Facilitators' Guidebook: Using OLAC Tools and Resources

Webinars and Podcasts

Overview

OLAC Webinars and Podcasts address specific topics related to Ohio’s Leadership Development Framework. The webinars and podcasts feature national experts in the field of education as well as educators, administrators, and consultants from across the state of Ohio. The video (webinar) and audio (podcast) files, along with supporting materials, can be used by individuals and groups of educators. Users registered on the OLAC website can receive credit and certificates from the OLAC Credit Corner after completion of webinars and podcasts.

Webinars contain:

  • on-line videos with accompanying verbatim transcripts;
  • downloadable video files, slides, and other webinar materials;
  • title pages that describe intended audience and content; and
  • links for webinar completion certificates.

Podcasts contain streaming and downloadable audio files as well as links for podcast completion certificates.

How to Use

OLAC Webinars and Podcasts are available on the OLAC website and can be used either online or downloaded. Facilitators can access webinars and podcasts in a variety of ways.

  1. From the OLAC Dashboard, click on the display box “Webinars” or “Podcasts.”

  2. In the dropdown menu of the “Educator Resources” tab, click on “Webinars” or “Podcasts.”

  3. Use these direct links for Webinars and Podcasts.

  4. Each webinar and podcast landing page contains a clickable list of offerings, by title.

  5. To search the webinar and podcast lists for a particular topic, use the “Search Resources” feature in the left-hand margin of the Webinar and Podcast Results pages.

Some ways to use OLAC webinars and podcasts:

Facilitators can select entire webinars and podcasts, or assign relevant sections, for use by individuals or group members, before, during, or after PD sessions. Webinar slides, transcripts, and materials can be used as reading texts or to support learning during PD sessions or team meetings. OLAC webinars and podcasts are particularly useful when the facilitator wants to:

  • engage participants by combining multiple types of resources (e.g., module texts, webinars, podcasts, videos, data reports) to provide a comprehensive focus on a specific topic;

  • meet the needs of participants with diverse learning preferences, by using instructional materials that can be used at flexible times and locations and that employ varied modalities (e.g., text, audio, video, slides);

  • facilitate comparisons between information from module texts and real-life experiences;

  • stimulate discussion; and

  • identify resources to serve as part of an educator’s individual improvement plan.

Examples: The webinar Coaching TBTs and BLTs features Dr. Brian McNulty providing principals with suggestions for improving the performance of TBTs and BLTs, including first steps and ongoing monitoring of progress. The webinar includes a downloadable handout.

  • District administrators, with support from an SST consultant, view the webinar and complete the downloadable form prior to an upcoming meeting in order to prepare for discussions about improving focus and collaboration in district TBTs and BLTs.

  • After viewing the webinar, a principal cohort discusses steps that are already in place at their respective schools and ways to increase communication and collaboration between TBTs and BLTs.

  • Principals view the webinar and download the handout “Developing Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) and Teacher-Based Teams (TBTs)” to prompt self-reflection.

Examples: The podcasts Courage and Educational Leadership, Part 1 and Courage and Educational Leadership, Part 2 present interviews with consultant and author Cathy Lassiter about principals and the role courage plays in leading change and improving outcomes for all learners.

  • District and school leaders listen to the podcasts prior to participating in discussions about ways to strengthen leadership across the district.

  • School board members and the superintendent in a district experiencing high administrator turnover listen to the podcasts and discuss how Dr. Lassiter’s comments might relate to the district’s search for new principals.

  • After listening to Part 2 of the podcast, beginning at 22:00, where Dr. Lassiter describes the challenges of having a student-centered agenda, BLT and TBT members discuss with their team members ways in which their team demonstrates a student-centered agenda and ways to refocus the team on a more student-centered agenda.