The Edtech Coaching Primer: Supporting Teachers in the Digital Age Classroom

Develop the strategies and structure you need as an edtech coach to focus on the coaching, professional development and focused support that can lead to real change.

K-12 schools worldwide are now evaluating how to better prepare for a disruption like the one caused by COVID-19. Schools were pushed into remote learning, and many were not prepared for such a jump. This is where The Edtech Coaching Primer comes in. This book illustrates how, with effective implementation, edtech coaching provides a training and support structure that can help schools transition from what was to what could be.

The role of the edtech coach is often misunderstood, which can cause funding to be diverted and leads to these roles being cut or never created. It’s also not uncommon for those who fill these roles to be asked to perform tasks that pull them away from their most impactful work – supporting teachers and improving learning. This book proposes a model that’s both flexible in its implementation and clear in defining actionable steps so that the edtech coaching role has the greatest possible impact.

The book:

• Provides an understanding of what edtech coaches can and should be doing, showing how to build a structure that allows them time and space to support teacher growth.
• Helps schools prepare to provide teachers better support in co-planning, co-teaching, modeling and coaching.
• Provides a blueprint for the role of the edtech coach for district and school leaders, helping them understand how to advocate for these positions and focus the role to provide the most impact.
• Features different practitioners providing their perspectives on topics like providing personalized support for teachers, helping coaches identify their professional learning goals and more.

This book can be a catalyst for helping districts and schools develop a structure for edtech coaching to promote growth in digital teaching and learning.

Ashley McBride is an adjunct professor for the master’s in learning design and technology program at Central Michigan University. She’s also the director of technology at Dare County Schools in Nags Head, North Carolina, where she provides leadership and vision for the district’s technology department, instructional technology facilitators and librarians. In this role, she leads educational technology coaches and librarians in creating and implementing plans that provide growth in digital teaching and learning practices. McBride has also led schoolwide and districtwide edtech professional learning programs. She holds an Ed.D. in educational technology from Central Michigan University.