A school technology program thrives when the faculty actively uses technology in teaching core curriculum subjects. To become integrated into every part of student learning, technology programs need to shift away from the traditional computer teacher/computer class model. To accomplish this, teachers need consistent mentoring and support in the development of their technology teaching skills. Therefore, at the heart of the Educate Faculty Mentoring program are the Educate Technology Coaches.

Our Tech Coaches are well trained, experienced educators. They work one-on-one, in the classroom with teachers to create a highly customized faculty mentoring program that is:

On-going and consistent—Tech Coaches spend at least one full day of classes each week in a school. They show teachers how to use technology as a teaching tool. This consistent relationship allows teachers to develop technology skills at their own pace. The Tech Coach is able eliminate obstacles to technology use by addressing issues and questions right away. Tech Coaches quickly become valued members of the school community.

Utilizes the technology resources available at each school—Tech Coaches are experts in using educational hardware and software. They drive the use of technology by maximizing whatever resources each school has to offer—PC’s, laptops, interactive white boards, digital multimedia, etc As new technology is acquired by a school, the Tech Coach is there to overcome any set up glitches and introduce it to teachers.

Individualized and supportive—Our Tech Coaches assess each teacher’s skill and comfort level using technology in their instruction. With an Educate Tech Coach, teachers learn first by “seeing” appropriate technology use and then “doing” with guidance. When a teacher is not comfortable using technology, the Tech Coach models its use, but quickly steps back and lets the teacher take control of the learning environment.

As teachers progress in their skill development, the Tech Coach works with them to refine skills, locate resources and develop technology lessons and projects.

Collaborative—The Technology Coach meets with individual teachers throughout the day to discuss where in the curriculum technology might be used. They exchange ideas and share resources and best practices from Educate’s partner schools. Educate Tech Coaches collaborate with classroom teachers over 4000 times each year often developing lessons and projects using a combination of software packages, thousands of pre selected web sites and the Educate library of technology based lesson plans.

Based on the core curriculum—Lessons and projects are created by the teacher and Tech Coach based on what is being taught in their classroom. This allows technology to become a daily teaching tool focusing on core curriculum subject material.