New Tech, Now What? Ensuring Consistent Training for District-wide Success

[00:00:00] Narrator: This is Teach Your Way with BenQ, where educators find ideas that work. Let's get started. [00:00:08] Katy Chen: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Teach Your Way with BenQ. Today's episode, we'll be talking about how every district invests in new classroom technology, but the real question is what happens after it's installed? [00:00:23] Co-hosting with me today is Lauren from the CSS team, and we are introducing the ladies from Broken Arrow. We have Ashley, Lauren, Rachel, and Courtney today. [00:00:34] Lauren McMillian: Thank you guys so much for being here. Um, so with this episode, you know, we are talking about investing in new classroom technology, large scale. Can you guys give us an idea of what size district do you have? [00:00:47] How many teachers are using your boards? And kind of what did your initial, um, rollout look like kind of from, from the beginning? [00:00:55] Ashley Troyer: So I am actually going to lob this one over to either Courtney or [00:01:00] Rachel, because I was not here whenever, um, our initial rollout started. So they would have some better information about what that looked like and, um, can give you some better context. [00:01:10] Rachel Doty: So we started rolling out BenQ boards in our new construction buildings three or four years ago. We serve, um, about 20,000 students, and we serve About 1,500 teachers or staff that use BenQ boards. Um, and so we started with a slow rollout, and then, um, we very quickly went to a faster rollout by replacing entire grade levels at a time. [00:01:37] Lauren McMillian: Thank you so much for sharing that context. I mean, that is a lot of teachers. And for those of you that may not know, Broken Arrow is in Oklahoma. Um, and so there's lots of different sizes, but this is such a good example of kind of how, um, we like to partner with our school districts and our, um, customers to make sure they get support for things of this size. [00:01:59] Um, but with [00:02:00] starting a few years ago and, and Broken Arrow also has multiple generations of this board, what were kind of some of your initial, um, concerns, or what kinds of things were you thinking about that you wanted to go ahead and avoid? Like, um, you know, um, roadblocks and things to make sure that this new technology didn't really cause a, um, problem in the classroom or, or cause any kind of a setback. [00:02:22] Ashley Troyer: Yeah. So when it comes to technology, I think that especially in education, you're running into a lot of teachers. You can have some that are very excited or very hesitant to adopt a new technology. And, um, you know, that- that's a huge roadblock because any time you bring something new into the classroom, you know, our teachers are like, "Okay, one, how long are we going to have this? [00:02:44] Are we going to have this for a long time? Is it even worth my investment to get to learn how to use this tool? Two, am I gonna have this kind of support that I need in order to, um, use this tool well?" And, you know, I think that for, you know, for me [00:03:00] specifically, as I came into this role and I was handed BenQ as my baby, um, you know, I, I just really tried to step back and think about what kind of support that I would want if I was trying to adopt something new. [00:03:16] And, um, you know, it kind of looked different initially. Um, you know, we-- I, for one, started at a very kind of, um, hesitant approach, really, more like reaching out to buildings and saying, "Hey, you know, I'm here, uh, to support you if needed," um, to teachers individually when they had questions or scheduling time with them. [00:03:38] And then, um, you know, we got really, really more, um, intentional about training this year, and, um, that has been, been really good. [00:03:48] Rachel Doty: One of the key things I think that led to Ashley becoming our, like, first point of contact for BenQ training was a change from an IT push for training to an [00:04:00] instructional push for training. [00:04:02] Um, even I would say for districts that are adopting a new technology like this, making sure there's someone on your training team with an instructional background is key. [00:04:12] Lauren McMillian: That is such a good point, Rachel, because, you know, with my team, I'm on the customer success team for BenQ, and we work with both the technology side, we work with the IT departments, but then we also work with the instructional departments, and then our ultimate goal is always enhancing that classroom instruction. [00:04:27] But, um, you know, the IT department is looking at a technology tool, and they're looking for a benefit. Um, they have their, their big vision goals that they're matching, but it really is that, you know, where do we bridge the gap between just placing a new piece of technology, like an interactive flat panel, to how is this technology now being utilized in the classroom to both enhance instruction, get students engaged, foster collaboration, creativity? [00:04:53] So I love that you pointed that out because that is something that's