Hybrid Professional Development
Posted by: Richard
June232008
A post from D'Arcy resonated with an effort I am thinking of starting next year to promote the sharing of classroom technology activities among teachers from different grade levels. D'Arcy links to the Viral Professional Development project, where Jennifer Jones writes:
This is exactly what I have in mind. While our school is tiny compared to a university, teachers nonetheless work primarily within their own division (elementary, middle, high school). Yet, we have teachers at all different grade levels investigating technology in a similar manner. What potential exists for the use of multiple media, small handheld recorders, and social web tools. We even have one who has carried his technological toolset from the high school to the elementary.
Teachers do not have a lot of common time to spend talking face-to-face, especially across school divisions. They have a lot more opportunity to interact online, to complement and enhance occasional in-person meetings. As I learned from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, I need to find a half dozen or so who will form a committed core group to keep the momentum going. Ewan McIntosh stresses the importance of getting the technological part right the first time.
I'll give this a try in the late summer and early fall. Building Learning Communities ought to build my enthusiasm to put some effort into this.
Postscript: July 6, 2008
A recent presentation by Konrad Glogowski well articulates the online portion of this.
tags: professionaldevelopment, learning, community
The primary goal of VPD is to grow a culture of sharing, where instructors learn from each other and spread the knowledge throughout the organization.
This is exactly what I have in mind. While our school is tiny compared to a university, teachers nonetheless work primarily within their own division (elementary, middle, high school). Yet, we have teachers at all different grade levels investigating technology in a similar manner. What potential exists for the use of multiple media, small handheld recorders, and social web tools. We even have one who has carried his technological toolset from the high school to the elementary.
Teachers do not have a lot of common time to spend talking face-to-face, especially across school divisions. They have a lot more opportunity to interact online, to complement and enhance occasional in-person meetings. As I learned from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, I need to find a half dozen or so who will form a committed core group to keep the momentum going. Ewan McIntosh stresses the importance of getting the technological part right the first time.
I'll give this a try in the late summer and early fall. Building Learning Communities ought to build my enthusiasm to put some effort into this.
Postscript: July 6, 2008
A recent presentation by Konrad Glogowski well articulates the online portion of this.
tags: professionaldevelopment, learning, community
Richard Kassissieh is Director of Information Services at 
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