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ISTE Coaching Reflective Journal

Roseann Blaszak

Grand Canyon University

TEC-595: Instructional Technology Capstone

Dr. Helen Teague

November 23, 2022

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Journal Entries

Characteristics of a High-Quality Mentor and Mentee and Types of Collaboration

Being an educator requires a special set of skills that goes beyond academics. The same

is true for a mentor. There are characteristics that a person needs to be a quality mentor. Being

an active listener, providing support, and encouraging reflection of practices all represent the

qualities of a good mentor (Kalish, 2022). The person that I chose to be my mentor possesses

these qualities. She always takes the time to answer my questions and encourages me to break

out of my comfort zone. She also obtained her master’s degree in instructional technology

from GCU, so she knows what is expected and uses that knowledge to motivate me. We also

share a similar belief system, so there are times when our collaboration is more of a spiritual

check in, which I appreciate.

Additionally, there are characteristics that a mentee can possess when developing this

relationship. Setting clear and realistic goals, having a willingness to receive feedback, and

participating in the relationship by asking questions can define a high-quality mentee (Reeves,

2020). By demonstrating these characteristics, it can establish a productive relationship built

on dedication and mutual respect.

When it comes to collaboration, in person works best for me. I am a hands-on type of

person. By letting my mentor know this, she can demonstrate different skills and allow me to

apply what I have learned. My mentee also prefers to meet in person and have hands on

experience. She expressed that she is a visual learner and needs to see the technology in action.

Personal Mission and Vision Statement of Technology

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Mission Statement: Although there are some who hesitate to embrace technology, it can

make a huge difference in the landscape of education. It provides teachers with a plethora of

resources to enhance learning techniques, lesson delivery, and aide in differentiating instruction.

For students, it allows them to obtain and utilize information more effectively and efficiently.

This helps students become independent and critical thinkers. Additionally, it provides those

students who need accommodations for learning, equitable access to assistive tools, such as

immersive reader and speech to text features. Without the technology resources and tools,

students with special needs or disabilities may not receive what they need to be successful.

Vision Statement: A technology coach wears many hats. They are the ones that can make

implementing technology in the classroom easier and more effective by offering support to the

school community when needed. Coaches will continue to attend professional development to

stay current with new and emerging techniques and tools. This allows them to provide the best

support necessary. Coaches will take the information, distribute it, and collaborate with the

school community to enhance learning throughout the school.

The mission and vision statements mentioned above represent the ISTE-C Standard 1:

Change Agent. The standard states, “coaches inspire educators and leaders to use technology to

create equitable and ongoing access to high-quality learning” (ISTE, 2022). By supporting the

staff, providing new and innovative techniques, and collaborating with colleagues, the level of

learning and engagement will be enhanced within the classroom.

Technology Landscape Assessment

The Elizabeth Public School district is a large, urban district that provides high level

education to students in Pre-K-12 th grade. There is a one to one initiative, providing all

teachers and students with devices and wi-fi access to utilize during their lessons through Title
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I funding. Microsoft Teams, Office and the Learning Management System, Schoology are all

used to promote engagement, collaboration, data analysis, and more. The Elizabeth Public

School’s district level vision related to technology states, “Our vision for Digital Learning is

that our students will attain the necessary 21st Century skills to succeed in today’s global

technologically based society” (Elizabeth Public Schools, 2022). Their mission is to continue the

development and use of instructional technology within the classrooms and the community. The

SAMR Model is used to enhance teaching and learning during the school day, before school

tutoring, and in the afterschool academic programs. Each school is urged to have a technology

team consisting of teachers and administrators who can provide instruction on the tools and

applications such as Schoology, Microsoft translator, Smartboards, etc. Working with my

mentor, I obtain knowledge of digital tools that I can then share with my mentee and other

members of the school community to integrate technology to enhance teaching and learning.
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Reference

Elizabeth Public Schools. (n.d.). Technology and information systems / instructional technology.

Elizabeth School District / Homepage. https://www.epsnj.org/Page/3552 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2022). ISTE standards: Coaches.

https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-coaches 

Kalish, A. (2020). 7 qualities that make a good mentor (and how to find someone who has

them all). The Muse.   https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-find-qualities-good-

mentor

Reeves, M. (2018, December 30). Characteristics of a good mentee: Together mentoring

software. RSS. https://www.togetherplatform.com/blog/characteristics-of-a-good-

mentee 
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Needs Assessment Survey -Week 2

Link to Needs Assessment Survey:

https://forms.office.com/r/xFaWdc9vv6

Why Surveys Are Important?

Surveys provide users simple, time and cost efficient, and effective ways of gathering

data that can be used to enhance and improve a product (DeFranzo, n.d.). In this case, the survey

that was given focused on the variety of professional development desired to enhance learning.

