Frequently Asked Questions

If it involves instructional technology or using technology to learn instead of learning to use technology, then friEdTech probably offers it. We use the very best strategies to help teachers learn to effectively integrate technology, and that includes modeling the strategies we want teachers to use in their classrooms by keeping learning experiences active instead of passive. Our services cover a wide variety of training methods ranging from asynchronous online courses to district-wide Technology Implementation Strategy & Planning sessions.

Good professional development solves a problem teachers have in a way they can implement immediately, so we encourage you to think about what problems educators are experiencing that need solving. From problem identification, you can determine goals you want your professional development experience to achieve. We can help you do this!

For example...

Problem: Teachers aren’t comfortable using Google Meet, which is needed for virtual learning. 

Goal:  All teachers understand the features of Google Meet Plus Edition and gain comfort in using those features with students.

When you determine your goals, we are able to offer experiences to solve problems.

Solution: Teachers need the opportunity to participate in a Google Meet with their peers and a trainer to learn the proper functions of all the features. We would suggest providing the opportunity to showcase the features and then have a structured practice session followed with Q&A. This training comes with a Google Meet guide to use as a reference once the training is complete.

We recommend booking at least one month in advance during the months of September through April. Some popular dates, i.e. May through August, are typically booked up to four months in advance. We have a great, large team of experts and will do everything we can to accommodate you!

After you book, you will receive directions for how to join your learning experience via email. We ask you to forward the directions and materials to the participants with whom we will be working. If teachers will be joining friEdOnline, Microsoft Teams, or a Google Classroom, please refer to our whitelist directions and instructions here.

Your Learning Guide (LG) will be assigned based on your district’s needs and our LG’s skills and qualifications. For example, if you are booking a Microsoft Innovative Educator Academy, you will be assigned a Microsoft Certified Trainer or MIE who is experienced with the Microsoft tools your staff will be learning about.

Unless you requested a specific LG, we will assign your LG based on availability and expertise. All of our Learning Guides are well qualified to interact with your staff in a friendly, professional, and highly educational way. Each friEdTech Learning Guide maintains a 4.5 out of 5 overall satisfaction percentage, which is well above the industry standard. Meet the team here.

The goals you set for your PD will determine what topics we address when we work with your teachers. We will help you set goals that are attainable within the time frame we have to work with your staff. Our level of success will depend on reasonable goals for the audience, each member of which will bring their own level of readiness. Just like in a classroom, the enthusiasm, confidence, and spirit of the teacher (or in our case, teacher of teachers) will make a huge difference in how much the audience learns. This is why we focus on finding the very best “teachers of teachers” in the country.

If we accurately identify the problems and solutions, we will most likely create measurable goals. Consider offering a pre- and post-survey to your staff that asks questions about your goal. If Google Meet is a focus, your pre-survey may ask, “How comfortable are you delivering virtual instruction with Google Meet?” with a scale of 1-4. After your professional development experience, repeat the survey and compare the results. Successful PD will move the marker around the goal or goals that are set.

If your district is in the midst of massive change and growth, consider deploying the friEdTech Pre and Post Survey, which will give teachers a visual representation of their current level of understanding and ultimately help them understand the growth they will undergo as a result of their professional learning experiences.

For live face to face events (not keynotes), our limit is 35 participants per trainer. This ensures your learners have a quality experience and get the support they need to integrate new ideas successfully. This number can vary slightly, but we find this the ideal number of people who one experienced trainer can help efficiently during most face to face learning experiences.

Our virtual sessions can accommodate almost any size of group to meet your school or district’s needs. To assure quality, we add experienced moderators based on the number of participants you will have in a single group learning setting. This means we’re able to quickly address learner’s issues in the moment and differentiate with breakout groups as needed. We have found using moderators in this way to be an effective tool for swift communication; in addition, we suggest requiring learners to complete an assignment, customize a template, or use the friEdTech Learning Portfolio to document and integrate their learning to be an effective method of increasing learner accountability and participation. If I know I’m going to have to “do something” with my learning, I’m more apt to give my learning experience my full attention. According to Hattie’s Influences, strategies to integrate with prior knowledge and transfer strategies both show a marked effect size. We also know that using strategies such as this gives teachers valuable instructional models they can implement in their own classrooms.

Please feel free to invite anyone in your organization​ to your event; however, consider the purpose and position of the learners. NO ONE wants to attend a learning opportunity that will not help them with their daily work, so communicating with us AND your staff about the objectives is critical for success. Also, attendees who are not interested in the content we are sharing may inadvertently detract from their peers' learning opportunities.