so important to us as well. That's why everyone on my team has an [00:05:00] education background, um, because, you know, that is essential to make sure that, you know, this technology is not underutilized. So, um, I love that that was something that your district prioritized. [00:05:11] So Ashley, you mentioned that sometimes, you know, teachers can be hesitant, um, in adopting a new, um, technology, and that's where for us, onboarding is really important. Uh, moving forward when we work with our teams, like we prioritize that, and I know that you guys have, um, designed your elements and your onboarding, um, very specific to the needs, and you guys have adapted and made adjustments based on how things have gone. [00:05:34] Um, so what did you guys do differently with your training that really helped with those teachers that were hesitant? Um, and then thinking, you know, recently, how have you adapted some of your training to kind of meet teachers that maybe have a different level of technology comfort? [00:05:50] Ashley Troyer: Right away when I came into this role and was handed BenQ, um, I Really took some time to start listening. [00:05:58] You know, what were you guys [00:06:00] experiencing before, uh, before I got to take the lead on this? Um, how was your training? How do you feel about the tool? Um, and I learned that, uh, you know, for one, these kind of big general trainings just don't work. Um, you know, our teachers were feeling really disconnected. [00:06:16] They were feeling, um, some frustration with the tool itself because they didn't really know what it was capable of. And so, um, right away, I really started working on guides. So, you know, for things as simple as how to bind your NFC card. Um, you know, when you are working in education, you know that you've got teachers that have varying levels of competency, really, when it comes to technology and comfortability. [00:06:45] Um, and so we really wanted to make sure that, you know, even from the smallest things, if someone had a question, we could send them a guide and say, "Okay, this is how you do it." And, um, I was really lucky to come into a team that was already really, really good [00:07:00] at creating, um, step-by-step guides for teachers. [00:07:02] And so, um, I was able to learn a lot from them because they had already kind of walked that path and take, you know, the template, for lack of a better word, and move forward and be able to support our teachers with their BenQs. Um, from there, we created an online resource, and, um, we call it the BenQ dashboard. [00:07:23] It's hosted on Canvas, which is our LMS. And it has all of our videos, guides. It has a frequently asked questions area and just, you know, kind of all that they need to, um, be able to find the information on their own. With that being said, we do still get a lot of emails where teachers are asking for specific things, and that's where, you know, we get to have those one-on-one meetings with them, or, you know, we can-- if we have a guide for it, we can send the guide over and just say, "Hey, let me know if you have, um, additional questions." [00:07:56] And so, um, you know, that really [00:08:00] kind of led into a desire for us to be, um, certified trainers. And so there are three members of our team, uh, me, Lauren, and Rachel, who are BenQ certified trainers. And from that, we were able to develop, um, a really solid training for our teachers and had the privilege of training every teacher in our district this fall. [00:08:21] So all 31 sites had planned time trainings, um, this fall. It was crazy and great. [00:08:28] Lauren McMillian: That is incredible that you-- your whole team was able to train that many campuses all in a short period of time to make sure that teachers felt comfortable and confident using their boards at the start of the school year. [00:08:42] Like, that is Amazing. Um, and I love that you mentioned you created the BenQ dashboard with how-to guides. I think that really speaks to, it's so helpful to start simple and have resources that teachers can go through at their own pace. Um, and it kind of gives them, you know, that [00:09:00] hands-on experience, whether they're looking at the guide at their board or y'all are coming in, um, and working with them. [00:09:05] Um, so how did you kind of align some of the BenQ tools and resources on the board with things that they're doing in their classrooms? Like, did, did you kind of have, um, you know, connect that with some of the learning tools they're already using and digital resources? [00:09:20] Lauren House: So whenever we were training in the fall, um, you know, each one of us had kind of like a separate category of teachers that we would be working with or, you know, we would be familiar with at least, like, what the subject level was gonna be or what their, um, their subjects were gonna be or what their grade levels were gonna be. [00:09:37] So, um, whenever we were doing the certified trainer training and, you know, developing this professional development, we, um, were really able to, like, start honing in on, oh, okay, so these particular tools within EZWrite or that