EDTC 6104 Module 1
EdSurge Article by Ellen
PD is changing
"In order to do this, professional learning must reflect the kind of learning we want to see for our students."
"It also means we can let go of the multitude of small details we’re juggling for long enough to really ensure that anything we pick back up is directly in service of the big goals."
Revisit vision when planning PD with administrators
Connect to District Vision
Admin was on board - active
When teachers say they haven't been trained so they can't do something...
"This is problematic, because shifting to a true learning culture means that everyone is responsible for their learning and has their own agency."
Key Ideas for PD!
"The exit ticket at the end of the day (filled out by grade level teams to reflect on their learning for the afternoon) revealed that teachers felt energized by this work, because each team had chosen to work on an instructional practice that aligned directly with the school’s annual action plan."
"Teachers are going to create strong learning environments for their students when they are involved in similar environments themselves--and it’s up to you to support them, administrators."
An investigation into the community of inquiry of blended classrooms by
a Faculty Learning Community by Dr. Wicks et. all
"if blended courses are to increase in number and to be effective,
thoughtful professional development is needed to effectively teach faculty how to improve their blended pedagogy."
"Blended learning can be defined as “the integrated combination of
traditional learning with Web-based online approaches” (Motteram &
Sharma, 2009, p. 90). Blended learning is characterized by three features: 1) personal contact with an instructor, 2) the use of electronically
delivered learning objects, and 3) the blending of these two in order to
meet learning targets (Hoffman & Miner, 2008)."
Beyond performance data: Improving student help seeking by collecting and displaying influential data in an online middle-school science curriculum
5 Things Teachers Want from PD, and How Coaching and Collaboration Can Deliver Them—If Implementation Improves
Disconnect graphs and 5 things teachers want
6 Steps to Make Math Personal—Tech Makes It Possible, Teachers Make It Happen
“We were always on someone else’s pace, not our kids’ pace,” says Baack, who teaches at the Bella Romero Academy of Applied Technology, a K-8 public school in Greeley, Colorado. Most lessons were taught to the entire class, requiring Baack to constantly search for opportunities to help the students who struggled. “It was hard to differentiate, because it was hard to find the time to go back,” she says.
"But computers and software weren’t all that was needed to make personalized learning work at the Colorado school. It also required an equally dramatic shift in what Baack and her colleagues do in the classroom on a daily basis."
“I’m a very structured teacher, and I like structure and processes,” Baack says. “I am not able to do that anymore, because every day I’m changing everything.”
Does this always have to be the case? Aren't there just different structures in place? Would a process shared with and taught to students help?
Commitment: Using a program that aligns to curriculum
Do supplemental technologies not work as well as technology specifically aligned to the curriculum? How do all districts deal with that?
Do programs exist outside of math?
Understanding Blended Learning Through Innovative Professional Development
4 Tips for Developing Effective Professional Development for Blended Learning
Teaching metacognition is key
How does this relate to providing PD for teachers?
Challenge: limited experience of administrators with blended learning
Two common practices; learning about multiple tools and exploring them, discussing instructional practice and application in a standard classroom while being asked to apply the learning to a blended classroom
The goal of the article
Apply blended learning to PD while focusing on effective instructional practice
Take the PD goal and consider how to incorporate blended learning into the mix
Steps to integrate blended learning into PD
Continue to focus on the same tools throughout the year with a different approach to use
Co-plan, Co-lead PD, tap into teacher leaders in school buildings
Offer optional workshops focusing on blended learning tools to let teachers meet and collaborate together
Help teachers experience blended learning in PD
Differentiate PD by need or focus area to highlight blended learning
Encourage peer observations in blended learning classrooms
Weave technology training into PD
When is it enough?
Maybe open lab is a solution?
Teach classroom management strategies for blended learning
What are they?
He mentions digital citizenship without any specific reference
They offer a blended learning cohort that helps teachers do many of the things outlined below
How feasible is that for districts significantly smaller than LAUSD?