The survey was administered to 15 different people, including 2nd to 8th grade teachers, fine arts

teachers, my mentee Cindy, mentor Sonia, and administrators. The respondents answered

questions based on the type of professional development they wanted, whether they wanted the

training in person or virtual, how often they preferred to receive training, and methods to be

informed about professional development (Blaszak, 2022).

What the Data Revealed

The results of the survey revealed that the majority of the respondents, regardless of their

role in the school building, felt that the professional development they received so far has been

effective. Knowing this, I can build upon what has already been implemented and add new and

innovative techniques and strategies to bolster learning and teaching practices. In addition, they

also preferred to have monthly, virtual professional developments through the use of a pre-

recorded videos. This information can help me to collaborate with my mentor Sonia to plan a

yearlong professional development agenda, focusing on different instructional videos distributed

to the school community in an effort to enhance teaching and learning.

What Now?
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Based on the data, a majority of the participants requested a professional development

training video on digital tools. As mentioned previously, my mentor Sonia and I can utilize this

information to devise a effective professional development. The digital tool I will begin with is

Padlet, as that was the example digital tool I offered in the survey. My mentor can help me to

create an instructional video demonstrating how to use Padlet in different ways, from engaging

students in the classroom to utilizing it for staff meetings and even community engagement.

How the ISTE-C Standards are Supported

The survey allowed data to be generated, but how is that data used? The data collected

can help coaches to personalize the instruction and pinpoint what objectives and goals a teacher

wants to achieve in order to enhance engagement and learning in their classroom (Beglau et al.,

2011). The ISTE-Coaching Standards act as guidelines for coaches to provide support when it

comes to integrating and maintaining high level technology instruction (ISTE C, 2022).

Mentee’s Needs Assessment

The data provided by the survey closely compared to the needs of my mentee Cindy. The

overall data showed that most people wanted to learn how to implement and utilize different

digital tools. Cindy is interested in doing the same in her World History classroom. As

previously mentioned, Padlet is the first digital tool that is going to be utilized. I can develop

professional development instructional videos to help Cindy, fellow educators, and

administration to provide impactful implementation of technology to enhance teaching and

learning.
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Reference

Beglau, M.; Hare, J.; Foltos, L.; Gann, K.; James, J.; Jobe, H.; Knight, J.; & Smith, B. (2011).

Technology, coaching, and

community. ISTE. https://www.ri-iste.org/Resources/Documents/Coaching_Whitepaper

_digital.pdf

Blaszak, R. (2022). Digital needs assessment survey. https://forms.office.com/r/xFaWdc9vv6

DeFranzo, S.E. (n.d.). 4 Main benefits of survey research. https://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/4-

main-benefits-survey-research/
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Yearlong Professional Development Plan-Week 3

Link to Yearlong Professional Development Plan:

https://mygcuedu6961-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/rblaszak_my_gcu_edu/
ESm3Imk0LnFHghRY-miW9lYBSh97ev0FvdWecHER6I7SXA?e=fetJTx

Feedback on Professional Development Plan

Providing students with feedback is important in helping them to build upon their strengths

and identify their weaknesses in order to improve their work (Stenger, 2014). The same can be

said for providing feedback to adults. When the initial yearlong professional development plan

was completed, my mentee Cindy, mentor Sonia, and I sat and collaboratively reviewed it. They

pointed out that although the activities and resources provided seemed to be engaging and

effective, they were geared towards Language Arts instruction. As mentioned previously, Cindy

is a World History teacher and Sonia is a science teacher. Learning how to utilize a website like

NoRedInk.com which concentrates on grammar, was engaging but the skills were not adaptable

and didn’t necessarily lend itself to their content areas. One of the principles of adult learning

described by Dr. Knowles is that there needs to be a “buy-in” for the learning to be authentic

(Lee, n.d.). For my mentee Cindy and mentor Sonia there was no “buy-in.” I replaced the

activities related to NoRedInk.com and added digital tools such as Padlet and learning models

such as SAMR that provided more skills-based activities versus content, which is also another

principle that is important in adult learning (Lee, n.d.).

Qualitative and Quantitative Feedback

Another important aspect of feedback is deciding which type to use, quantitative or

qualitative. Quantitative feedback relies on observations to determine the likes and dislikes of a

program and where it can be improved (Lidden, 2022). Quantitative feedback, however, relies on
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specific numbers and statistics gathered through surveys and evaluations (Lidden, 2022).

Receiving both types of feedback from stakeholders is important because it allows the

technology coach to focus on specific topics or areas of improvement that are needed. In

addition, the statistics can provide concrete evidence if those specific areas do indeed need

attention or if there are other areas that require more consideration. The technology teacher can

analyze these results and help the stakeholders make the best decisions possible when it comes to

technology instruction.

