How Can Tech Coaches Continue Teacher Technology Adoption Following COVID-19?

Tech Coaches carry the important role of supporting teachers with technology integration in the classroom. During this unprecedented time, it is even more important that there is a connection between teachers and the adoption of technology. 

Looking forward, following COVID-19, a goal for tech coaches should be to continue to grow teacher technology adoption. Yet, a challenge is that teachers may find their busy schedules and lack of interest standing in the way of adopting new technology. 

While talking to former principal, and CEO of Gomo Ed Services, Dr. Josue Falaise, we learned about his success in inspiring teachers to adopt technology through modeling.

How To Use Modeling to Promote Teacher Technology Adoption

Dr. Josue found that teachers were more willing to adopt technology when they discovered how it leads to successful outcomes for their students. Therefore, if tech coaches model their practices with technology to show its success, teachers will be more likely to buy-into the technology, increasing teacher technology adoption. Some techniques Dr. Josue used to model his success in teacher technology adoption are the flipped classroom model and gamification. 

1. Teacher Technology Adoption Through the Flipped Classroom Model 

The concept of a flipped classroom model is that student learning happens at home, and time at school is spent problem solving.  Dr. Josue explained the benefit of a flipped classroom as, “When they [the students] go to school they’re asking questions; and that’s true learning.” 

A flipped classroom model promotes an increase in student creativity, as students are typically more intrigued by technology than teachers. The promotion of spending time at home to work on learning new information allows students more time to explore technology’s benefits. In turn, a flipped classroom model allows for increased efficiency in the classroom for the teacher, leading to increased teacher technology adoption. Teachers will spend less time teaching students the basics of the lesson and more time answering their questions and conducting discussions. 

After Dr. Josue implemented a flipped model in a classroom, he found those students to have significantly higher test scores than every other classroom. Increasing student results and achievement will ultimately persuade faculty to buy-into teacher technology adoption. 

2. Gamification’s Success in Teacher Technology Adoption

Gamification is the application of using game playing, to encourage engagement within a group – specifically students. Dr. Josue gave an example of how he used gamification in a faculty meeting to promote teacher technology adoption. During the meeting Dr. Josue used a popular online game, Kahoot, to grow teacher engagement with the content they were discussing. After that meeting, Dr. Josue observed that more than half the staff ended up using this tactic in the classroom. 

Through Dr. Josue modeling gamification, he was able to successfully introduce a new tool that grew teacher technology adoption in their classrooms. 

It is important that tech coaches are always looking to increase teacher technology adoption. As stated best by Dr. Josue, “Independent professional development at the same time as showing technology to teachers to get buy-in and map that buy-in directly to student results and achievement is the easiest way to sell what you’re trying to implement at your school.” 

Listen to our full conversation with Dr. Josue Falaise

On this episode of Tackling Tech Podcast powered by Dyknow, Brett McGrath talks with Dr. Josue Falaise about building professional learning communities with teachers and students who are digital citizens and also ensuring cultural competency within K12 school systems.