Climate Setting

I know one of the first questions is, “How did you get this funded?” I agree that is a good starting question; teachers often think in dollars and cents as impossibilities and nos. However, the better question is, “How did I set up a climate within my school to create this success?” Although money is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for innovation in school, the reality is that buy in from admin and staff, infrastructure, and training. Without those three things, committing to a project as time intensive or consuming as VR might be more than most teachers can take. 

First off, a caveat emptor: I am only five years into my K-12 teaching experience, but I started in year one with all three of these ideas without really knowing I was committing to them. In my first year I realized that there was a lot of money out there for grants for teachers and I wanted to start exploring almost immediately. I wrote a few travel grants that panned out, but then I wanted to start building my own personal technological ability. I was always fascinated with 3D printing and how you can manufacture an object with plastic.  So I wrote a pair of grants to get a few 3D printers in my classroom. I ended with two: a Monoprice and a Qidi. Both were good printers to start, but I wanted more experience and reliability from my printers. So over the next few years I started writing for more printers and I currently have eight set up for student and teacher use. As I added 3D printing to my classroom, I looked to other technologies: AR through Merge Cubes, circuit design, audio recording, video work, greenscreens, etc. I kept adding more and more ideas and sharing with teachers so that they are in a good place with their own technological competencies.  So training and buy in has gotten easier and easier over the past three years and now teachers are primed to do something bigger. However, getting my admin on board was a bit different. 

I remember one Parent Teacher Conference early in my career, my then principal walked into my room and without thinking I started having the panic sweats, as all new teachers do.  Early in the day I started my 3D printers and was doing sample prints of famous buildings: the Eiffel Tower and Colosseum. Parents, many of whom had never seen a 3D printer, were fascinated, and word got around.  She came in and made a beeline for the printers. Over the course of the next hour she asked a lot of questions and wanted to know more and more. It made me feel like I had accomplished something big and innovative, but all I was doing was finding prints on Thingiverse and pressing print. She was, and is, a big supporter, but she retired shortly after that.  Our new admin came in and I got worried: would he see the vision and engage in it with me. After a few months of coming to him with ideas, I was able to see that he was just as invested in innovation as I am. Now I know that this is a luxury that not all teachers are blessed with in their schools. Other admin might be a bit more hesitant or maybe out and out hostile to adding new tech or working with teachers on innovation.  However, working incrementally can be a big part of getting that buy in. I started with my current admin by asking for a few hundred dollars for registration at ISTE. Then it was a place to put my fleet of printers. Finally it has been to help my move into a coaching role. Little by little asking for help and showing that you can complete the task and that it directly benefits teachers and students.  

Training and time to share with each other come naturally out of these other two.  Were there hiccups on what people thought about new tech? Absolutely. Have been yelled at for adding too much to my teacher’s plate? Sure. Has there been resistance from students and teachers to new tech? Yes. But if you take those situations, help them and be empathetic to their position, then you are more likely to engage with them in a positive manner and get to a place where positive school climate is the norm, not a dream.