the BenQ offers are going to be, um, really helpful for, you know, this set of teachers. [00:09:59] Or, [00:10:00] um, because we are a Google district, um, the fact that we can just pull up Chrome or we can, you know, split screen really quickly or import straight from our drive, um, that-- those, those feel like such easy wins, um, for a lot of the teachers to be like, "Oh my gosh, okay, now I don't have to, you know, go through these steps to do this. [00:10:20] I didn't realize that I could do that with the board." Um, so that was really-- I feel like whenever we were, um, creating that presentation and really identifying certain tools, we all kind of had an idea in our heads of, okay, so we really wanna make sure that we show our math teachers this tool. Um, for example, we did, um, we trained, uh, fine arts teachers. [00:10:43] They had just gotten new boards over spring break, and so we got them together on one of our more recent professional development days. And you would think, you know, fine arts teachers are-- we're not-- we're, we're thinking a little, uh, the tools that they use, like, in a little bit of a different light. But the backgrounds that [00:11:00] are available for the music teachers and just the a-- like, the ability to pull in the YouTube videos, things like that, like, their minds were blown, and truly they felt like, um-- honestly, like, a lot of them felt like a weight was being lifted. [00:11:12] They were like, "Oh my gosh, I don't have to go draw this on the board by hand." Or, um, "Wow, my kids are gonna be so much more engaged if we can just, you know, click the toolbox and pull that up." So those were some of the things, um, that really, really helped, um, as we were, uh, training the teachers. Yeah, absolutely. [00:11:32] Thank you for sharing that. Um, and just some background for our listeners. So I actually had the privilege of leading this certified training with this group. Um, and they were so-- y'all were so intentional about how you designed that training for your teachers. And, you know, there is a big part of when you learn a new piece of technology, sometimes it's hard for it to be hands-on, especially if it's something like this and you have a group of teachers and that all [00:12:00] have to be in one room, you know. [00:12:01] But, um, y'all did such a great job. They, they created a, a presentation that had elements built in that were very interactive, and it was highlighting, like, uh, Lauren just mentioned, about having content-specific resources. And you were just so intentional about making sure that the people in the room were connecting, um, and that that information was relevant to them. [00:12:23] You know, I can't tell you how many times I sat in teacher trainings as a teacher, and I'm like, "Oh, well, this isn't-- this doesn't apply to me." Um, and your presentation that you created, um, it did not allow for anyone to sit and say that because it was very intentional. Um, and I imagine it went over very well, even though I didn't get to be there in person. [00:12:43] But, um, can you all speak to kind of the confidence level that you've started to see with your teachers since kind of doing, um, those additional trainings? [00:12:52] Courtny Drydale: Um, I can attest to elementary because I did the majority of my trainings with, uh, my ten sites that I [00:13:00] have. I will say that the teachers that were the most excited were my pre-K sites. [00:13:05] They absolutely love the ability to have their littles come up and trace the letters and identify numbers. And we were able to show them how they can take the things that they have already created, like their morning meetings and being able to do attendance with click and drag, how they can still take the things that they have honed and, um, really made perfect for their class, but be able to use it with this new technology in an even more innovative way. [00:13:35] And I remember after getting-- after training my ECCs, my early childhood, um, uh, schools, they were sending me, "Oh, look what I made. Look what I made on here. Look what I made on here." So much so that we started thinking about, well, what else could we make that would be amazing for teachers that we've started sharing, um, [00:14:00] BenQ activities every single month that our team has designed for teachers to be able to use for, um, Valentine's Day or different things like that [00:14:12] Lauren McMillian: I love that so much. [00:14:13] And I love that you just brought it right back to, um, our students, right? Like, at the end of the day, all of this hard work that your team has put in to onboarding new teachers, refresher trainings for those that have had them for a while, um, new campuses that got them, at the end of the day, you know, it's taking it from, okay, we're making teachers' lives easier, but who's really the real benefit here? [00:14:35] And it's our students. So I love that you have those examples of students being able to feel confident and being able to go up to the board a-and do that. So thank you so much for sharing that. So thinking about, um, the training, and I know you mentioned that this fall you