Chapter 5: Professional Development

Seven major steps and recommendations for implementing technology in our schools:

      ·         Strengthen leadership
      ·         Consider innovative budgeting
      ·         Improve teacher training
      ·         Support e-learning and virtual schools
      ·         Encourage broadband access
      ·         Move toward digital content
      ·         Integrate data systems
                       (U.S. Department of Education, 2004, n.p.)

Five-step evaluation program:

·         Participants’ reactions – evaluation at this level identifies the appropriateness of a program’s content, process, and context.  Was the content appropriate?  Was the presenter knowledgeable?

·         Participants’ learning – What are the participants’ beliefs toward the professional development topic, and has the event changed those attitudes and beliefs?

·         Organizational support and change – Does the organization have the tools, services, and policies in place to support the training experience once teachers return to the classroom?

·         Participants’ use of new knowledge – Did the participants implement what they learned?  Did it change classroom practice?

·         Student learning – Did the experiences improve student learning?  In most cases, that should be the most important question to ask.

Situated Cognition – defines learning as a process of participation in communities of practice.

Situated learning – where learning takes place in a specific context.

“Most learning occurs naturally through activities, contexts, and cultures, but schools too often abstract learning, ‘unsituate it’, and teach concepts removed from natural contexts and applications.”

pg. 103 (Lave, 1998)

Strategies to support virtual communities:

      ·         Establish regular times for team interaction

      ·         Send agendas to participants beforehand

      ·         Designate a team librarian

      ·         Build and maintain a team archive

      ·         Use visual forms of communication where possible

      ·         Set formal rules for communication and/or technology use

Virtual communities have the obstacle of needing to encourage participation.  In order to help encourage participation some tips include to create an environment of trust, eliminate confusion by making sure the participants understand how the community works, create productive dialogue ./ make learning interactive, have teachers share what they are doing on a regular basis, and give constructive feedback and support as a facilitator. 

Blogs – they can allow teachers to become comfortable with and understand the Web 2.0 tools and can be used to create their own professional and personal networks.

Podcasting – these can be used in order to have professional development training sessions, lectures, and ability to visually share ideas.

Wikis – allow members of a community to participate together in order to create a goal, plan, direct, or simply discuss the way a new activity is working.

NETS • T Standard

5.      Productivity and Professional Practice: I think this standard applies to the chapter because it allows teachers to use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice.  It also relates to the chapter because this standard uses technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning and continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.  This standard also describes applying technology to increase productivity and to use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

Citations:

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0, new tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: Intl Society for Technology in educ.