Delivering Professional Development

This morning, I had the opportunity to deliver a ten-minute staff development presentation on technology integration. I chose to share Quizlet, a website that allows teachers and students to create virtual flashcards. The presentation went reasonably well, although I believe I would do a few things differently the next time.

I believe I was well-prepared for my presentation. I had a useful handout that I shared as a Google Doc. I felt comfortable with my topic and my audience; I made sure to get the audience actively participating in order that they could see how Quizlet can be used. I did feel the time constraint added some pressure. Ten minutes is a very limited time and I did not feel I adequately addressed the NETS standards. I also felt I didn't get to show the teachers how to create their own flashcards. However, I do feel that the audience was engaged and many of them will use this Web 2.0 application with their students.

If you saw my presentation, please leave me some feedback! What could I have done better?

Professional Development: Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

"To be effective, professional development must provide teachers with a way to directly apply what they learn to their teaching. Research shows that professional development leads to better instruction and improved student learning when it connects to the curriculum materials that teachers use, the district and state academic standards that guide their work, and the assessment and accountability measures that evaluate their success."  from "Teaching Teachers: Professional Development To Improve Student Achievement" Retrieved July 14, 2011, from http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Journals_and_Publications/Research_Points/RPSummer05.pdf

In order for teachers to truly benefit from professional development, presenters need to make their content relevant to teachers. Presenters need to provide numerous examples of how teachers can integrate techniques, technologies, and tools into their classrooms.

Teachers get easily overwhelmed by professional development. It's not surprising really--we are expected to do so much more than we are given time to complete. The paperwork seems to be ever-increasing, and professional development often seems like "one more meeting." Teachers are disheartened and disillusioned, and as a result, they are often disengaged during professional development presentations.

Teachers are always being trained on new strategies, and almost everything is advertised as a "silver bullet" that will solve all the teacher's problems. However, teachers rarely implement these strategies because they don't know how to make it work in their own classroom.

So how can a presenter make professional development seem more relevant and user friendly to teachers? Here are a few ideas:

1. Give the teachers a handout (paper or digital) which they can reference later. Provide them with contact information so they can contact you later if they have questions.

2. Ask teachers how they can incorporate the strategy in their classrooms. Give examples of how you have used the strategy or how you have seen it used.

3. Explain the research base behind the strategy you are teaching; this makes you more credible and makes your material seem more important.

4. Less is more. Don't overwhelm teachers.

Professional development should be something teachers look forward to and enjoy. Would you want to attend your own presentation? If not, you better do something to make it more engaging and relevant!

Transforming Education Through Technology

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." ~ Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

The world we live in today is very different from the world of the past--even the recent past. Sometimes, as teachers, we feel overwhelmed by advancements in technology. It's as if we have landed in Oz. Nothing is as we remember it, and we struggle to relate to the Munchkins we teach because they come from a different generation. Our students have different learning needs than we did when we were students. Children today have used a cell phone or played Wii before they have learned to read or to add.

Our classrooms and our instruction need to adapt to meet the needs of 21st century learners. In the article "Transforming Education with Technology," Marge Scherer explores how technology is being used in public schools. Unfortunately, not all schools have the extensive access to technological devices that every student described in this article.

Despite this, teachers need to use the technology they can access to engage students. In my classroom, I am privileged to have a SMART Board which I can use to engage my students in lessons. I also book computer lab time when possible so students can do podcasts, blogs, glogs, Voice Threads, and so on.

We can't rely on the Wizard to deliver us the amount of technology we need/want to meet our students needs; we must work with what we have and engage our students in smart ways.