DELC 2011 COLLEEN WORRELL, MANAGER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Professional Development at VHS Global Consortium

VHS  “The” original Virtual High School – been around for 15 years  Non-profit consortium of nearly 700 member schools from across the globe (in 32 states & 40 countries)  Co-synchronous online courses that aim to supplement curriculum

VHS believes … in student-centered, cohort-based online courses educational opportunities should not be limited by barriers of time, space, or lack of qualified instructors online teaching should supplement, not supplant, traditional education a collaborative model allows for sharing of resources to improve the quality of education for all students in the VHS member school

What Does PD Look Like at VHS? Image used under a Creative Commons licenseCreative Commons license

Foundations Training course and ongoing PD for VHS teachers Series of 5 graduate-level PD courses offered to the public Grant initiatives and customized PD Image source: flickr.comflickr.com

Lessons Learned Image used under a Creative Commons licenseCreative Commons license

Recommendation #1 ◊ Cannot be top-down, need teacher buy-in ◊ Plan for varying levels of skill and comfort with technology ◊ Be realistic in how much time and energy teachers have ◊ Think TPACK – don’t let tools be your starting point Co-create a thoughtful long-term, scaffolded PD plan that is tied to mission and/or learning goals

Recommendation #2 ◊ Modularized PD offered as webinars or online ◊ Supplement with f2f and blended workshops ◊ Train-the-trainer model ◊ Weave it into the school day – convenience is key Foster and sustain professional learning through job- embedded, just-in- time, modularized PD

Recommendation #3 ◊ Think in terms of learning teams ◊ Follow promising practices of other educators (e.g., Beyond Textbooks) ◊ Consider the benefits of teacher and student engagement Use OER to create a collaborative, Web- based learning culture for educators and students

Recommendation #4 ◊ Embed feedback into all of your PD ◊ Be flexible – revise or dump strategies or courses that don’t work ◊ Key to sustainability and effectiveness Critically evaluate your PD programs and their impact (i.e., collect and use data wisely, proactively )

Recommendation #5 “A digital age leader inspires and leads development and implementation of a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence throughout the system.” -- Leslie Conery, Deputy CEO, ISTE Create targeted PD for school leaders that enables them to BE the change they wish to see in their schools

Top 5 Recommendations 1. Co-create a thoughtful long-term, scaffolded PD plan that is tied to mission and/or learning goals 2. Foster and sustain professional learning through job- embedded, just-in-time, modularized PD 3. Use OER to create a collaborative, Web-based learning culture 4. Critically evaluate your PD programs and their impact (i.e., collect and use data wisely, proactively ) 5. Create targeted PD for school leaders that enables them to BE the change they wish to see in their schools