were able to go hit all of your campuses. [00:14:51] Some campuses, it sounds like maybe have had multiple trainings based on, like, when they first got boards and, and things like that. Um, and I know [00:15:00] you guys have a couple different model boards, but, um, once teachers have them for a while and they kinda learn and feel more confident, um, and sometimes the momentum fades in a new element. [00:15:12] You know, there's lots of excitement when you get new technology, and then, you know, all the other things happen. So, um, what kinds of things do you do to kind of avoid the momentum fading, or how do you kinda keep, um, the teachers excited and engaged in, in learning more and doing more with the BenQ boards? [00:15:28] Ashley Troyer: First, back to the materials that we're creating. You know, I think, um, us sending out those things is helping to continue engagement with the board. Um, secondly, we visit our sites on either, um, you know-- We, we shoot for, for a bi-weekly basis. Sometimes it ends up being monthly just depending on what's going on. [00:15:49] Um, but I know, you know, for Courtney and I, like, we are, we are always checking with our teachers and, you know, saying like, "Hey, what things are going well? Um, you know, what [00:16:00] things do you need help with?" And when they, when they mention something, when they mention a problem that we can solve with the BenQ, then we do. [00:16:07] Um, you know, so whether it's y- having trouble with YouTube videos, um, that, that I think has been the biggest, like, win with our elementary teachers specifically being able to, um, pull over that YouTube video to EZWrite and not have to worry about ads. Um, that has been a game changer for them. And so, you know, we've been able to, I think, you know, just kind of give them small wins over time that keep them engaged in what they're doing. [00:16:36] And, you know, with any, with any technology, there are always things that, you know, we're kind of having to troubleshoot for them or, you know, help them understand a little bit better. But I think really, you know, the, the big thing is the fact that we are constantly checking in with them, um, and we are constantly giving them resources and support for the BenQ, um, regardless of the model. [00:16:58] And, you know, we do, we [00:17:00] have O1s through O4s here in Broken Arrow. Um, at this point, our 1s are mostly, um, in conference rooms, which is where they should be. And um, you know, so the majority of our boards across the district are 3s and 4s. And, um, you know, so just, just making sure that we're meeting them where they are and solving those little problems, and that keeps them engaged. [00:17:23] Courtny Drydale: I think something else I'll add on to what Ashley said, something else that Lauren has done specifically for, um, our elementary teachers is we have a curriculum called UFLAI, which is a lot of sight words and building those types of things. And the presentations that originally came with UFLAI, let's just say that they are dinosaurs, and it is not engaging to our students at all. [00:17:52] And, um, the, it, the ability for our teachers to be able to go into them and find them, it's, it's very [00:18:00] difficult. So Lauren redid almost all of them, I believe, for our teachers inside of EZWrite to do flashlight sight word games, to do different things like that, that they didn't tell us that it was a problem, but we saw that it was a problem, and that it was something that our team could do and fix it to make it better. [00:18:27] And so I think that's something that our team is really, really good at doing is since we all have been in the classroom, and we know those struggles of curriculum and of different things that have been handed down to us from previous, um, administrations, we can make it better. [00:18:46] Rachel Doty: And I'll speak- Wow ... to secondary for just a minute. [00:18:49] Um, so secondary's a bit of a different beast from elementary. There's They don't have common curriculum across even single grade levels, things like that, um, especially at high school. [00:19:00] So the things that work to, like, keep them engaged for high school are if I go in to assist a teacher with anything, whether it's BenQ or not, I'm using the BenQ to do it so they can see me interact with it and say, "Oh, you just pulled that Google Doc over into EZWrite. [00:19:15] How'd you do that?" And I can show them. Um, I also have a standing, um, offer to our two largest high schools to all their department heads that if they need to fill 5, 10, 15 minutes in a training, I'll come train, and BenQ's my go-to for those things. [00:19:31] Lauren McMillian: Wow, I love that. You guys are just doing such an incredible job supporting your teachers, but I think, like, those things that you all just shared just speak to, you know, you're in the classrooms, and you are, like... [00:19:43] You know, the teachers are the ones that are boots on the ground, but you guys are coming alongside and, and keeping them going, picking them up. I think that is no small feat, Lauren, that you recreated all of that stuff in EZWrite, which is