Professional Development...

                                                                                                                  Lannie Davis                                                                                                                        October 3, 2011                                           

The articles I was assigned to read and reflect upon and relate to were How Teachers Learn Technology Best and Does Research-Based Professional Development Make a Difference? Both articles were well-written and brought new ideas and research-based knowledge to the table. I spent time comparing the ideas and thoughts in both articles to my specific school. In the areas of Educational Technology Professional Development I feel we exceed in the area of researching new practices and resources that are directly aligned with our students needs. For example, our school serves students with special learning needs. This being said, we are consistently considering what will help our students and provide the knowledge to “bridge the gaps” in their previously gained knowledge. We found a program called Read, Write, Gold that uses research of poor reading comprehension, dyslexia and other difficulties for students in the area of reading and incorporates strategies that are directly tied to those deficiencies. So, in the area of linking technology directly to our students needs, I feel our school excels.                                                                           Our school does seem to have a very “achieved” feel to it in the area of technology because of the mere fact that each classroom and resource room has an ACTIV board and wireless laptop linked to the board for teacher usage. Each teacher does use the ACTIV board as a teaching tool to present information to our students in a variety of ways. We feel it is highly important and proved effective to have a variety of ways that we “teach” using different modalities and always considering the different learning styles of our students. We also have student laptop carts with wireless access for each student and the teachers often use the student laptops to extend a lesson or enrich a learning experience. We use the laptops and update them annually so they stay current and appropriate for student learning.                                                                                                         I believe that we are “slumping” as a school in the area of professional development that is meaningful and effective for our teachers to use all the technology that our school has purchased. Our teachers are very much on overload. Every child in our school has special learning needs and is on a service plan or IEP and they have to write the plans. Also, we just went through the accreditation process and now we have to go through our new religion certification. Due to these facts and the natural burn out of teachers throughout the week and year, technology is just another area to provide a lot of stress and anxiety. They often feel like they don’t know how to use the technology to have because we do not have the time. Overall, since they are so often playing “catch-up,” the time they do have on professional development days, weekends and before and after school are not used for technology integration or discovery.                                  I do not think that any area of our school’s technology and professional development is failing. I think we, as any school, does have room to improve and will need to explore different ways to present information and change our focus. However, I am please to say that because we are aware of and using our technology and aware of the improvements we need, we are not failing in any area. We are dedicated to improving technology at our school and we are delegating time and effort to better understand our school’s needs.                                                                                                                                                                According to both articles I read, successful technology professional development has to be generative and actually bring about changes in practice. Teachers must see the need for importance in using the technology as an asset to their teaching and to provide greater learning experiences for their students. They must see the classroom connection and take ownership of the new knowledge. The McKenzie article states that, “the focus should be on teaching and learning strategies that make a difference in daily practice.” It should show effective by better student performance and greater self-efficacy of the teachers. Technology, in a perfect world, should empower teachers and assist them in creating lifelong learners. However, I think professional development is often presented in a way that does not truly understand or value the way in which adults learn. I think that best practice for adults needs to be considered. I believe giving teachers choice and providing them with the means to take the time to discover technology is highly important. For example, a dedicated day to EFFECTIVE discovery and trial and error in the area of technology may be very effective. Sometimes in education, we schedule meetings and professional development in order to fulfill a requirement, not to truly enhance teaching and the students learning experience. Professional development does require a sense of application and the teachers must feel like they can SIMPLY apply it to their teaching in order for them to feel assisted…not slighted. I think that teachers need to plan their own growth in this area and start to make reasonable goals for themselves. The articles both outlined the process and found that there was greater success when the teacher’s motivation became intrinsic and their technological discovery was on their own terms.                                                       In order to have effective technology integration and professional development, you must have a dynamic school administrator and/or technology coordinator. In both articles, they reference that teachers cannot solely be responsible for this aspect in the changing field of education. They must have leadership in this area that makes the knowledge meaningful, purposeful, and useful. The Mouza article refers to PCK as good teaching paired with technology. This, however, requires a dynamic understanding of the pedagogical strategies used in the area of technology. It is not simply a transfer of knowledge, so it is imperative that the technology coordinator and/or administrator knows and uses this understanding as well. They must exemplify best practice and be the leader that links technology to the classroom. The coordinator has a responsibility to bridge the gap that so many teachers experience. They do this by understanding the teacher, classroom and students. For example, I think much too often administrators are not present enough in the classrooms. If they are supposed to be the leader and “coach” in this area, then they really need to have an understanding of how that teacher currently teaches, how that teacher learns, and what could assist them in providing greater learning experiences for the students. The administrator and/or coordinator needs to also be able to provide opportunities and must have a background in facilitating change. Technology is always changing and it takes an understanding of change in order to keep this aspect in perspective. This technology coordinator/administrator must build a high rapport with staff and students in order to know what he/she can do to provide opportunities for technological growth. Administrators need to let the teachers be part of the change in schools and need to be on their team to help them choose what they would like to do with their time/effort. They are not simply providing knowledge; they are providing a means to access new knowledge in a way that makes sense to them and their classroom. The goal and hope is that these meaningful opportunities will lead to a greater accountability and willingness to learn and use technology in the classroom.