Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten – By Angela M. Rios Zuluaga
Introduction
This Alternative Professional Learning (PL) Plan is designed to support the implementation of my innovation initiative, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten, which focuses on enhancing student independence and engagement through the intentional use of iPads, QR codes, and blended learning centers. The purpose of this PL Outline is to provide a structured foundation for the professional learning experiences that my colleagues will engage in over the next several weeks. The plan is grounded in research-based principles of effective professional development, emphasizes modeling and active participation, and is intentionally aligned with the real needs of kindergarten teachers in my organization.
Because this assignment serves as part of my development as a self-differentiated leader, the PL plan is written for my colleagues those who will collaborate with me in bringing this innovation to life. The structure is flexible so that it can be revised, expanded, and adapted in future iterations as my innovation grows within my campus context.
Connection to My Innovation Plan
This Professional Learning Plan is directly aligned with the goals and rationale established in my Innovation Plan, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten. That plan provides the foundation and long-term vision for the blended routines, independence-building strategies, and QR-based activities developed in this PL outline.
Integration of the Five Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning
Gulamhussein’s (2013) five principles of effective professional learning serve as the backbone of this plan. Each principle directly aligns with the skills and practices required to successfully implement Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten.
1. Extended Duration and Ongoing Support
The PL plan unfolds across a 6–8-week period to ensure that teachers have adequate time to learn, apply, and refine the digital practices introduced. This extended duration also allows for multiple cycles of modeling, practice, reflection, and coaching. Weekly check-ins, optional coaching sessions, and opportunities for peer collaboration create a continuous learning environment where teachers can address challenges as they emerge.
2. Support During Implementation
Meaningful change requires scaffolded support. Throughout the PL cycle, teachers will receive implementation guidance through classroom modeling, co-teaching opportunities, peer observations, and digital resources such as short demonstration videos. By addressing the challenges associated with transitioning into blended centers with iPads, the plan ensures that teachers do not navigate implementation in isolation.
3. Active Engagement
Teachers will experience each component of the innovation as learners. They will scan QR codes, explore student tasks, build their own digital centers, and engage in collaborative planning sessions. This hands-on approach reflects the core idea that professional learning should mirror the type of learning we hope to see in classrooms. Active participation increases understanding, confidence, and ownership of new practices.
4. Modeling of New Practices
Modeling is at the heart of this PL plan. I will demonstrate lessons in real classrooms so teachers can observe routines, language structures, student expectations, transitions, and independence-building strategies. Modeling helps teachers visualize how blended learning can look and feel in a Kindergarten classroom and provides a concrete anchor for their own implementation.
5. Content That Is Grade-Level Specific
All content, examples, and strategies are tailored specifically to the Kindergarten environment. Because young learners require clear structures, visual cues, predictable routines, and repeated practice, the PL emphasizes developmentally appropriate approaches aligned with Texas Kindergarten TEKS. This specificity ensures that teachers receive targeted support that fits their daily realities.
Collaboration Structures
Collaboration is intentionally woven throughout the PL experience. Teachers will participate in PLC-style reflection sessions, engage in “Kinder Learning Walks” to observe their colleagues, and contribute to a shared Google Drive of resources and QR activities. A digital reflection board will provide space for teachers to document “Go & Show” evidence, share successes, ask questions, and support each other’s growth. By normalizing collaboration, the PL fosters a culture of shared responsibility and collective improvement.
Leadership Roles
- Lead Teacher (Angela Ríos): Facilitates PL sessions, models lessons, develops QR materials, and provides coaching and follow-up support.
- Kindergarten Team: Implements the innovation, provides feedback, participates in peer observations, and collaborates in lesson design.
- Instructional Coach/Specialist: Supports modeling, co-teaching, and reflective conferencing.
- Administrator: Ensures alignment with campus goals and provides time, resources, and logistical support.
This shared leadership approach distributes responsibility and reinforces the collaborative nature of the innovation.
Audience and Their Needs
The primary audience for this PL plan is the kindergarten teaching team at my campus. Many teachers are seeking strategies to increase student independence, manage iPad transitions, and implement QR-based activities reliably. Others need ways to support emergent bilingual learners within blended centers. The PL responds directly to these needs by providing clear modeling, simplified systems, bilingual resources, and opportunities to practice the routines that students will use.
Instructional Design Framework and Justification
This PL plan is designed using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. UbD is well suited for this context because it emphasizes backward design, alignment with learning goals, and clarity of outcomes.
- Stage 1 (Desired Results): Focuses on building teacher capacity in blended learning routines and independence-building strategies.
- Stage 2 (Assessment Evidence): Includes classroom observations, teacher reflections, student independence data, and “Go & Show” evidence shared across the team.
- Stage 3 (Learning Plan): Outlines active modeling, collaborative planning, hands-on practice, peer learning walks, and cycles of reflection and feedback.
UbD ensures that all components of the PL remain intentional, coherent, and directly aligned with the long-term goals of the innovation.
Schedule and Timeline
- Week 1: Vision, purpose, overview of innovation, and first modeling demonstration.
- Week 2: Hands-on practice with QR codes, building digital centers, and designing routines.
- Week 3: Kinder Learning Walk #1 and reflective discussion.
- Week 4: Co-teaching sessions and targeted implementation support.
- Week 5: Kinder Learning Walk #2 with evidence-sharing.
- Week 6: Reflection session and “Go & Show” Showcase.
- Weeks 7–8: Continued coaching, refinement, and sustainability planning.
Resources Needed
- Classroom iPads
- Teacher QR Codes folder
- Digital center routines guide
- Modeling videos
- Shared Google Drive
- Observation checklists
- Anchor charts for Kinder expectations
- Bilingual center cards for students
Format and portfolio Integration
This PL Plan Outline will be published as a webpage within the “Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten” section of my portfolio. Organizing it as a web-based outline ensures that it remains dynamic, editable, and adaptable for future professional learning cycles on my campus.
“When teachers grow with purpose, students learn with joy.”
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate: Present visual stories that transform audiences. Wiley.
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education.
Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Who owns the ePortfolio? http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050
Sinek, S. (2012). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Penguin.