PD fit for a Rockstar

I was so excited to participate in CUE's Rockstar PD, TOSA, edition this weekend. I have had great experiences at big CUE conferences in Napa and Palm Springs, so I hoped that the smaller setting and longer sessions would result in an even better experience.  I was not disappointed!

My Key Take Aways

1. Better PD Structures One of the key inspirations I wanted was a better way to lead PD for my teachers.  My workshops follow a traditional listen and learn format.  I have been looking for more engaging ways to model best teaching practices.  

Think of it like a meal. Ryan O'Donnell suggested that you include these elements in every PD session.

• Cocktails first-during the first 5-10 minutes get your participants up and interacting in a quick and fun way.  Some suggestions included scavenger hunts, people bingo, and name on the back games. (I will be implementing some of these this year.)
• Appetizers-next up is something to share.  Get participants sharing what they do in their own practice.  I can use digital tools like a padlet or hyperdoc (or a hyperdoc linked to multiple padlets=mindblown!).
• Main Dish-Give them the content they came for.  It is key to remember good presentation design.  Don't over fill my slides with text, use graphics and videos to engage the audience. If I have notes or instructions, I can put that in the presenter sections.
• Dessert-Every good meal ends with something that leaves you happy. Give aways (hey why not collect all of the extra stickers at the end of the conference, teachers love to decorate their laptops!) and game shows make a fun and exciting way to leave teachers inspired.  

2. Tools All four of the sessions I attended had me walking away with ideas for making my life easier.  Some of them were tools I was already using with new ideas, others were totally new.

• Google Slides is a great way to create a newsletter.  I can move the newest week to the top, and everyone will still have easy access to old editions.  Thanks to Ryan's excellent advice, I'm going to add some fun into my newsletter through movie identification challenges and gifs.
• Google Forms I already use Google Forms for feedback.  My feedback is sparse, and not very helpful.  Ben Cogswell  gave me some great ideas for improving my feedback.  One thing I'm going to work on is publishing my feedback.  To start, I'm going to do quick surveys at the beginning of PD.  I will then quickly show the results and adjust the session based on participant needs.
• The Hub I have wanted to build a PD website since August.  I have made countless presentations, videos, and other resources.  I think one way to share those resources is through this blog.  A blog can be difficult to navigate.  I'm going to work on including my resources in a resource section of the website.  
• Innovator's Compass Ann Kozma  introduced the Innovator's Compass, a tool for guiding conversations that help us dig deep into issues.  I plan to introduce this tool to the coaches and leadership in my district.

3. Share my strengths At the last session, I had the opportunity to connect with several TOSAs that had recently started sketchnoting. Typically, I sit quietly in a corner taking my notes.  I'm embarassed when my neighbors look over and are impressed with my meager attempts at "art."  These ladies were excited to flip through my journal and get ideas for their own practice.  I take inspiration from others, I should pay it forward and share my work. So, I'm going to start putting my Bullet Journal spreads on social media, this way others can be inspired.

---