Week 18 Reflective Practice
Since the first part of the Mindlab course has finished I have been required to take on the management of a large number of chromebooks. This has meant taking responsibility for equipment, and developing new systems and processes where necessary. This has required liaison with two major groups – those managing the chromebook processes, and those using the equipment. While several people have the responsibility for different areas of the process, there is no one with overall responsibility or authority.
I often felt out of my depth until I learned how far I would have to go to get to a baseline to start from; and learned who to approach for information and help. I also got a great deal of satisfaction from successfully solving problems and providing solutions for others. I worked through quite a lot of frustration as, while I had responsibility, I did not have authority to deal with some issues. There was not one person with this authority, and I have now set up a meeting with a leadership group to sort out this issue.
As I developed an understanding of the task, I developed systems to deal with issues as they arose – usually on a “just-in –time” basis. As a result I often had to refine or rebuild a system as it was trialled. The second result was that I became the only one in the school with an overview – albeit superficial in some areas – of the many aspects of working with chromebooks. This included accounting; ordering; insurance and repair aspects; storage, dispersal and collection of equipment. I learned skills to design and work with spreadsheets; and of communication with whanau, staff and trust members as well as service providers, both face-to face and using email and telephone.
I became interested in agile resourcing after speaking with a worker in a business that provides services for the public. She mentioned agile resourcing as the way the business shared human resources when and where needed, moving people on a temporary basis (from a day to six months or more) between departments where their skills and knowledge were required. The Agile Manifesto listed ten principles, which I realised I was following (slightly altered to fit my circumstances):
- Satisfy the customer
- Adapt and respond to changing requirements
- Deliver working equipment frequently and promptly
- Collaborate
- Work with motivated individuals
- Face-to-face /one-to-one direct conversations
- Working equipment and processes
- Sustainable systems
- Technical expertise ( The manifesto lists this as technical excellence, which I can’t aspire to, but I have learned techniques with software and equipment to improve my technical knowledge)
- Simplicity (Again, something I am working towards to merge all the components of dealing with chromebooks.)
There are two other principles which at this stage are not happening – self-organising teams, and team reflection.
The subtheme all of this relates to is the role of current and emerging technologies. Technology can only transform teaching and learning if the infrastructure is there to support “the inspiration, capability and opportunities for innovation”
Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching: A New Zealand perspective 2012
http://agilemanifesto.org/ Manifesto for Agile Software Development 2001 Beck et al
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