Professional Development Links

 

Links to Planning and Assessing Professional Development

  • The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) revised Standards for Staff Development "provide direction for designing a professional development experience that ensures educators acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Staff development must be results-driven, standards-based, and job-embedded.... Staff development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district."
    http://www.nsdc.org/standards/learningcommunities.cfm
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  • The Milken Family Foundation (http://www.mff.org) provides the Professional Competency Continuum: Professional Skills for the Digital Age Classroom by Edward Coughlin & Cheryl Lemke, and published 6/10/99. This "continuum" represents research- and classroom-tested approaches to developing the skills in teachers and administrators necessary for effective integration of technology in learning. Consider this quote from the publication: "Many excellent teachers view the use of technology as inefficient or unpleasant simply because they do not have basic skills of usage and troubleshooting. If teachers are not effective users of technology, it is unlikely that they will recognize how technology might be used well inside classrooms" (p. 13). How many teachers in today's day and age have yet to become effective users of technology?

    "ItÕs not about the technology. It is about the use of technology to enable powerful new forms of learning. New forms of learning require significant changes in our beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning Ñ both student learning and our own professional development" (p. 43). Are we there yet? -- Download a copy at: http://www.mff.org/publications/publications.taf?page=159
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  • The Metiri Group (from Coughlin and Lemke) provides consulting services such as "Technology Solutions that Work" a research-based database of technology and software solutions for schools. Also available: "TIPS: Technology Integration Profile of Schools" to help schools determine the level of technology integration present.
    http://www.metiri.com
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  • From ISTE's (International Society for Technology in Education) Center for Applied Research in Education Technology (CARET), "What can school leaders do to enable teachers to make effective use of technology?"
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  • From NCREL (North Central Regional Education Laboratory), a subsidiary of Learning Point Associates, "Critical Issues in Professional Development"
    http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/pd0cont.htm
  • From the National Center for Education Statistics, NCES: Guidebook
    "Technology in Schools: Suggestions, Tools and Guidelines for Assessing Technology in Elementary and Secondary Education" http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003313.pdf (Adobe Reader Required)
  • Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) Project
    http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/library.html
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  • From the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL), "Professional Learning Communities: What Are They And Why Are They Important?" http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html
    As an organizational arrangement, the professional learning community is seen as a powerful staff development approach and a potent strategy for school change and improvement.
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  • From The Journal, "One Size Does Not Fit All"  http://www.thejournal.com/the/printarticle/?id=17305
    By Janice M. Hinson, Kimberly N. Laprairie, and Janet M. Cundiff. "As the technological age continues to render traditional classroom practices obsolete, many educators are still untrained and apprehensive when it comes to technology integration...."
  • From Jamie McKenzie, "The Traits of an Effective Technology Coach and Signs of a Robust Program"
    http://fno.org/jan02/techcoach.html
    "The short version of this case is that teachers learn new technologies best within an adult learning context that provides great amounts of informal, highly customized support from colleagues who can generate trust while demonstrating skills and partnering in the construction of lessons that make sense."

  • From Jamie McKenzie, "Creating Learning Cultures with Just-in-Time Support" -- first published in eSchool News, April 1998
    http://staffdevelop.org/adult.html
  • From David Jakes, "10 Keys to Effective Professional Development"
    http://professionalgrowth.pbwiki.com/

      

 

Thoughts about Technology: Planning and Beyond

 

Recommended Resources in Print:

  • From Educause, Faculty Development for the Net Generation (online version or in print)
    http://www.educause.edu/FacultyDevelopmentfortheNetGeneration/6071
  • From Educause, Cultivating Careers: Professional Development for Campus IT (online version or in print)
    http://educause.edu/cultivatingcareers
    Edited by EDUCAUSE Vice President Cynthia Golden and written by top leaders in the industry who have distinguished themselves and their organizations for sharpening others' skills, institutional savvy, and ability to lead.ÊÊÊÊ
  • How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (online version or in print)
    http://books.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/
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  • Technology Staff Development Programs: A Leadership Sourcebook for School Administrators,
    by Gerald D. Bailey and Dan Lumley. ISBN: 0590492209, March 1994, Scholastic Press. (Amazon.com link) ÊÊ

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  • 101 Activities for Creating Effective Technology Staff Development Programs, A Sourcebook of Games, Stories, Role-Playing, and Learning Exercises for Administrators, by Gerald D. Bailey and Gwen, L. Bailey. ISBN 0590497480, May 1995, Scholastic Press. (Amazon.com link)

 

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Last Updated: 09/28/2012