Initial Steps: Professional Development

Initial Steps: Professional Development

Ever see someone use a screwdriver like a hammer? Or how about using a pair of pliers to get a screw out of a piece of metal? Do you have a smart phone and use it only as a phone? Too often we put computers in the hands of teachers who know how to use it in a very limited manner. Professional development (PD) is all about helping teachers see the potential of the tool and beginning to move in a direction that takes advantage of this valuable tool.

Recent university graduates that have gone into teaching are really good at using the computer for personal enhancement. However, I have observed that so many of them have not received training as to how to use this tool to enhance and bring the curriculum to life. PD will help bridge the gap that exists from personal to professional use. Each school culture and professional demand a program tailored to his or her ability.

When planning PD, it is important to look at the long-term development of the overall program. We started early planning our PD. We made contact with SUNY of Buffalo N.Y. They allowed us to prepare and tailor a program for our school culture and provided university credit for the participants. We focused on our use of Web 2.0 tools and Moodle. More than 32% of our staff participated in the class; we were quite surprised at their eagerness to learn. The sessions were taught by three of our technology facilitators.

The class was very successful for spurring on the use of technology. An example of this was one of our teachers, David Giles, who has used Etherpad in his IB classes.

We have also looked to other venues for professional development. We sent out grade 5 teachers and technology facilitator to Shanghai to participate in the Learning 2.010 conference. Most recently we sent the middle school core teachers and technology facilitators on schools tours in Hong Kong. They visited Hong Kong International School, Canadian International School, and King George V School. Attending the 21st Century Learning Conference followed the visits. Next year we are planning to send more teachers to these conferences as well as the Un-Plugged conference at the American School of Bombay (India).

Never will the learning stop. Technology continually changes. Keeping current is always important so that the main thing, learning, remains the main thing.