When we think of coaches, it is usually associated with a sport. But JA has a coach who coaches teachers! It’s called an Apple Learning Coach, and Lori Snider in the Tech Center just became certified in the skill.
“I received an email back in May asking if I’d like to apply for the new Apple Learning Coach program,” Snider said. “This was such an honor because it was by invitation only. I was asked to submit a video with my application explaining why I wanted to participate in the program and how it would benefit our school. There was no guarantee that I would be chosen, but a week after I submitted my video and application, I was notified that I had been chosen as a candidate for the program.”
Throughout the program, Snider explored new ways to help JA teachers create meaningful learning experiences with technology. “Along the way, I tapped into my creativity, collaborated with others, and learned how to use Apple resources to personalize my approach to coaching. Four months and 60 hours later, I was notified that I had completed the requirements to become a certified Apple Learning Coach,” she said.
Middle School teacher Sarah Clark benefitted from Snider’s creativity even before Snider completed the Apple Learning Coach certification. Together they worked to select the best technology to allow Clark to teach eighth grade U.S. history students about civilizations. Clark envisioned having students develop civilizations, whether realistic, such as Mayan, or fanciful, such as aliens. Each society needed to include some of the seven fundamental characteristics of civilizations, such as its language, religion, and government. Clark said Snider researched resources and apps that would be the best for the creations. In the end, they chose Pages for the ability to hand draw in the program. Hand drawings, and optional photos, were required as part of the student’s report.
Clark, a two-time Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History teaching graduate, felt Pages was an excellent fit for students to demonstrate their learning. “Students enjoyed the project and had fun expressing their creativity. They understood the practical application, seeing the complexity and uniqueness of civilizations even when those societies don’t necessarily look like our civilization. Even though they are different, they are still great, and they are as neat and complex as ours,” Clark said.
Snider looks forward to applying what she has learned in the Apple Learning Coach program each day in her work with our teachers. “As an Apple Learning Coach, I’ll help our teachers develop their foundational skills with Apple technology, equip them with the learning resources they need, and create a sustainable community of practice. I’ll help teachers build connected, collaborative, creative, and personal learning experiences for students,” Snider said.
Snider also sees her role as one that helps stakeholders in our school better understand how integrating technology across subjects allows students to learn in new ways, work together toward a shared purpose, solve challenging problems, and create and design their own learning path. “With our teachers as my partner, I’ll learn from them how to personalize my coaching to fit our community. I’ll also draw inspiration from fellow coaches in the program,” Snider said.
