This week we are focusing on the use of mobile technologies to improve staff communication within a school environment. The mobile technologies implementation plan included below details how Public Montessori School uses GroupMe, an application that is a mobile instant messaging platform, to improve internal communication amongst staff.

The purpose of implementing this technology was to improve internal staff communication that a recent survey found was lacking. Teachers indicated that they felt most of the school communication focused on administrative-led initiatives and that there was little time set aside for staff to collaborate and problem-solve amongst themselves. The administration acknowledged this need and realized that scheduling additional meeting times on top of the already scheduled meetings every month would be additional stress on all staff members. They turned instead to a mobile technology to fill this need, allowing the teachers the opportunity to offer peer support, share resources, and problem solve at a time of their choosing rather than it being scheduled by administration.

The introduction of a mobile technology to encourage collabroation and self-reflection rather than providing targeted professional development follows the concept of heutagogy rather than andragogy, the typical format for engaging with adults in a learning environment (Exter & Ashby, 2022). The concept of heutagogy focuses more on how lifelong learners engage in self-determined learning, utilizing their own experiences coupled with self-reflection to problem-solve in their area of expertise (Exter & Ashby, 2022). Take a few minutes to read how the administration of Public Montessori School addressed the need for improved internal communication and improving teacher morale through the use of the GroupMe app in the linked document below. 

References

​​​​Exter, M., & Ashby, I. (2022). Lifelong learning of instructional design and educational​ ​technology professionals: A heutagogical approach. TechTrends: Linking Research &​ ​Practice to Improve Learning, 66(2), 254–264. https://10.1007/s11528-021-00657-x​