Using tech to increase teacher voice improves staff meetings

Technology can be an effective tool to engage teachers and improve the nature and productivity of faculty meetings, Michael Gaskell, principal of Hammarskjold Middle School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, writes for eSchool News.He developed a professional learning community model, centered on subject matter, and uses Google Forms to elicit teachers' input, allowing them to either select the topic for the meeting or suggest one of their own and generate creative new ideas. He also pre-records necessary school and district announcements to allow more time for teacher discussion of the chosen topics.Since implementation of the changes, teachers have become more engaged, they have increased their attendance at meetings and they are reporting significantly higher satisfaction rates with the level of professional development offered at the school.