Collaboration and Feedback

Engaging in collaboration and providing and receiving feedback is essential in

developing an effective and productive work environment. The ISTE C-Standards provide

guidance in how to make technology accessible to all, provide a high level of teaching and

learning, and can withstand the many changes time can create (ISTE, 2022). Coaches use the

feedback from teachers, administrators, and stakeholders to guide their instruction. The ISTE C-

Standards provide activities, resources, demonstrations, and instructional practices that promote

collaboration and support feedback.

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References

ISTE Standards for Coaches. (2022).  https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-

coaches

Lee, M. (n.d.) What you need to know: Six principles of adult learning.

https://ellstudents.com/blogs/the-confianza-way/what-you-need-to-know-six-principles-

of-andragogy

Lidden, D. (2022). What is qualitative feedback? https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-is-

qualitative-feedback.htm

Stenger, M. (2014). 5 Researched-based tips for providing students with meaningful feedback.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-

stenger
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Clinical Field Experience D: Professional Development and Individual Coaching Sessions

Week 4

Link to Outline and Materials:

https://mygcuedu6961-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/rblaszak_my_gcu_edu/

EaP8so6094lDlkcypf3bMMcBI0SYtw-Nv9rVz9uuRGQ1uA?e=g75fro

There are times that teachers dread having to attend workshops because the content is the

same old thing that has been presented before, is not applicable to the grade level, or not

presented well. For me, a good presentation should be like a SMART goal. It needs to meet a

specific need that the class has, it should provide me with activities that can provide measurable

data, it should be an activity that can be applied and relatable to my subject and can be applied

right away.

Engagement Activities

Creating activities that require engagement between the presenter and the audience, not

just peers, to obtain the knowledge that the presenter is an expert in is a start (Fontichiaro et

al., 2021). The person who is presenting has specialized knowledge or training in a specific

field that the audience does not have, that is why there needs to be interaction between the two

groups. Additionally, giving the participant time to interact with the technology and activities

is another way to engage adult learners (Fontichiaro et al., 2021). Being hands on and applying

the knowledge that is being present can increase retention of the information. It can also allow

for clarification and interaction with the participants and presenter as mentioned above

High Quality Coach vs. High Quality Presenter

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For me, a high-quality coach and high-quality presenter are similar because they both

offer their knowledge and skills of a particular topic to help others reach a desired goal.

However, there are subtle differences that can be identified. A high-quality presenter has

extensive knowledge of a topic and is delivering it to others who do not have that knowledge

(Miller, 2012). The belief is that they know more about the topic than the audience. They have a

main goal and that is to impart the information. They are not necessarily concerned with the

“how” or “why” of the process.

In contrast, a high-quality coach does not assume to know more than the group they are

working with, collaborates with the participants to identify the objectives and goals that need to

be met, adjusts their support to meet those needs and concentrates on the “how” and “why” of

the process (Miller, 2012). A coach has a bit more flexibility in their approach. The presenter

sticks to certain criteria based on what they are presenting, whereas a coach teaches based on the

needs of the group.

Being proficient as a coach and presenter is important and requires balance. As a

presenter, you need to be knowledgeable in how to perform different activities utilizing

technology. However, you also need to be able to adjust that mindset and be open to where the

need is throughout the classroom and district. The ISTE -C standards support a balance between

presenter and coach by encouraging collaboration, active leaning opportunities, and supporting

the learning needs of the teachers (ISTE, 2017). The standards inspire coaches to share their

knowledge while also being approachable and flexible. By identifying and listening to the needs

of your group, creating interactive sessions, and being supportive, the balance will appear.
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References

Fontichiaro, K., Kolb, L., Jeffrey Stanzler, J., and Kwame Yankson, K. (2020). 7 ways to

create PD webinars that engage your

audience. ISTE.  https://www.iste.org/explore/professional-development/create-pd-

webinars-engage-educators

ISTE Standards for Coaches, (2017). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-coaches

Miller, G. (2012). The difference between a facilitator, trainer, and presenter.

https://www.mitchcommgroup.com/2012/11/01/the-difference-between-a-facilitator-

trainer-and-presenter/
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Clinical Field Experience E: Delivering Professional Development and Coaching

Week 5

Group and Mentor Feedback

The professional development that was created centered on Padlet. The feedback received

demonstrated that the professional development was clearly presented, provided adequate

information and instruction with time built in to independently engage in the activities presented.

Additionally, the audience had chance to provide other topics that they would be interested in.

Some of those topics were how to search and upload videos into Padlet, utilizing Padlet during

faculty meetings, and a tutorial on creating websites. Overall, the audience was receptive and

found the information presented useful.

