The Mission: Recruit several highly trained and motivated professionals for a secret iPad mission [not really top secret, in fact no secret at all]
The Team: 2 Instructional Coaches, 2 first year Science and Social Studies teachers and an veteran math teacher.
The Objective: To search and gather iPad apps and resources and plan for training delivery to our staff
Our instructional leadership team came up with this great brainstorm. With our newly acquired iPad Project Carts, we wanted to give the teachers good support in coming up with and implementing project based/cooperative activities with our new technology. Our project carts were designed for collaborative experiences, requiring students to work in pairs or small groups. The members of this team all have prior, deep experience with iPads either personal use or professionally. We’ve had talks and presentations on good collaborative work. Its our goal that these resources will help change what goes on in the classroom.
I truly regret not being able to participate in this planning. The teachers did a great job and we have some great outcomes:
- Resourcing: The teachers searched the internet, combed apps and any resources that I have shared with them [check out the resource on the whiteboard] to find apps to begin framing projects for teachers to begin using in their classrooms.
- Integration: The iPad team made sure that all the work done, all the apps and programs found are not blocked and cost free. A major consideration and planning point they drew on was to plan for use of the apps and resources with Edmodo! We are an Edmodo district – ensuring that there is seemless integration will help tremendously with our teaching efforts.
The operatives selected for this mission proved to be valuable assets. We have realized two important mission parameters for all future missions and future teams:
Collaboration is key! 6 great minds working on a singular vision is much better than 2- Keeping operatives well fed [and on a sugar high] helps and is a prerequisite of mission success!
Derek L. McCoy 
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