Episode 187

From Tech Coach to Tech Director: A Roadmap to Help you Prepare for the Next Big Step!

Welcome to "Ask the Tech Coach," a podcast for Instructional Coaches and Technology Integration Specialists. In this episode of “Ask the Tech Coach,” Jeff Bradbury, Jenn Judkins, Jennifer Thomas, and Alex Podchaski discuss the thought process a Tech Coach might go through when considering the transition to becoming a Tech Director. If you would like to be a part of future podcasts and share your thoughts, please contact the podcast.  We would love to have you join the show.

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About our Guests

Jen Thomas

Jen Thomas is a passionate technology educator who began her career in education as a library media specialist. After twelve years in the school library, she decided to shift her role and is now the Instructional Technology Specialist at Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. She is dedicated to empowering teachers and students and has a strong interest in coaching teachers in technology as well as planning and delivering professional development in all aspects of educational technology. Jen is a Level 2 Google Certified Educator, Google Certified Trainer, and facilitates online professional development courses with a number of non-profit educational organizations.  She is a member of the Board of Directors for MassCUE (ISTE affiliate) and a co-chair of their Professional Development Committee.  She resides in Rhode Island with her husband, Charlie, and their three children, Cooper, Noah, and Caroline.
  • Twitter @BlendedLibGirl

Alex Podchaski

Alex Podchaski serves as the Director of Educational & Information Technology at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he is responsible for coordinating all STEAM based initiatives (FIRST, MATE, Cybersecurity, Esports, & Drones) as well as the technology infrastructure of the school. He was the first independent school leader to obtain the Certified Educational Technology Leader (CETL) certification from CoSN, He has taught at both the high school and college level, was an instructor for CoSN on CETL fundamentals, and served as a mentor ATLIS’s ECATD and Aspiring Leaders program. He has presented at national conferences, organized regional school conferences and edcamps, and been involved with the New Horizon and CoSN K12 Innovation Advisory Board. Alex is also the co-founder and moderator of #edtechchat, a long running professional development discussion on twitter for the global edtech community.
  • Twitter @ajpodchaski
  • Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/ajpodchaski

Jenn Judkins

Jennifer (Jenn) Judkins is the Director of Technology & Innovation at Woburn Public Schools in Massachusetts. She is an experienced middle and high school science teacher and technology coach as well as a Google Certified Trainer and Innovator (#NYC19) with over 20 years in K-12 schools. Jenn is committed to supporting thoughtful and responsible integration of digital tools as a regular provider of professional learning. She thrives on helping teachers gain confidence and empowering teams to proactively safeguard data. As a member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Education Technology Administrators Association (METAA), MassCUE Influence and Advocacy Committee and co-founder of the New England Google Educator Group, Jenn works to understand and promote best practices in educational technology. She curates useful technology resources, tip sheets and integration ideas for educators on her blog, www.teachingforward.net.  She can be found on Twitter @teachingforward Framework of Essential Skills https://www.cosn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Framework-December-2018.pdf

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About the Podcast

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Ask The Tech Coach
A Podcast for Instructional Technology Coaches and Digital Learning Leaders

About your host

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Jeffrey Bradbury

Jeff Bradbury is a globally-recognized educator, educational broadcaster, public speaker, and entrepreneur whose powerful message has inspired thousands of educators through the TeacherCast Educational Network.