Find your own Excellence with Select Training - Part 2
Do you offer any training for our learners?
Yes! Pupils or students can also be an active part of your internal support system. We upskill learners so that they can help teachers across the school. Digital Leaders in the student body can also be responsible for evaluating apps, creating monthly digital leaflets showcasing excellent uses of technology, supporting new starters, etc. Our Student or Pupil Digital Leaders can become an invaluable part of your Professional Development journey. Outside of this offering, we have worked with learners on one-off projects, or we often deliver ‘getting started’ style training at the start of a new deployment of iPads.
We’ve had flash in the pan training before that made an initial impact. How do you ensure ongoing progression?
Building internal support systems certainly helps, but we look to provide continuous development if we can. Many schools opt to invest in a multi-day plan (usually three days). Placing training across the entire school year enables us to build on momentum and address any barriers as they arise. Ongoing feedback from the trainees, helps to track progression, but it also ensures that the training stays on track. Keeping a baseline level of good technological practice is completely achievable without external support. However, to keep on innovating and continuing to explore new educational apps, every school needs a helping hand. We see what hundreds of schools are achieving with technology throughout the school year. Without multiple visits, it’s hard for us to share that knowledge.
We’d love to invest in a multi-day plan, but we do not have the budget. What is your most cost-effective training solution, and can it still provide ongoing support?
Select Academy is our online training platform. Not only is it our most cost-effective offering (via a yearly subscription), but it also offers ongoing support. Teachers can log in to Select Academy and upskill themselves in their own time. There are a range of courses that meet the needs of any skill set. The platform is accessible through any device, which makes it easy for anyone to play along with the courses on their own iPad. Of course, mixing our training offerings is the best-case scenario. For example, one Full Day of training could then be supported by a yearly subscription of Select Academy. That way, you get hands-on, in-person support as well as online materials.
We’re brand new to Apple and really don’t have much of a strategic plan. Can you help us to create our Digital Learning Plan before we commit to ongoing training?
The Apple Learning Institute is the perfect professional development opportunity for schools that need to tackle their Digital Learning Plan and build a better strategy for their school. This two-day course enhances leadership skills and examines change management (in relation to technology). Attendees collaborate with other schools to build or finesse their Digital Learning Plans. At the end of the Apple Learning Institute, each school walks away with a new strategy and accreditation.
Technology continues to evolve constantly. Therefore, technological excellence is evolving too. When you reach the peak of your school’s digital goals, it won’t be long before you’re climbing a new mountain. Select can provide you with a map, the right equipment, and make the climb as easy as possible through ongoing professional development. Without this support, many schools get lost or choose a harder path to follow. Some give up altogether. We want to make sure you get the most out of your technological investment to enhance education for all. That might mean different things for different schools, but realising the full potential that Apple can afford you is the definition of excellence.
