Connected Coach Collaborative

 The Connected Coach Collaborative is a program developed in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education Office of eLearning. ICE is proud to be a part of this exciting effort to provide support to e-coaches around the state by developing connected regional networks.

Indiana's eLearning Coach Community began in the fall of 2013 as a support network for the growing number of eLearning coaches, technology integration specialists, and other professionals focused on helping educators master the art of teaching and learning in technology-rich environments.

In 2014, the Office of eLearning sponsored the first statewide unconference in downtown Indianapolis specifically for coaches, then in the next two years, they sponsored new "EdCamps" in other parts of central Indiana.

Indiana Coaches are now ready for the next step, and strong regional networks of amazing, dedicated e-coaches have been formed across the state. They have a lively online community, and are already formulating plans for more unconferences and other professional development opportunities.

Further supporting the professional development and leadership of the coaching role is a new partnership between the Office of eLearning and ICE. The ICE Connected Coach Collaborative will facilitate statewide professional development for eLearning coaches through a variety of means, including face-to-face and virtual.

The Connected Coach Collaborative has the following goals:  

• Support the development of educator leaders working in the role of eLearning coach in Indiana public schools through the Connected Coach Collaborative.
• Establish regional networks for eLearning coaches to provide a system of support as more school corporations across the state move to digital learning and 1:1 environments.
• Facilitate statewide professional development for eLearning coaches through a variety of means, including face-to-face and virtual.

Activities

• Create a cohort of coach leaders that represent various regions across Indiana.
• Appoint facilitators from the ICE Board, to include the Indiana DOE representative, that will serve as organizers and group leaders.
• Train cohort members to be Common Sense Education Curriculum facilitators for their school corporation, specializing in digital citizenship.
• Send representatives to the ICE and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conferences to present on leadership and professional learning and collaborate with the Edtech Coach Network.

Cadre Member Expectations: 

• Cadre members will present at the fall ICE conference and collaborate on presentations to propose to the summer ISTE conference.
• Cadre members will serve as leaders in their regional network and work with their cohort to plan fall (regional) PD and the spring (statewide) Coach Edcamp.
• Cadre members will have the opportunity to serve as a facilitator in the Common Sense Education course offered by ICE at no cost. 

Would you like to join in? There are two ways to connect with the coach community:

The Google+ Communityis a hub for sharing resources and discussions. Post your links to work going on in your district or solicit help for an idea you are working with. This is a great window into the work of the Coach Community. To get started, login to your Google account, visit the link and then click "Ask to join." When you are added, you will also want to check your Google+ notification settings in your profile to determine where group updates are sent.

The Coach Community Mapis a great visual representation of the eLearning work that is going on in Indiana. By putting yourself on the map, you not only represent your district, but also make it possible to establish collaboration with your neighbors. To get started, visit the link and follow the directions on the page.