Dr. Sharon Jones Connects the Dots to Train Teachers on Technology & Critical Thinking
Dr. Sharon Jones is connecting the dots for teachers and tech.
As Founder of the dot. Consulting, Sharon leads a team responsible for teaching teachers to use critical thinking and technology skills to solve problems. With an eye for K12 curriculum development, this technology training consultancy works with clients across strategic planning, professional development, and coaching.
There’s no one better to lead this charge than Sharon who, after working as a computer science expert for 20 years, redefined her passion and professional experience to prepare teachers for the next generation of thinking.
She has been a friend of Read Write Think with Renee for a number of years, and, together, she and Renee launched Living Your Learning, a professional development subscription box service.
As we prepare for a new year, we connect the dots with Sharon as she talks about how she created the dot., her aha! moments, and what she sees next for technology in the classroom.
Read Write Think with Renee (RWT): In five words, how best would you describe the dot today?
Dr. Sharon Jones (SJ): Creating transformative experiences for educators
RWT: How did the dot come about, and how has it evolved over the years to meet changing needs? What need, opportunity, or challenge were you seeing or experiencing in classrooms and schools, then and today?
SJ: In 2012, I had an aha! moment. At the time, I was teaching high school, and I loved my students, but I felt there was something missing. One morning, I was walking up the steps to my classroom and it just hit me, I am going to create my own destiny. There were so many factors that were a part of my world in education but the one factor I knew I could control was me. I have always been an out of the box teacher as teaching computer science is a challenging discipline. So I often brought many different curricula into learning programming as the connections helped the students learn. But on that day in 2012, I realized it was time to take it up to another level and thus my entrepreneurial journey began inside a classroom.
I began to reach out to more community members and bring them into my classroom to show how what we were learning was actually being used in the real world and to show the community what we were doing in the school. I shifted my classroom to project based learning and often flipped the classroom, where students were to listen to the “lecture” at home and then in class we applied. I embraced the notion and applied the work from my adult learning doctoral studies of being a true facilitator to my students and allowing them the opportunity to fail forward and grow. Through applying the adult learning processes, our classroom became a mini experiential lab. Content was relevant, timely, applicable to student interest, and we leveraged storytelling. It was a game changer.
My mindset change opened doors to new opportunities. We were recognized in the community for our collaborations and students were provided experiences pivotal to their education. And for me, the most influential change was when I applied, and I am still one of the original Code.org facilitators. As I mentioned, we were frozen in pay from 2008-2013 and I was at a third year teacher pay. By 2013, I had married, had my first son, was pregnant with our second, and completed my doctoral degree. My confidence was up in how I could facilitate and we needed a bit more income. So I read the email that Code.org was looking for facilitators and I applied. Our requirements were three workshops a year and we would receive a stipend. Well those three workshops turned into ten! And my side hustle was alive. The work with Code.org is the catapult that moved my work of working with teachers and integrating computer science into all disciplines as a side hustle into my full time business.
The business has changed over the years to be able to serve more teachers. In the beginning I served 4 schools and now I have over 20 as clients. I have been able to shift my mindset and provide an impactful framework for schools to utilize and find their right fit to integrate computer science innovation into their curriculum and culture.
The need in the classroom is still the same as it was a few years ago.
RWT: What are the top three values that drive your work today, and why? Can you talk specifically about active learning, trust, community, maybe?
SJ: Heart, Commitment and Consistency are the top three values that drive my work. At the core of education is people and building relationships.
There are seven core principles to remember when stepping into the discipline of teaching and learning:
Learners at the center
The social nature of learning
Emotions are integral to learning
Recognizing individual differences
Stretching all students to see their potential
Assessment for learning NOT for penalty
Building connections
Each of these principles centers back to the person and how we create interactions. When you build trust, communication, and a framework for learning with opportunities for all to find their voice, you are truly creating a place for transformative learning.
RWT: What’s the biggest misconception or myth about technology in the classroom?
SJ: The biggest challenge is perception. There is a myth that technology is hard to use and that is not useful for instruction. But technology can elevate learning if used with the mentality that it is a tool for creation and learning. AND you do not have to be an expert at all things tech, you can find what works best for you and your students and implement.
RWT: What’s one tip or piece of advice you’d give to encourage teachers and school leaders to read, write, and think more critically and more actively?
SJ: Keep it simple. Reading, writing, and thinking are a part of all of we do, so remember you ARE teaching all content subjects
RWT: As we look to 2023, what do you see as a new or on-the-horizon conversation when it comes to technology and schools, teachers and students?
SJ: Education will experience massive changes in the future because of tech advancements. Teachers will have access to technology that will enable them to teach effectively, but will need to be supported through training to enable the confidence they need to truly integrate into their curriculum. Students will also have access to technology that will make learning more accessible. The key to success is for teachers and students to embrace educational tech tools and learn how to use them with the mindset of creating and not consuming. If that can happen, then the world can expect a massive transformation of education in the future.
To learn more about the dot., please visit their website.
