Google: Culture first, technology second

We were delighted to be asked by Google to present at BETT this year. Our presentation focused on the importance of first building a staff culture before expecting the technology to unleash collaboration.

View the slides here

Across our Federation we have made a conscious effort to build INTELLECTUAL & SOCIAL capital. Google has helped with the first, as they have Educator Level 1 & 2 training which has ensured that our staff are confident with G Suite and all the key apps. However we have worked just as hard on the expectations we have for SOCIAL capital:

• staff nights out: activity based team events darts, Topgolf, bowling, shuffleboard
• fun activities and games to start staff/team meetings
• free refreshments in the staff room to encourage people out of their classes
• free Zumba sessions every week
• cake on a Friday
• joint PPA time with all of the team released at once - across both schools

This meant that when we started to implement G Suite and introduce Chromebooks the culture of collaboration, that was already established, really took off.

Jade then spoke about the practical applications it has to help her lead a team effectively and make a difference in the classroom. The core message behind her part of the presentation was to ensure that:

DON'T BE AFRAID TO STOP DOING SOMETHING GOOD... BE BRAVE AND TRY SOMETHING THAT COULD BE GREAT

There have been lots of questions, nerves and doubt over this new way of doing things. But thanks to the effective modelling of our Google champions we have been able to save time, increase engagement, reduce duplication of tasks and concentrate on the main thing... planning, resourcing and teaching great lessons for the children.