

Educators would be motivated by the opportunity to improve their instructional practices with easy access to high-quality materials and peer collaboration aimed at enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. Leadership would involve a diverse group of invested members, providing varied perspectives and shared responsibility. Resources would serve as learning tools to improve instruction and student learning. Technology would support seamless communication, resource sharing, and collaboration. Flexible participation expectations ensure meaningful contributions with a high value-to-time ratio, making involvement purposeful and effective.

Hi Matthew. I very much agree that teachers would be motivated by the opportunity to improve their instructional practices with easy access to high-quality materials etc. Makes the buy-in or the initial commitment of time rather easy!

Our district has just created the roles of Technology Integration Coaches who will work with teachers who work with grades 4-6 in helping them integrate tech into their classrooms. I am one of the coaches, but there is only one per school. This will be difficult to discuss with other coaches how we are helping the teachers. By creating a community, the other tech integration coaches and I can work together to share ideas and work through issues that we come across throughout the year. I've been told that we can meet via Google Meet maybe once a month, but that doesn't seem to be enough. After going through this program, it seems that Open Space could be a great place for the integration coaches to collaborate more frequently. We could create a group, post resources, ask and answer questions. I'm wondering if there are other groups that already exist that I could join. The value that this group adds is that the coaches would not be trying to solve every problem on our own. We will be able to collaborate and move the district forward together, instead of individually. It might be difficult to keep up engagement on Open Space if most of the other people aren't using INFOhio on a consistent basis. I would have to send out a detailed procedure of how to create an account and join the group in order for there to be a chance for it to work. 

In my role, I am always focused on supporting my teachers so that they, in turn. can support the diverse needs of their students. With my peers, in the classroom, and on committees, I always advocate for the incorporation of high quality instructional materials. INFOhio offers educators opportunities for professional development. That professional development can include strategies for teaching diverse learners to planning engaging and effective lessons and enhancing rigor in our teaching practices - and just about everything in between. I believe it is important to discuss these opportunities with my peers. I am motivated to help support them to navigate the INFOhio platform and to help them uncover the resources that they need for success. Within this platform, teachers have access to such a wide variety of different instructional materials. The professional training, like the learning pathways and videos, are truly invaluable. These resources, along with multiple educator tools provide a flexible space for teachers to get the support that they need. Because time is such a huge issue during learning committees meetings, PLCs, and with schedules of educators  in general I believe presenting this is a win-win. I think getting the buy in that is necessary is easily attained here because with just a few examples teachers can see the value of INFOhio.

My community's purpose is to support our teachers and curriculum so that we can support our kids and their learning! I do this by running PDs and giving teachers infographics and direct links. These tools allow them to easily access resources that support their teaching without being overwhelmed by too much information. I try to disseminate information during TBT meetings so that I can curate each presentation to the needs of specific teachers. If teachers have more time and want to learn more, I have days built into the library schedule where they can come down and see me, or I will give them more information through email if they cant come down to the library.