Online Professional Development within Comprehensive Programs

1. Online Professional Development within Comprehensive Programs Glenn Kleiman EDC Center for Online Professional Education (COPE)

2. Survey Questions • Have you: • Used synchronous chat? • Use threaded asynchronous discussions? • Taken an online workshop? • Considered taking one? • Taught online? • Used video conferencing?

3. Effective Professional Development • Focuses on improving classroom practices and increasing student learning • Fosters both subject matter knowledge and understanding of learning processes • Engages teachers in their own development • Provides time for inquiry, reflection, and discussion • Involves collaboration and mentoring • Provides for ongoing learning

4. What is Online Professional Development (OPD)?

5. Different Flavors of OPD • Broadcast vs interactive • Academic vs job-embedded • Synchronous vs asynchronous • Self-paced vs cohort of learners • Instructor focused vs learning community

6. EDC-COPE’s Approach • Broadcast vsinteractive • Academic vsjob-embedded • Synchronous vsasynchronous • Self-paced vscohort of learners • Instructor focused vslearning community • Goal is to improve professional practice • Use OPD to complement and extend other means of professional development

7. What Does a EDC-COPE Online Workshop Look Like?

21. The EdTech Leaders™ Online Program Funded in part by the AT&T Foundation

22. Focuses on Local Capacity Building • Training program for local teams of OPD Facilitators • Semester long online course • Introduction to Online Professional Development • Overview of Integrating Technology into the Curriculum • Specialized Preparation for Facilitating Online Workshops • Optional graduate credit (Antioch University)

23. Workshops Focus on Integrating Technology into the Classroom • Approaches and Tools for Developing Web-enhanced Lessons • Finding the Best Educational Resources on the Web • Using Technology to Support Research and Presentation • Using Technology to Support Special Students in Regular Classrooms • Using New Technologies to Support Literacy Instruction • Using Technology to Support the Writing Process • Technology Tools to Support Inquiry in the Science Classroom • Using Technology in the History Classroom • Using Technology to Model and Analyze Real Data in the Math Classroom

24. Facilitator Forum • “Meet” and “talk” with other OPD facilitators • Share ideas, strategies, resources from district OPD programs • Get assistance from EDC-COPE staff

25. Designing and Delivering Online Curriculum • Semester long course focused on online curriculum development and design • Building a learning community • Content development • Assessment • Alignment with standards • Design in the online environment • Project in either professional development or student course development • Ongoing support forum

26. Poway, CA Philadelphia, PA * Schenectady School District, NY * Lamoille South, VT Tempe, AZ Virginia State Dept of Education Washington, DC Wise County Public Schools, VA * Worcester Public Schools, MA EdTech™ Leaders Online Teams • Bozeman, MT • Concordia Parish , LA • Dedham Country Day School, MA * Gardiner, ME • Keene, NH • Los Angeles Unified • Lower Hudson Regional Info Center, NY • Memphis, TN * Norwich Public Schools, CT • Peabody Public Schools, MA * denotes districts participating as part of the NEIRTEC project

27. Lessons Learned (so far)

28. Strengths • OPD can reflect principles of effective PD • Ongoing connections to participants’ practice • Engages people who could not participate otherwise • Interactions with colleagues and mentors not available locally • Engages educators in using new technologies as learners • Archives of activities and discussions • Reflective and active discussions

29. Limitations • Effective design and facilitation is essential • Some people are not comfortable with asynchronous, text-based communication • Hands-on sessions preferable for technology skill development • Brainstorming and some other activities don’t translate well. • Time intensive for instructors • Maintaining engagement can be a challenge

30. Integrating OPD into Comprehensive Professional Development Plans • OPD can be a valuable addition to a PD program • OPD can be effective for many purposes and many people, but not all • Best when integrated with face-to-face activities • Requires incentives for participants • Issues of credit need to be addressed • Access to needed technology and tech support are required • Enhances, but doesn’t replace coaching, mentoring, hands-on workshops, study groups, etc.

31. Conclusions • Collegial relationships & learning communities can be formed online • OPD workshops need to be designed and structured differently than face-to-face workshops • The social dynamic is very different from face-to-face situations • Good OPD is challenging to design and run, but can be very effective • OPD is a valuable new tool to integrate into professional development programs

32. For More Information • glennk@edc.org • EDC Mosaic • http://www.neirtec.org (resources/prof devel) • http://www.edtechleaders.org