incredible. And that also, for our listeners, if you don't know, our EZWrite software [00:20:00] that is available on the board is also available for, um, computers, PCs, laptops, um, and iPads and things like that. [00:20:08] So those of you that may be using EZWrite on the board and you don't already know, you can create lessons ahead of time and then open them on the board, um, and you have some flexibility there. But, um, I also love your example, Rachel, of, um, modeling some of those things. You know, when I was a campus technology specialist, whenever I was training on something new, I always used whatever that resource was during that training so that they could see it in action instead of getting... [00:20:34] 'Cause sometimes, you know, you get the response of, "Okay, but you're not in my classroom," or, "You're not doing it." Mm. Which is very true, but I think, like, you modeling the little things like being able to split your screen and have two things going at one time, something as simple as that is such a game changer. [00:20:48] Being able to drag and drop YouTube videos over. Like, the smallest things can save so much teachers' time and then also gets them using some of those functions that they maybe haven't explored on their own. So I [00:21:00] love that you're kind of using that coaching modeling, um, level for, for your teachers. So you guys, it sounds like, you know, and from what I'm hearing, you're investing a lot of time in your teachers. [00:21:12] You're investing a lot of time in making sure students are engaged and learning. Um, so what, what is it about BenQ that you guys personally as, um, in your role, like, what do you like the most about BenQ, and what keeps you motivated to continue working with your teachers with BenQ? [00:21:29] Ashley Troyer: Well, I think instructionally this tool is just so sound. [00:21:34] You know, we are focusing a lot on engagement a- as well as many other things. But, like, just- Just knowing that when a teacher can use this tool to its potential, you know, engagement is going to increase. Stu- And what's, what's so funny, and this is kind of an aside, but also on the same track, is that you'll go into many classrooms and you'll hear, "My kids know how to [00:22:00] use this better than I do." [00:22:01] Mm. And, you know, the students are so excited to use it. And so I think that, for me, just makes, makes it so much easier to be excited about supporting BenQ and supporting training and, you know, supporting this tool because I know that whenever it's used well, that students are excited to be a part of learning with it. [00:22:22] Courtny Drydale: I love the fact that it makes accessibility so much easier in the classroom for our students of all different levels. The fact that it sort of evens the playing field and it gives more equity across all of our sites, no matter what type of socioeconomics the site is, whether they're title or not. Um, the fact that it doesn't matter, every single one of our classrooms has a BenQ board. [00:22:48] It really makes it to where we are really trying to reach every kid and give every kid an advantage in our district that they probably would not have. I have worked in other districts [00:23:00] before that did not have that kind of, um, equity in their students or scalability the way that Broken Arrow does. And so I feel really proud that our district and that our team is able to help, um, so many students no matter where they're at. [00:23:18] Katy Chen: Well, it sounds like you guys have everything figured out. You have all the support systems that you need and created everything yourselves too. So if another district is about to roll out new tech, um, and they're asking, "Now what?" What would your advice be? What would you tell them? [00:23:35] Ashley Troyer: You know, I think most importantly is before you think about implementing a new tool, have a plan for professional development. [00:23:46] Um, that to me is just the make it or break it whenever you're going to introduce something on a wide scale to a district. And so if someone were asking me [00:24:00] specifically, "Hey, you know, we're going to, we're going to get BenQs," um, you know, I would say, "Okay, let's work on a plan to make sure that your teachers are supported." [00:24:10] Because, you know, without that, they just become glorified projectors, and that's not what we want. You know, these, these tools can do so much and, you know, they're really just- So underutilized without training and support. And so that would be my number one thing. [00:24:28] Courtny Drydale: I think that I would say know your audience as well. [00:24:32] Um, it's different if it's being rolled out to a business kind of company. Um, if you're going to be putting it in classrooms where students are touching it and teachers are touching it, know what a classroom is like. Know what, uh, the struggles are that that site is already having. So, like, knowing your audience, even the different sites within your district, know where you're- who you're going to, and [00:25:00] adjust accordingly. [00:25:01] There will be times where we have had trainings where teachers