Working Together To Make It Happen

A Summary Presented by Team 4: Kim Canipe, Aundrea Dumot, Marilyn Poston, and Marc Brice

IssuesShort Term•DPI has no set plan in place for hosting the showcase event.

•Meetings do not have designated leaders for agendas and meeting procedures.

•The project has not been communicated clearly or included all areas of the school community.

Long Term•One long-term issue is the implementation of the connective technology in the district. 30% of all members in the county are expected to be involved in the mentoring project. How will this occur when members of the “leadership” committee cannot work as a team.

PerspectivesTeachers, Students, Corporate Representative, Parents, Community, System and DPI

•no nonsense ready to work•laid back and taking it easy•stressed and worried•willing to offer a helping hand•technology expertise•project expertise•mad and irritated at the issue•needing to provide harmony and all getting along•communicators•non communicators•organizers•non organization

PerspectivesTeachers, Students, Corporate Representative, Parents, Community, System and DPI

The principal wants to positively publicize the school and its involvement with the community. The principal also wants to address the parent’s concern.

The teachers believe that this project is engaging their students. By getting more teachers on board, more students can learn. Other teachers believe that this is a waste of time and that things are fine just the way that they are. Their kids are passing the EOC’s right?

The students think the project is fun and engaging!

The community members believe that this showdown is a lot of work. Yes, it is great publicity, but the company is overwhelmed.

The parents believe this initiative is too costly. Money should be spent on teachers, textbooks, and the students. Students should not spend all day in front of a computer screen.

Actions

•Collaboration expertise

•Use of Tips and advice acquired from other people through observation

• If schools/districts knew after the Showcase event each year which school would be hosting , then there would be time to prepare and collaborate.• Many of the team members are frustrated and aggravated that the

plan is not going as planned. If things are not better organized and a back-up plan put in place then the showcase may have to be postponed or cancelled. If this were to happen the adult participants will be embarrassed and the school will look bad in the community. All of the positive publicity the project has received to date will become negative. This could have negative consequences for everyone involved. There will be finger pointing and hurt feelings. No one wants to take the blame when things fail, but everyone wants to celebrate when things go well. These consequences are short-term but unpleasant nonetheless.

Consequences

Actions•Use of their basic knowledge about hardware/equipment and software

•Search of a spokesperson

•Organized plans and meetings

•Students aid approach

•Willing to utilize best practice examples for technology integration

• Establishing a committee and choosing officers to establish meeting times/dates as well as a agenda can run a meeting effectively and efficiently.

• Include participants from the community, parents, teachers, students and all curriculum areas of the school.

• The greatest consequence of the showcase not taking place as initially planned would be the disappointment to the students that have been involved and done a lot of work for the project. This may possibly kill their enthusiasm for future projects. It is unfair to students to get them hyped up about a project and then not see it through due to lack of communication, planning and focus. Adults chastise students for these behaviors but then turn around and exhibit them themselves. These consequences are more long term.

Consequences

There is a lack of communication between those involved in the project. Members have thoughts that are not being shared with others on the team. Some members seem to communicate with those that they are more “friendly”: with and some friends that are not currently involved with the project. In order for a project to be successful, there must be honest , open and frequent communication among those involved. Feelings and thoughts must be discussed and problems need to be ironed out. In scene 6 it appears that parents have not been informed of the benefits of the project nor been made aware of the benefits of the use of technology in the classroom. They do not seem to understand the importance of technology in the 21st century classroom. If parents are not made aware of the benefits of what is taking place in the school the results can be devastating. Lack of parental support is one of the most significant problems in public schools. If parents are not supporting programs by becoming involved nor monetarily a school will have problems. Once an influential parents starts tearing down a program other parents will jump on board quickly. When parents aren’t informed and made aware of what’s going on in a school all kinds of wrong assumptions are made. It is better to communicate with parents continuously rather than waiting until problems occur.

Consequences

The lack of organization is causing frustration and stress. The team should have maybe given a little more time for planning, and making sure that everyone involved had truly bought in to the project and was able to dedicate the amount of time that was going to be needed. When people feel rushed they do not put forth their best effort. During meeting some where thinking about dinner, kids, other projects, etc. This demonstrates a lack of focus. If things were more organized, meeting kept focused and to the point then maybe more could have been accomplished.

Consequences

Actions

•Sharing the success of one area with all areas of the school.

•Involve all stakeholders.

Consequences• Students attend more than one class and have

multiple talents.• Involve other areas such as the arts and English

departments for signs, proofreading , itineraries, and support positions for the Showcase event.• Get PTO/PTA to organize lunch/snacks and volunteer

to assist.

Actions

•Implementation of a so-called “connective technology”

Consequences• It will be difficult to get 30% of members on board

with mentoring a project. This could bring and end to the program if not handled correctly.• All stakeholders must be involved and sold on the

program.

KnowledgePersonal Experiences

•The mentoring project reminds one of our members about skyping with pen pals in Ohio.

•This case reminds us of working with others in regards to technology and the frustrations and the rewards that go along with technology integration in the classroom.

•This case reminds us of people at work complaining about the new technology and that there is too much to do.

•This case reminds us of technology upsetting parents and teachers because of the cost.

KnowledgePractical Experiences

•Teachers and students have difficulty with technology.

•Should we integrate technology into learning or learning into technology?

•How should parents deal with ineffective meetings?

•How should principals deal with upset parents?

KnowledgeTheory/Research

•Benefits of the mentoring project are clear.

•30 % of teachers are to be involved within the next 6 months.

KnowledgeWant To Know

•We wanted to know these things throughout the case:

• Who else is involved? Other parents, teachers, students?

• Will someone take on the leadership role?

• Why isn’t the committee more organized?

• Why hasn’t the planning been done ahead of time?

KnowledgeFacts about the case

•The case is told by different perspectives.

•The members of the committee meet to discuss the showdown.

•They need to decide who will be the spokesperson.

•They need to plan the logistics for their presentation and the showdown.

KnowledgeFacts about the case

•Many committee members are complaining to others and not discussing it as a group.

•Complaints include no agenda, members are not committed, and there is no leadership.

•There is trouble with coordinating and getting community support.

•A specific parent is upset about the money being spent, are other parents also upset with the Virtual Mentoring Project?

KnowledgeThe link below provides a list of 9 “Best Practices” as established by Connecticut State Department of Education.http://ctserc.org/s/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=28

•Is there a clear and common goal for all stakeholders?•Do Teachers believe and hold high standards for all students?•Does a strong leadership exist?•Is learning supported, relevant and personalized?•Does parent and community involvement exist?•Is curriculum and instruction challenging?•Is learning continually monitored and adjusted?•Is professional and instructional support given?•Is the structure flexible and is time utilized wisely?

Recommendations

•DPI must come up with a plan of choosing schools to host the Showcase Event. It can be round robin, volunteering, previous winners, or even drawing names. For a school to fully be ready to present, the host needs to know at the conclusion of each years Showcase Event.

Recommendations

•We believe that there needs to be someone who goes in and takes leadership over the committee in charge of the showcase showdown. This person will create an agenda, keep members on task, address all concerns, and lead on a positive note. This person will be the organizer and assign tasks to committee members as necessary.

Recommendations

•The project needs to be clearly communicated to all stakeholders and get everyone involved in the process while keeping them informed of the process, costs and details.

Recommendations

•In the long-term, the district needs technology facilitators to address teacher, parents, and community concerns before moving forward. Everyone needs to be involved in the training, so that everyone can be involved in the project. The stakeholders will be more willing to be involved and participate in mentoring projects when informed.