Part II: Technology Shouldn't Be Absent When the Teacher Is: Flipped Video Instruction for Substitute Teachers

Watch Reserve Teacher Technology Training Video (7 Mins)

A while ago I wrote that Technology Shouldn't Be Absent When the Teacher Is. I mentioned how critical it is that the substitute teacher step right in without any problems so student learning continues and listed five ways to ensure this happened. In Minnetonka because so much instruction is done with the help of technology, it is super important that all of our reserve teachers know how to use it. There is so much a reserve teacher needs to know: from turning on the projector and sound field, to finding the electronic lesson plans and taking attendance, to troubleshooting and classroom management in a 1:1 environment, to working with Schoology, iPads, and SMARTBoards.

In the previous post, I explained that one of the five ways to ensure substitute teachers are ready is to provide them with training. Unfortunately, not all of our reserves can get to our fall training session or were even working in our schools when the training was offered, so we recently created some flipped instruction videos to show any reserves in Minnetonka the basics of using and managing our technology in the classroom. Middle School West Instructional Technology Coach Sara Hunt worked with our videographer, Andy Smith, to create a series of instructional videos. The seven minute video can either be watched in its entirety or is split into the following short segments for reserves to easily view only what they don’t know:

• Starting Your Day with Technology
• Accessing Electronic Lesson Plans
• Taking Attendance
• Using the Classroom Soundfield
• Schoology Basics
• SMART Board Basics
• iPad Basics
• Tech to Facilitate Learning
• Ending Your Day

Sara scripted out the videos to get to the essentials of what reserve teachers need to know. She also gathered some student volunteer actors and obtained parents’ permission to be filmed for public viewing. The the segment about “Tech for Learning”, she shares classroom management tips and common vocabulary used in our 1:1 iPad classrooms. With reserve teachers having this knowledge about both behavior management and how to operate technology, they will be even better equipped to insure that learning is uninterrupted when the regular classroom teacher is absent.

Related Posts:

• Technology Shouldn't Be Absent When the Teacher Is: 5 Ways to Ensure Substitutes Are Ready
• Home Sick? Absent Minnetonka Students Caught Up Before They Return
• Minnetonka's 1:1 iPad Student Training & Setup Checklist & Flipped Student PD