Digital Journal #5
Delivering Professional Development and Coaching
This week I had the opportunity to put everything I have learned in my year-long program with Grand Canyon University by providing a site-wide Professional Development session for my colleagues, as well as administering a tailored one-on-one coaching session that aligned with the PD for my mentee, Holly Hamilton. The feedback I received from colleagues, my mentor, and my mentee confirmed that the sessions were effective, beneficial, and identified areas for modification, as well as opportunities for future growth in my practices as a technology coach.
Professional Development Feedback
Among the feedback I received, my mentor praised the presence of extensive research and preparation, my passion for Digital Citizenship, and my strong knowledge of Digital Citizenship tools and instructional practices. The teacher feedback confirmed that my choice to focus on Digital Citizenship aligned with their needs in the classroom and was an engaging and informative experience. The session universally reinforced the need for stronger Digital Citizenship initiatives on the Atascadero Middle School campus.
The successes I received positive feedback on stated that the content was researched and practical, the participants remained highly engaged, the resources provided were immediately applicable, the presentation successfully connected theory to classroom implementation, and viewers commented on my confidence and expertise. I had multiple teachers excited to learn more about Digital Citizenship and a desire to implement these lessons into our Advisory period each week. As a result of this professional development opportunity, I have been appointed to write weekly Digital Citizenship lessons for the AMS campus that will be administered synchronously in 38 classrooms weekly on Thursdays.
An area for improvement that I will be modifying for the final version is that I should focus less time on the research slide and spend more time in the session demonstrating using one of the Digital Citizenship curriculum tools. I plan to find a relevant lesson that I can administer in 5-10 minutes as part of the final version of the professional development.
Here is the SMART goal I wrote that will guide my continued professional development beyond my time at Grand Canyon University: By the end of Fall 2026 semester, I will design and facilitate at least two additional professional development sessions that include structured participant practice, reflection, and follow-up support. I will collect participant survey data with an average satisfaction rating of 4 out of 5 to evaluate my effectiveness during the subsequent professional development sessions. This SMART goal connects seamlessly to the ISTE-C Standard 4.3 Collaborator, which focuses on cultivating coaching relationships, identifying relevant learning content, evaluating the effectiveness, and personalizing my support for the educators I coach.
Coaching Session Feedback
I met with my mentee, Holly Hamilton to dig deeper into concerns she expressed about AI misuse she has seen in her classroom at Paloma Creek High School. This is an extension of the Digital Citizenship topics we discussed in the PD, and I was able to demonstrate three AI tools and how they could be used properly in her classroom. My mentee described our coaching session as excellent, wonderful, engaging, and useful. The session pivoted from a demonstration to a collaborative work session where we both learned from each other’s expertise areas. It was the dynamic I hope to achieve in all future coaching relationships. Together, we built an NGSS-aligned science syllabus using Oboe. We explored MagicSchool AI tools including the Unit Plan Generator, adding YouTube video questions, and the Presentation Generator. In Wayground, we used the AI feature to create curriculum-aligned assessments with higher-order thinking responses. We also discussed the wide array of accommodations and assessment data that Wayground provides for educators.
Holly and I agreed that we developed a strong coaching relationship over our 12 weeks working together during the summer months and were very grateful to have had this learning opportunity. We created a seamless and collaborative learning environment. We successfully developed practical classroom products during our sessions. The coaching time reinforced concepts that were introduced during the professional development session that Holly participated in, and gave us the opportunity to provide individualized support. It was a massive success.
I have developed a SMART goal as a result of my time coaching Holly: By the end of the 2026-27 school year, I will prepare at least three ready-to-use classroom examples before every coaching session and coach a minimum of three teachers, collecting feedback after each session with an average rating of 4 out of 5 for usefulness and clarity. This SMART goal connects with the ISTE-C Standard 4.2 Connected Learner, which includes committing to continuous improvement as a technology coach.
Both experiences strengthened my confidence as a technology coach and immediately set me up for success as I joined our Campus Leadership Team this week. My mentor and mentee feedback confirmed my strengths in building healthy coaching relationships, researching effective tools, and designing engaging learning experiences for my colleagues. My SMART goals focus on making my professional development and coaching sessions even more intentional, practical, and impactful while continuing to align my practices with the ISTE Standards for Coaches.
