eCoach Day Recap

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On Oct 26, the Office of Instructional Technology hosted our Fall eCoach Day. Along with eCoaches, this year we also invited curriculum specialists, media specialists, Brightspace champions, and central office staff. This resulted in 163 participants learning new information about effective instructional technology integration and projects.

This virtual tech conference, with a game show theme, offered a mind-blowing 36 unique sessions. Topics ranged from SEL to accessibility features to arts integration to engaging ELLs and dozens of content connections. We offered courses from 9 of our vendors including Adobe Express, Wixie, WeVideo, Typing Club, Lumio, Nearpod, and more. Lucky for us, we had curriculum specialists from various offices team up with us to present as well. The most special offerings were hosted by our AACPS teachers, with several mini-sessions being offered on special projects they do in their classrooms, along with tips and tricks.

The day kicked off in Google Meet with Dr. Dwarte giving a great keynote speech. He spoke about the actualizing greatness. He gave inspiration on the power of effective coaching. The big take-aways were that 1) Coaches are not just problem solvers but also motivators and 2) Having a coach at all levels helps you see your potential, your impact, and how to be your best self. 


Participants were able to self-select from a list of course options over 5 time slots throughout the day. To see a list of all of the sessions offered, along with descriptions, click here.   

Below are some of the dozens of remarks that we got as feedback from our attendees. We think they say it better than we ever could!

"We need to help build teacher capacity so our students are global competitors and college and career ready. And it's critical to know when and what to use for technology." - Kate Miller

"Adobe is a FANTASTIC tool for students to show what they know! The templates make it accessible for all learners. - Becki West"

"I got so much from the Sphero demo today. We have 2 packs and I really want them integrated into the classrooms. I feel like I have something to provide teachers with that connects to content-stories, math, solar system, etc." - Alex Skube

"Minecraft Education can be used to create "escape rooms" while having students focus on content before playing the game. And they are ready to go!"- Jess Smith

(On Nearpod) "There are a lot of updates and new content (free content!) since I last used it. I'm excited to get back into it again." - Beth Starnes

"I plan on using WeVideo and its editing features for students' sports media ad project. I think it is easy and intuitive. It was great to learn about how to upload media." - Aubrey Zugibe

"As eCoaches we are an important part of Dr.Bedel's mission to make our school system great. We help with College and Career Readiness, Digital Literacy, and Equity and Innovation." -Lenora Puglisi

As you can imagine, there was a lot of excitement in the air, which was even palpable over the Google Meet screen. Here are just a few of the awesome folks that attended after the closing remarks. You can see from the smiles, it was a great day of learning!


We wish everyone in the district could attend live, but if you were not able to attend, and see a session you are interested in, please consider watching a recorded version. Ask your eCoach or assigned teacher specialist to get a link to the recording. 


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