Velma’s Blog

It was a fairly intense day. I missed Ross Treadwell’s introduction as I thought we had to meet at the Old Adelaide Motor Inn first. It must have been short as I was there by 9:10 a.m. The city traffic takes some getting used to – noise, cars darting in and out of lanes, slow travel. I needed lots of concentration as I didn’t know what roads to take to get first to the Inn and then to tsof. That is symbolic of the journey that I have now begun.

Adult learning seems to be headed in a different direction to past eras. There was lots of talking in small groups; lots of self discovery facilitated by the leadership team. Louise Bywaters talked about qualitative research and that includes what the learners think at the time. I was surprised we weren’t told what the eTeacher program was about and what the role of the eTeacher is. But in another way it wasn’t surprising as the tsof site had already told us these things. By asking us to talk about it, it soon became obvious that we hadn’t really grasped our role. Yet as we shared our discussion with the whole group the role and the program began to crystalise.

It seems that I need to work with my Principal and set an ‘eTeacher’ day for myself. Initially it can be a set day such as every Thursday but the flexibility still needs to be there and understood by the Principal and my tandem. Oh, dear! Back to tandeming again. That’s another level of complexity to work out. I don’t feel ready for District connections yet, especially seeing I work in the biggest Primary School in the state. The potential there is enormous. And yet I must make District connections as it is a distinctly District role. I still need to work out how to do that.

I enjoyed Louise Bywaters sessions. She was realistic and practical. I also enjoyed a chat with her over lunch about other aspects of life. From that I learnt it’s OK to be real. In fact it is very helpful to be real because other people can connect with you on multiple levels and then they are more likely to listen to you on a professional level. It is a way of effectively getting people onside and spreading your influence.

Change is a messy, chaotic process. I like things linear and organised so that is going to be a challenge to me. However, I also recognise that I am able to knit new ideas into current practice. Flexibility is a must and I have learnt to be flexible in the last 20 years.

Some practical things to do from Louise’s sessions –
1. Keep a log of my skills and abilities and have them verified by my Line Manager
2. Collect data so that I have evidence of results and successes
3. Build up a team of allies. Work with the willing and able.
4. Follow protocols for communicating e.g. address info ‘To the Principal: for the ICT co-ordinator’ so Principal gets a look but also knows can delegate
5. Do a few things well. Only have 40 days per year
6. Staff Meeting – have a spot to pass on progress, what’s happening, ppt show
7. Write my vision statement for the eTeacher role – put it on Moodle, see what others write and then refine it as we come to a common understanding
8. Make a list of my strategic directions
a. Create events which improve outcomes in engagement and learning for both teachers and students. Link it to SACSA
b. Communicate with others – uncover the protocols and processes
c. People – network, create an e-learning identity for myself
d. Evaluate as I go. Demonstrate that eLearning is a more efficient, cheaper way to use teachers and resources and to improve student outcomes.
e. Sustainability – make it a generative process, train up others
9. Document what is happening in my site currently using S.W.O.T. This is baseline data so I can show what has changed over time. It will also be a useful tool for Case Study Assignment due 21st April
10. To change anything need to work on 4 fronts – people, structures, influencing, culture. Last two are ‘hidden’, below the line stuff. (Boleman & Deal)
11. Make S.M.A.R.T.E. plans – strategic (part of vision, big rocks), manageable (in the time frame and my capabilities, look after myself), achievable (start small, walk first), resourced (keep within limits and budgets), time (b,m,e), evidence (collect to show making a difference)
12. Manage up – communicate once a month with line managers (school, District, tsof). One page. Dot points. Take ½ hr only. Headings – re successes, plans, support needed, new learning needed, feedback
13. Plan each month using Covey’s Quadrant – Important – Urgent/Not urgent and Not Important – Urgent/Not urgent
14. Buy Stephen Covey’s ‘First Things First’ re time management and read (N.B. C.O.P.E. might have it – near tsof. I checked Tuesday – they don’t. Can get it in. Printed 1999)

Jill Roberts session was frustrating because people were rude and kept talking. She had a lot to offer and needs a medal for persevering despite opposition. The tool seemed to be surprisingly accurate in showing our preferred way of working. I’d like to do another session when people were more settled.(This is me at my judging best/worst!) Some of the terms were ‘technical’ – like sensing and intuiting – and the letters did not match e.g. N=intuiting. I don’t think I’ve quite grasped it enough to use on other people – even as just an observation tool. It gave Sue Hollands the information she needed for our group. I think I am an ISTJ i.e. introverting, sensing, thinking, judging. There is plenty to read on it but I don’t think I will spend time on it.

Now it’s 11:15 – two hours after normal bedtime – and I haven’t read all the stuff. Also haven’t written ‘Who Am I?’ tomorrow looks even busier than today. Think I’d better sleep in. Just hope I can.