Professional Development Models

Professional Development models that assist staff in learning and integrating new technologies have changed over the years. Following are articles and books that I have read to assist in learning about which models are most successful. This list will be continually added to over time as I learn more about professional development models and technology integration.

Gagliolo, Camilla. (Sept/Oct 2008). Help Teachers Mentor One Another. Learning & Leading with Technology. p.39

Gagliolo offers specific steps for educational technology professional development with a focus on building a professional learning community. Teachers teaching other teachers creates powerful learning.

Guhlin, Miguel. (August 19, 2009). Light the Flame: PLNs in Schools. Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org. Retrieved from: http://www.mguhlin.org/2009/08/light-flame-plns-in- schools.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ mguhlin+ (Around+the+Corner+-+MGuhlin.net)

Miguel Guhlin shares his ideas on PLNs "as a way to move from professional development as a special event to a continuous flow of learning". Teachers should eventually realize that they have control over their learning being part of a PLN and using technology to support their learning.

Harris, Judi. (February 2008). One Size Doesn’t Fit All (Part 1). Learning & Leading with Technology. p. 18-23.

Harris discusses how Educational Technology Professional Development (ETPD) can take on many forms depending on the goals, student grade levels, teacher characteristics and assessment of the ETPD. Harris references the National Staff Development Council's effective characteristics of professional development then offers detailed information for six specific ETPD program goals.

Harris, Judi. (March/April 2008). One Size Doesn’t Fit All (Part 2). Learning & Leading with Technology. p. 22-23.

Harris expands on Part 1 by presenting and explaining five general types of professional development that can be further broken down to present a total of 20 different models.

Harris, Judi. (May 2008). One Size Doesn’t Fit All (Part 3). Learning & Leading with Technology. p. 22-25.

Harris takes readers to the next step in Part 3 by helping readers combine goals and models then matching combinations to fit teacher characteristics whether they are early adopters or laggards. The learner cannot be forgotten when designing an effective ETPD model.

Harris, Judi. (June 2008). One Size Doesn’t Fit All (Part 4). Learning & Leading with Technology. p. 18-23.

Harris concludes the four-part series by providing examples of ways to evaluate the effectiveness of the ETPD. Evaluation includes an analysis of how well the design fit the learning needs and preferences of the teachers involved in the professional development. Basically, answering the question, "How well did it work?" using a survey tool will provide valuable information. The perceptions of participants including whether the training was effective and if they intend to use what they learned is important in the evaluation process.

Harris, Judi. Designing Educational Technology Professional Development. School of Education, College of William and Mary. Web. September 2008. .

Harris provides extensive resources for ETPD supporting the four articles at her blog site.

Ketterer, Kimberly. (June/July 2008). A Professional Development Menu. Learning & Leading with Technology. p.11.

Ketterer offers suggestions for meeting the needs of teachers in developing effective technology skills. Her ideas vary from short, quick teasers to more intense workshops, summer institutes and wiki development. She references the ISTE NETS for students as teachers as resources for planning professional development.

Plair, Sandra Kay. (2008). Revamping Professional Development for Technology Integration and Fluency. Clearing House, 82(2), 70-74. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Sandra Plair writes that veteran teachers need a different approach to educational technology professional development. She suggests the idea of a knowledge broker, a specialist who works collaboratively with others, is able to select appropriate technologies, prepare technology integrated activities, is ready to support teachers on a moment's notice and provides overall leadership for teachers needing assistance integrating technology. The key to success is ongoing support.

Richardson, Will. (December 7, 2007). Personal Learning Networks. YouTube. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mghGV37TeK8

Teachers can connect around ideas they are passionate about when they join a Personal Learning Network (PLN). Teachers are not limited by distance or time, the online world can offer many opportunities to connect with other educators on topics of common interest so they can learn together.