5.2 Professional Learning
Candidates develop and implement technology-based professional learning that aligns to state and national professional learning standards, integrates technology to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of adult learning, and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. (PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b)
Artifact: One-Hour Technology Workshop
Reflection:
As part of 7460, I was tasked with designing, developing, and delivering a one-hour technology workshop for teachers at my school. I developed instructional materials that covered web tools and resources we learned about at the GaETC conference along with two other teachers and our school’s assistant principal who attended the conference with me. The workshop covered information on Wikispaces, Google Drive, Graphite, Twitter, and tools to measure technology use, including the SAMR model, LoTI Framework, and Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). I decided to house the instructional materials on a wiki for teachers to both access and add to the information provided after the workshop was completed.
Throughout the process of developing and implementing the technology workshop, I made an effort to keep Learning Forward’s national professional learning standards in mind. For example, I employed best practices in learning designs such as setting up the workshop as a Q-and-A session as well as encouraging teachers to use their laptops throughout the workshop to encourage active engagement with the tools themselves, modeling the tools for the teachers using the interactive whiteboard for all to see, having teachers discuss how to apply each tool in his/her classroom, asking teachers to fill out a post-workshop survey to give feedback, and sharing the wiki to ensure ongoing support. These learning designs “support change in knowledge, skills, dispositions, and practice” (Learning Forward, 2011). I also integrated technology by creating and using the wiki, which included descriptions of each tool and corresponding handouts for teachers, as an online component of the workshop to support teachers after the face-to-face portion of workshop as well as to show examples and model the tools during the face-to-face portion. I modeled principles of adult learning such as self-motivation for attendance by encouraging but not asking my administration to require attendance to the workshop, collaboration by encouraging teachers to add their own ideas and conversations both during the workshop and on the wiki after the workshop, and active engagement by encouraging teachers to engage in discussion and try the tools for themselves throughout the workshop. The workshop also promoted best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment as I wrote a lesson plan for the workshop, let teachers know the agenda for the workshop, included time for collaboration and active engagement, and asked teachers to complete a post-workshop survey to assess the effectiveness of the workshop. This artifact also demonstrates my ability to develop and implement technology-based professional development. Although other faculty joined me in presenting during the workshop, I was solely responsible for developing the wiki, handouts, promotional materials and emails, sign-in materials, post-workshop survey, and workshop space. I also was “in charge” of the implementation by coordinating the other faculty members’ presentations and presenting my own.
This workshop was the first time that I had led a professional learning activity at my school, although I had previous experience leading professional learning for other music teachers. It was also the first time I had created an online component to accompany professional development. I found this to be a very valuable addition to the workshop, and I believe the other teachers felt the same way. I also got hands-on experience with using Wikispaces for collaborative use. My experience with creating the wiki for this workshop was very helpful when I later used Wikispaces to create a wiki for my capstone, as I it helped me practice and understand many of the technical aspects of the Web 2.0 tool. If I were to conduct a similar technology-based professional learning workshop in the future, I would strive to make it even more effective for the teachers by sending out a survey before the workshop to ask teachers for specific topics they would like to learn about. I also would like to extend this workshop into an opportunity to offer PLUs to teachers.
The workshop had a positive impact on faculty development, as measured by the post-workshop survey. Seven out of the sixteen attendees responded to the survey. Six of the seven indicated that the workshop overall was “very helpful” (the seventh person said “somewhat helpful”). Teachers had varying responses to the tools they would actually consider using in the classroom, which I interpret as a good thing. This means that teachers are making choices about what they think will work for their own setting, and it also means that there was not one tool that was considered unworthy of further investigation. Six of the seven respondents indicated that they were already planning on attending the follow-up session (the seventh person said “maybe”). All seven respondents indicated that the handouts from the workshop were “very useful.” Six of the seven respondents felt that using the Wiki was “very useful” as an online platform for the workshop (the seventh person said “somewhat useful”). Three respondents also gave additional feedback, all of which was positive: one person very much appreciated the written directions for Twitter, one person thought the workshop was “very informative” and was looking forward to using the information in the classroom, and the third person noted appreciation for the pace of the workshop – slow enough to cover questions and grasp concepts.