will be like, "Okay, but I didn't, I don't actually wanna know that. I wanna know this." And you have to be willing to be flexible and pivot when the beautiful plan that you painstakingly took time to create goes out the door, because that is not what they actually wanted from you. [00:25:24] You need to r- meet them where they're at, and w- the, the tools that they actually want to know how to do. Because the moment you do that, you gain their trust, and they will ask for you to come back to learn the things that you might have originally wanted to show them. You have to really make sure that you, you build the trust with the people and the stakeholders that you're, um, working with. [00:25:46] Rachel Doty: And in that same vein that Courtney said, um, if you're gonna make a big technology change, tell your teachers as soon as the decision is official. Don't have them show up for a new school year with brand-new [00:26:00] technology. And make sure your training plan is, like Ashley said, intentional. And intentional m- means understanding that teachers have limited time, and that they need the necessities first, and you can grow from there. [00:26:14] It doesn't mean make sure every site has a two-hour training that teachers have to leave classroom time to do. [00:26:20] Lauren House: And I would say one final thing. Um, my confidence in training teachers came from getting such fantastic training from BenQ. You know, when we were all, had the opportunity beco- to become certified trainers, y- I just have the knowledge base to be able to do all of the things that everyone else has mentioned. [00:26:43] So, like, I have the ability because I, you know, am going in and knowing my audience, knowing kind of like what this teacher might, um, might think or how they might feel about having new technology put in their class and maybe not having the confidence. If I- Because I [00:27:00] have the confidence in using the tool, you know, I'm able to really meet that teacher exactly where he or she is. [00:27:06] And so I would also throw that in there as, um, one of the reasons and one of the, um, or one of the reasons that we have been so successful with our training is because we have such confidence in this tool, and we know it so well as, um, as well. Thank you so much. That was all great advice. I think our, um, school districts that are listening, if they already have BenQs, they're probably already spinning their wheels on how they can adjust their training plans based on some of your advice. [00:27:35] And those that may be listening, they're considering BenQ, just know that this is kind of the consistent support. I'll also throw in there, you know, we've mentioned a couple times about the certified trainer, um, and which, you know, this team is certified trained. Um, you know, my team, I'm the customer success team, and we do our training, our professional development. [00:27:53] Um, so we provide onboarding training, train-the-trainer training. You can be BenQ, um, certified [00:28:00] trainers, and so then you can go and train all your schools and other, um, schools, you know, in your district. But then also we have BenQ certified educators. So if you, you know, maybe your school districts have had, um, the boards for a while, and you've got some power users that just wanna get that next level training. [00:28:15] Um, we do have all of those options. Our team, um, would love to talk with, um, anyone who may be listening. And, um, Broken Arrow, if y'all need refresher training, you know you have our support as well. Um, but all of that information will be linked in the show notes also. So if you're considering reaching out about one of those training opportunities, just, um, don't hesitate. [00:28:36] And regardless of whether you've had the boards for a week, a month, or ten years, you've, you've, uh, you've-- you're stuck with us once you get BenQ [00:28:44] Katy Chen: Great. Well, not only that, I think the most important part is meeting your way, and that's just something that BenQ does really well with teachers of all types. [00:28:52] I think that just wraps up about everything. I think it's just great that we have this Teach Your Way program where we are there to [00:29:00] support all of our teachers, all of our educators, and IT teams, and school districts in general. So once again, thank you, Lauren, for joining us today and co-hosting with me, although I feel like I'm the co-host more or less, more so. [00:29:13] And of course, thank you to our Broken Arrow team. Thank you again, Lauren, Ashley, Rachel, and Courtney for sharing all of your insights with us, and sharing your successful launch and extended uses of the boards to maximize everything, including your teaching capabilities, and just sharing how your school has been, um, adapting to the boards. [00:29:39] As usual, please like, subscribe, and follow us for our n- next episode that will be coming out shortly. Thank you again. [00:29:46] Narrator: Thanks for joining us on Teach Your Way with BenQ. For more resources and teaching inspiration, visit us online at benqboard.com. Don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.