Meira has almost a decade of experience working in education. She is currently an Educational Technology Coach at an independent school (Middle / Upper Schools) in Los Angeles California. She previously worked as an Instructional Technology Coach & Digital Arts Teacher (Middle / Upper Schools) in an international school in Sofia, Bulgaria, as well as previous experience in independent schools in NYC.
She has a Masters degree in Educational Technology from Teachers College, Columbia University and a certification from New York State as a Technology Specialist K-12. She also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University with concentrations in digital media, photography, video, and graphic design.
InstructionalTechnologist or Ed Tech Coach or Educational Technologist or whatever moniker you wish to call it, well what does this person do? At every school, I have worked/visited/observed this job (the job of which is often called slightly different things), is always defined in a diversity of manners. But let me define a this as such: a person who works with teachers to facilitate the synthesis of technology into all areas of the educational process which includes technology’s role in the overall network of the educational process from teacher’s learning network, student and teacher’s digital workflow, student’s use of technology, technology within the lesson/curriculum, and successful usage of technology.
The role of a coach focuses on the development of teachers, curriculum and projects within every class with the overall goal of integrating technology.
So, basically I view technology’s role within a school in three areas, not always mutually exclusive:
Teacher’s use of tech to create materials, manage classroom & class work
Technology used to present information within the class
Students’ use of technology to create and learn
My job as an Instructional Technology Coach is to collaborate, support, and assist teachers to facilitate integration of technology, including but not limited to, developing curriculum & projects, providing support by pushing into the classroom, and creating material to support technology initiatives. I have assisted in the implementation of BYOD, assisted in developing scope & sequence for technology standards, created technology curriculum, and I have also developed and delivered professional development sessions for on-going teacher education.
Meira as an Instructional Technologist