FIVE things that you can do in your community to encourage people to take a step forward. These five things use five different approaches – so if you are trying to build a professional learning community, these are approaches that address the behavioral motivators of staff and reduce the push-back. I’ve found that covert methods are far more effective than head on training, so I try to address behavior not skills when working with a new group of educators.
Context – hit up heads of departments with this one – find out what they are struggling to do; just ONE thing. “Which would be your priority”.
Peer Support – helping friends connect and share as individuals
Personal Aspects – Photobooks are tactile; go make one at SnapFish or BigW; and share something about your family or interests in the staffroom. This is great to draw in the reluctant.
URL Shortners – great staffroom/meeting demo – shows them how a simple tool can train students how to take down an big URL or give you one. This helps improve the perception that computers are rubbish.
Screen Demos – don’t waste your time trying to rally people to lunch-time meetings, take the time to sit and read your Feedly. Provide PD via email; as elevator conversations. It takes 10 minutes to make and spam the office. It also put you at arms length from the critics and sabateurs.
1. Context – Don’t show a tool, solve a problem in their own backyard – or invent one which they can add value to or improve; don’t ‘train’.
2. Peer Support – Show technologies that will connect them better to peers that they like working with.
3. Personal Aspects – Photobooks and online storage! – Make a photobook using Snapfish and show them. They’ll want one too.
4. URLS shortners– show them how them in unit outlines or write them out faster for students – it demonstrates how to save time, not waste it.
5. Make screen demos – keep them 2-4 minutes; and don’t edit them! Make them short and conversational and pitch them at absolute novice; newcomer; beginner; intermediate … don’t teach experts (they can teach themselves). Spam your community via email with your Blip.tv channel.
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