Professional Development Jill R. Brown, PhD

Technology integration expertise not available (No school has it all - it's a moving target.) Work with departmental (content) leaders – early adopters and/or influential members Ongoing deliberate internal collaborations Deliberate external collaborations On line resources Webinars (live and archived)

continued.... Professional organizations – by discipline Rewards/encouragement for research, experimentation and sharing Not just younger faculty- research shows experienced faculty can adopt faster and more effectively EdTech personnel -share ideas & support implementation but the 'rubber hits the road' w/ content experts -like effective teachers, they don't *teach teachers they set up environments for teachers to learn

Time Webinar archives – listen to while do other work Podcasts, RSS feeds, Nings, Twitter, listservs, etc. Find what aggregates the information you are interested in best for you Participate in on line networking groups Team teaching and observation Recording and sharing best practices in the classroom and faculty lead classes

continued.... Brown bag lunches Show-n-tell at meetings Must be a priority for little experiences to happen often Adult learners, must have choices Plant seeds, they will continue to grow Story : Moodle Summer Class

No $$ for PD = OPPORTUNITY! Economic issues may encourage faculty to try some rich current models for life long learning...hopefully these experiences will change how we/they create learning experiences for our students. These collaborations are VERY possible now with tools most of us already have! Example: Conferences are good but short lived. Engaging in an on line learning community can be more broad, fulfilling and effective long-term.

No $ for PD Video support for FAQs promote independence Webinars Visit schools near by Visit other classrooms in your school On line resources from Respected professional organizations Other teachers teaching the same classes on line

No $ for PD Video support for FAQs promote independence Webinars Visit schools near by Visit other classrooms in your school On line resources from Respected professional organizations Other teachers teaching the same classes on line

continued.... Record best practices (inexpensive: Flip ~$199, Movie Maker $0, audio recorder ~$60) Participate in free professional communities on line (Nings, Second Life, lists, Blogs, etc.) Create internal on line sharing/collaborative environment for faculty to communicate and share curricular resources (i.e. Moodle, etc.) U tube and Teacher Tube- best practices Story – flipping, best practices

No $, resources... chicken/egg Pool requests and fill them to meet most the needs Committee help prioritize needs Projector/Computer, saves $$, move those savings back into technology purchases COW (not best but OK for some situations) Shared calendars to share resources

Continued... Open source (i.e. Moodle, open office) On line quizzes/assignments save time/resources (i.e. Moodle, Webquest, etc.) Small pilots to try out new tools Processes not a static plans! Use data to make informed decisions

IT support/infrastructure shortcomings Leadership – knowledgeable and in right positions Effective management ; It's a PROCESS not a static plan! Collaboration Real-time classroom support/understand needs Organized to meet as many needs as possible with least amount of resources

Faculty Indifference School shared vision Leadership/priorities Faculty evaluations Feedback from students Address and validate faculty concerns Keep planting seeds It is a slow process

Change resistant Shared vision Leadership and priorities Experiences for key leaders Feedback from students, parents and new faculty

Computer Access NO easy answers Resources information - earlier Effective budgeting/planning Leadership and support Right leadership in the right positions

Rigid curriculum and schedule NO easy answers, but should be easiest for Independent schools Vision and leadership Must want to break the mold and collaborate globally and engage students in authentic learning experiences Reiterate that test scores remain and/or raise in problem- centered constructivist classrooms – show examples and successful faculty

Lack of leadership/ initiative Do what you can with interested personnel Try to educate leadership Experiences outside the school with key leadership Time will most likely show the need to progress - accomplish what you are able to in the meantime

Coordination Leadership The right people in the right positions Reality of the difficulties, some issues are just the 'nature of the beast' some are not.

Everyone on the boat must use the same compass to smoothly navigate change!