5.2 Professional Learning
Candidates develop and implement technology-based professional learning that aligns to state and national professional learning standards, integrates technology to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of adult learning, and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. (PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b)
Artifact:
Professional Development Workshop
Reflection:
The artifact for this standard was a fully developed 2-hour professional learning workshop for teachers in the school. The workshop was the outcome of collaborative work between the instructional technology and media specialists and focused on integration of the 4Cs in daily instruction: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. This learning opportunity was offered to all teachers at the end of the school year.
Assessing the needs and determining specific learning targets were important components in the design and development of the workshop. Data from the Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPPS) revealed specific patterns of technology use in the school. It was noticed that technology was used to support lower level thinking activities. Disaggregating the data by grade levels helped determine the focus of the workshop: learning how technologies could supports the 4Cs and how such learning could be designed by teachers. As learning targets were in place, collaborative development of teaching materials and resources began. A wiki was created as a digital tool to develop and implement the workshop.
National professional learning standards were considered in design and development of the workshop. Learning communities, resources, data, learning designs, implementation, and outcomes were the professional learning standards addressed. For example, the workshop was built on communication and collaboration among participants to promote professional conversations, encourage leadership, and strengthen learning communities in the school. Specific data were shared and used to identify the needs for improvement in professional practices. Lesson ideas, student work examples, and other online resources were included in the wiki to address objectives of the resources and learning designs professional standards.
The workshop integrated technology tools and resources available in the school. For instance, the itsLearning platform, VoiceThread, Socrative, and Wixie were spotlighted as tools to integrate when addressing the 4Cs in daily lessons. Student work examples completed with specific applications for iOS devices were presented to familiarize teachers with favorite apps of students in the school. The face-to-face interaction in small groups allowed teachers to take charge in own professional learning and increase engagement and motivation. Online components, such as back channeling features in Socrative, Google forms, and discussion boards in itsLearning, were implemented to address needs of all adult learners and model a variety of digital tools to teachers.
The workshop was based on the principles of effective adult learning techniques. For example, clarifying messages and managing change effectively were the strategies used in development and implementation of the workshop. Technology related information was presented in a way that would connect the dots for teachers and help them see technology as an instrument for rigorous and engaging learning experiences for students. The principle of managing change effectively led to people in the building who wanted to take a risk and learn new methods. They became messengers of change in teaching and learning strategies, and in the school with almost 1400 students, it was a powerful accomplishment.
The workshop was conducted at the end of the school year, which was not the best time to talk about change in teaching. The continuity of professional learning was compromised by the summer break. To improve the impact of this experience, follow-up sessions should be offered at the beginning of the school year. The 4 Cs in teaching and learning would connect to the school-wide professional learning plan and segue to continuous, job-embedded learning throughout the school year.
The artifact for this standard was a fully developed 2-hour professional learning workshop for teachers in the school. The workshop was the outcome of collaborative work between the instructional technology and media specialists and focused on integration of the 4Cs in daily instruction: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. This learning opportunity was offered to all teachers at the end of the school year.
Assessing the needs and determining specific learning targets were important components in the design and development of the workshop. Data from the Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPPS) revealed specific patterns of technology use in the school. It was noticed that technology was used to support lower level thinking activities. Disaggregating the data by grade levels helped determine the focus of the workshop: learning how technologies could supports the 4Cs and how such learning could be designed by teachers. As learning targets were in place, collaborative development of teaching materials and resources began. A wiki was created as a digital tool to develop and implement the workshop.
National professional learning standards were considered in design and development of the workshop. Learning communities, resources, data, learning designs, implementation, and outcomes were the professional learning standards addressed. For example, the workshop was built on communication and collaboration among participants to promote professional conversations, encourage leadership, and strengthen learning communities in the school. Specific data were shared and used to identify the needs for improvement in professional practices. Lesson ideas, student work examples, and other online resources were included in the wiki to address objectives of the resources and learning designs professional standards.
The workshop integrated technology tools and resources available in the school. For instance, the itsLearning platform, VoiceThread, Socrative, and Wixie were spotlighted as tools to integrate when addressing the 4Cs in daily lessons. Student work examples completed with specific applications for iOS devices were presented to familiarize teachers with favorite apps of students in the school. The face-to-face interaction in small groups allowed teachers to take charge in own professional learning and increase engagement and motivation. Online components, such as back channeling features in Socrative, Google forms, and discussion boards in itsLearning, were implemented to address needs of all adult learners and model a variety of digital tools to teachers.
The workshop was based on the principles of effective adult learning techniques. For example, clarifying messages and managing change effectively were the strategies used in development and implementation of the workshop. Technology related information was presented in a way that would connect the dots for teachers and help them see technology as an instrument for rigorous and engaging learning experiences for students. The principle of managing change effectively led to people in the building who wanted to take a risk and learn new methods. They became messengers of change in teaching and learning strategies, and in the school with almost 1400 students, it was a powerful accomplishment.
The workshop was conducted at the end of the school year, which was not the best time to talk about change in teaching. The continuity of professional learning was compromised by the summer break. To improve the impact of this experience, follow-up sessions should be offered at the beginning of the school year. The 4 Cs in teaching and learning would connect to the school-wide professional learning plan and segue to continuous, job-embedded learning throughout the school year.