Learning Forward (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Retrieved from http://learningforward.org/standards/learning-designs#.VZ3QYRNViko
As part of 7460, I was tasked with designing, developing, and delivering a one-hour technology workshop for teachers at my school. I developed instructional materials that covered web tools and resources we learned about at the GaETC conference along with two other teachers and our school’s assistant principal who attended the conference with me. The workshop covered information on Wikispaces, Google Drive, Graphite, Twitter, and tools to measure technology use, including the SAMR model, LoTI Framework, and Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). I decided to house the instructional materials on a wiki for teachers to both access and add to the information provided after the workshop was completed.
Throughout the process of developing and implementing the technology workshop, I made an effort to keep Learning Forward’s national professional learning standards in mind. For example, I employed best practices in learning designs such as setting up the workshop as a Q-and-A session as well as encouraging teachers to use their laptops throughout the workshop to encourage active engagement with the tools themselves, modeling the tools for the teachers using the interactive whiteboard for all to see, having teachers discuss how to apply each tool in his/her classroom, asking teachers to fill out a post-workshop survey to give feedback, and sharing the wiki to ensure ongoing support. These learning designs “support change in knowledge, skills, dispositions, and practice” (Learning Forward, 2011). I also integrated technology by creating and using the wiki, which included descriptions of each tool and corresponding handouts for teachers, as an online component of the workshop to support teachers after the face-to-face portion of workshop as well as to show examples and model the tools during the face-to-face portion. I modeled principles of adult learning such as self-motivation for attendance by encouraging but not asking my administration to require attendance to the workshop, collaboration by encouraging teachers to add their own ideas and conversations both during the workshop and on the wiki after the workshop, and active engagement by encouraging teachers to engage in discussion and try the tools for themselves throughout the workshop. The workshop also promoted best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment as I wrote a lesson plan for the workshop, let teachers know the agenda for the workshop, included time for collaboration and active engagement, and asked teachers to complete a post-workshop survey to assess the effectiveness of the workshop. This artifact also demonstrates my ability to develop and implement technology-based professional development. Although other faculty joined me in presenting during the workshop, I was solely responsible for developing the wiki, handouts, promotional materials and emails, sign-in materials, post-workshop survey, and workshop space. I also was “in charge” of the implementation by coordinating the other faculty members’ presentations and presenting my own.
This workshop was the first time that I had led a professional learning activity at my school, although I had previous experience leading professional learning for other music teachers. It was also the first time I had created an online component to accompany professional development. I found this to be a very valuable addition to the workshop, and I believe the other teachers felt the same way. I also got hands-on experience with using Wikispaces for collaborative use. My experience with creating the wiki for this workshop was very helpful when I later used Wikispaces to create a wiki for my capstone, as I it helped me practice and understand many of the technical aspects of the Web 2.0 tool. If I were to conduct a similar technology-based professional learning workshop in the future, I would strive to make it even more effective for the teachers by sending out a survey before the workshop to ask teachers for specific topics they would like to learn about. I also would like to extend this workshop into an opportunity to offer PLUs to teachers.
The workshop had a positive impact on faculty development, as measured by the post-workshop survey. Seven out of the sixteen attendees responded to the survey. Six of the seven indicated that the workshop overall was “very helpful” (the seventh person said “somewhat helpful”). Teachers had varying responses to the tools they would actually consider using in the classroom, which I interpret as a good thing. This means that teachers are making choices about what they think will work for their own setting, and it also means that there was not one tool that was considered unworthy of further investigation. Six of the seven respondents indicated that they were already planning on attending the follow-up session (the seventh person said “maybe”). All seven respondents indicated that the handouts from the workshop were “very useful.” Six of the seven respondents felt that using the Wiki was “very useful” as an online platform for the workshop (the seventh person said “somewhat useful”). Three respondents also gave additional feedback, all of which was positive: one person very much appreciated the written directions for Twitter, one person thought the workshop was “very informative” and was looking forward to using the information in the classroom, and the third person noted appreciation for the pace of the workshop – slow enough to cover questions and grasp concepts.
Learning Forward (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Retrieved from http://learningforward.org/standards/learning-designs#.VZ3QYRNViko