Reply by Brian Shields on November 1, 2008 at 7:41am

Thanks for this topic Leslie. What comes to mind first for me is that the preparation of pre-service teachers is a fundamental first step – this is currently inconsistent at best. If we can tap into the skill set of the new generation of teachers as they enter the profession it will help develop a foundation of capacity and a source of expertise.

I believe that two things come to play for experienced teachers that need to acquire new skills such as the use of interactive white boards, online resources or collaborative spaces. First is the identification of a “need” by these teachers – PD seems to be more effective and uptake more authentic when teachers see value in the experience. Second would be the process of transferring/acquiring the skills.

The most effective way to achieve both of these, I believe, is to use a Modeling/Mentoring model where you have teachers sharing skills and knowledge. This would see a teacher demonstrating the effective use of the tools/skills in a classroom setting, then being available to mentor the other teachers regarding the new skills and tools. Our school division is piloting a program that has online teachers acting as mentors and supporters of classroom teachers in the integration of technology and online resources – it would be worthwhile to hear from those involved in this program as their experiences could inform this discussion. Another program has a lead teacher available to support classroom teachers in the use of our Moodle collaborative community. A neighbouring school division has embedded time for the mentoring of technology skills. PD needs to be embeded for DL teachers, so that they can stay connected with new technologies and new ways of teaching. We need to encourage a culture of collaboration where skill sets can be shared between teachers with varying levels of tech ability.

There is definitely an important place for PD opportunities that see teachers brought together to network and share their experiences – conventions, inservices and presentations. This is extremely important for larger picture experiences, for essential networking and for awareness regarding the changing landscape of teaching/learning. We need to listen to the comments in the ATA survey documentation, A Study of Teachers’ Workload in DL, that Helene has posted on the site. There is a sense from this study that we have not been meeting the PD needs teachers regarding DL. There is a need to identify the unique skill set needed to deliver DL education and find ways to support those needs. There is also a great opportunity to support the integration of the Bio, Chem and Physics (BCP) online courses recently developed (as well as other excellent online courses) – these would be excellent media rich resources for our classroom teachers as well as our online community.

I agree that this is an important area of discussion. It is critical that we find a way to effectively support classroom and online teachers in dealing with these new ways of teaching and learning. This was going to be a short response ... so much for that ... this critical topic really needs more discussion. What do you see as limitations regarding effective Professional Development ... what things stand in the way of this process? What other opportunities do you see regarding new ways of doing this PD?

Reply by Joan Coy on November 1, 2008 at 10:13am

I agree Leslie and Brian - we really are looking at a change in the face of teaching. Certainly teachers using a Distributed Learning model do require a significant amount of professional development. The good news here is that there is more time flexibility for these teachers and an openness to utilizing online resources for their learning. We are learning that for Professional f2f session to be effective, teachers need to have follow up activities soon after the event to apply what they have learned. It is important this is built into the PD plan, but it does not necessarily have to be f2f - it can be Elluminate or VC meetings or PLC sessions in the individual schools.

I am involved in the program our school division is piloting that has online teachers acting as mentors and supporters of classroom teachers in the integration of technology and online resources that you describe, Brian. We met yesterday to review the first two months of implementation. Happily our IT department has provided outstanding support and so technical difficulties did not take main stage.Teachers reported student excitement, increased time on task, formation of student study groups that teachers have previously not witnessed and preliminary evidence of better student performance. The team teaching approach with on-line and classroom teachers is a learning experience for all.

What ideas do you have for effective PD?

Reply by Dan Nash on November 1, 2008 at 10:19am

The following clip guided my thinking along the lines of how we plan the architecture to support profesional learning in Web 2:0 and beyond.
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/event/description?instance_id=12856

It is a bit long. If you fast forward to 16:45, 17:22, 38:22, 44:27, and 44:44 you can get the basic points of his message.

I particularly like the map where is sequences e-learning and shows web1.0 through the current DL Online delivery and then moves us ahead to what he calls the "non-formal" area where prosumer and democratication of professional learning dwells. His ending with Frank Lloyd Wright's advice that prophets live at least 10 years ahead is encouraging.

Dan

Reply by Joan Coy on November 1, 2008 at 11:21am

Thank you for this link, Dan. It is really forward thinking with regard to the realities of professional development now. I especially found his description of the "non-formal" area thought provoking. I too find solace in that advice from Frank Lloyd Wright!

Reply by Phil McRae on November 1, 2008 at 12:50pm

A literature synopsis that Pearl Gregor (former Exec. Director of the Regional Consortia and now a PhD candidate at UBC) and I pulled together for the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) a few years ago. It might still be of interest:

http://education.alberta.ca/apps/aisi/literature/pdfs/prof_devt.pdf

Excerpt from the introduction:
Within the North American context, there is an increasing interest in how technology can be used to
support professional development for Kindergarten to Grade 12 teachers. The Alberta context, in
particular, with its access to powerful technologies and broadband connectivity (SuperNet), makes it
increasingly possible to consider the following question: How can school jurisdictions use a range of
technologies to effectively mediate, facilitate and support professional development for
Kindergarten to Grade 12 teachers?

Cheers,
Phil McRae

Reply by Joan Coy on November 2, 2008 at 8:22am

Thank you, Phil! This is a really great resource! Our division is currently using Guskey's Five Levels of Professional Development Evaluation to guide our profession development activities for both our AISI and TML projects. In our large rural division, there is a great need for learning to use technology to enhance our professional development activities.

Have a fine day!
Joan

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