My mentor Sonia also provided some feedback. One key point is to not assume what the

audience does and does not know, but rather find out directly by engaging in surveys or even just

having a conversation with them. Asking if there are any questions or concerns can help. In

addition, being confident goes a long way in providing good professional development. If the

audience sees that you are confident, they will feel confident in using the technology.

Smart Goal

To improve as a technology coach, a SMART goal can be developed. The purpose of a

SMART goal is to set a goal that is precise to what you are trying to achieve, supported by data,

realistic in achievability, data driven, and applied within a specific chunk of time (Chen, 2022).

My district offers different live, virtual workshops throughout the month, based on the new

Smartboard systems the district is utilizing and the transition from Apple based products to using

HPs and Microsoft products. My SMART goal is to engage in one to two of the Professional

Development sessions a month. This will allow me to learn new techniques to enhance my
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coaching program. In addition, I can then turnkey the information I obtained to other teachers to

help them to enhance their pedagogical practices.

The ISTE-C standards 4.2a and 4.2b support this goal by encouraging me to be a

connected learner by engaging in workshop that broaden my knowledge of new and emerging

technology to enhance teaching, learning, and coaching (ISTE-C, 2017). Additionally, the

standards promote becoming an active contributor in professional networks to expand my

knowledge base (ISTE-C, 2017).

Mentee’s Feedback and SMART Goal

My mentee Cindy engaged in the professional development session. Padlet was one of

the digital tools she was interested in learning more about. She shared that the professional

development was informative and easy to follow. She did have a few questions about using the

different templates and adding information, but overall, Cindy was confident and exciting about

incorporating Padlet into her classes.

My SMART goal is to supply staff members with a monthly instructional video and

resource sheet on different techniques, such as uploading videos to Padlet and creating websites

using Weebly, as mentioned above. I will also create a virtual discussion board where people can

post questions or request one on one instruction. The ISTE-C standards 4.3 Collaborator and 4.4

Learning Designer support this goal by developing productive relationships where the coach can

demonstrate different approaches and collaborate with teachers to enhance teaching practices

(ISTE-C, 2017).
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Reference

Chen, J. (2022). How to write SMART goals for Educational Technology. Complete

Connection.  https://www.completeconnection.ca/how-to-write-smart-goals-for-

educational-technology/  

ISTE Standards for Coaches. (2017). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-coaches

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Coaching Reflective Journal

Week 6

When I first began this master’s program in Instructional Technology, I was excited,

apprehensive, and terrified all at the same time. Although I have been a teacher for over 20 years,

I have not been an “official” student in just as many years. There were many things to consider,

such as financial strain on the household, time management, and study habits. What if I was not

able to do it? What if I failed? Those were the thoughts that attacked my heart and mind. Then I

realized, there was another side to these thoughts. What if I was able to do this? What if I did

succeed? So, with little confidence and a lot of faith I jumped in.

Growth as a Professional and Coach

In the blink of an eye, here we are. As I was putting the final touches on my coaching

website, I took the opportunity to reflect on the artifacts I had created and saw the progression of

knowledge and confidence I had gained through this master’s program. As a technology coach, I

have taught my colleagues how to use different digital tools, shown the benefits of gamification

as an alternative to traditional formative and summative assessments, demonstrated how to

utilize Learning Management Systems to increase collaboration and communication among

students, educators, and parents, and how to digitally collect and analyze data that drives

instruction (Blaszak, 2022). This knowledge not only put me on the path to being a technology

coach, but it also helped me to grow professionally. It strengthened my communication and

collaborations skills with my colleagues and administration. It provided me opportunities to

emerge as an educational technology leader and insight on how enhance my pedagogical

practices to enhance learning for all students using technology.

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Improving and Expanding

Just because the program is finished, does not mean the learning is. I will continue to

improve and expand upon the skills I have learned. There are three ISTE coaching standards that

can help me to do this: 4.2 Connected Learner, 4.3 Collaborator, and 4.4 Learning Designer.

In ISTE Standard 4.2a Connected Learner, I can continue to engage in professional development

that will strengthen my knowledge of technology implementation to enhance learning (ISTE

Standard, 2017). Additionally, ISTE standard 4.3b Collaborator can motivate me to make

opportunities to partner with other teachers to search for new and emerging digital resources that

are relevant to society (ISTE Standard, 2017). Lastly, ISTE standard 4.4c Learning Designer will

drive me to continue to work with colleagues to create digital learning environments that meet

the needs of all students through differentiation and accommodations (ISTE Standard, 2017).

The skills that I have acquired, the partnerships I have created, along with the ISTE standards

mentioned above, have prepared me to continue my coaching adventures. Finally, this master’s

program has inspired me to be a better teacher and learner. For that, I will be forever grateful.
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Reference

Blaszak, R. (2022). Technology coaching website. 

https://roseannblaszakedtechcoach.weebly.com

ISTE Standards for Coaches. (2017). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-coaches .