Planning into Practice Planning into Practice Resources for Planning, Implementing and Integrating Instructional Technology Professional Development for.

Planning into Practice

Planning into PracticeResources for Planning, Implementing and

Integrating Instructional Technology

Professional Development for

Instructional Technology

Planning into Practice

Introductions

Regional Technology in Education Consortium serving the SE states, PR, and the US Virgin Islands

Jeff Sun, consultant service provider for SEIR*TEC and author of Planning into Practice

[email protected]

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Planning into Practice

Objectives

To understand what constitutes an effective technology plan

To examine the specific case of technology professional development

To consider various professional development strategies in light of levels of teacher awareness

Planning into Practice

Focus on Curriculum

Technology is of little value if not linked with your curriculum and curriculum goals.

Curriculum, not the technology itself, must drive your planning process

Planning into Practice

Skeletal Plan Format

Acitivity 1 Activity 2

Goal 1

Activity 1

Goal 2

Curricular Goals

Activity 1

Goal 1

Activity 1 Activity 2

Goal 2

Staff Development Goals

Activity 1

Goal 1

Activity 1

Goal 2

Community Goals

VISION

Planning into Practice

Overview of Technology Plan Elements

Executive Summary Vision Current Status Goals and Objectives

Curriculum IntegrationCurriculum Integration Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development AdministrationAdministration InfrastructureInfrastructure Other?Other?

Infrastructure Design Staffing Action Plan (follows goals and objectives) Budget Evaluation Plan

Planning into Practice

Establishing Vision

Vision establishes the purpose of the plan, and more importantly, the purpose behind bringing technology into your schools. Guides the planning process Firmly establishes the value you place upon

technology

Planning into Practice

Creating Goals

Goals are statements of particular ways in which you intend to actualize your vision. Goals break down the vision into manageable (and

measurable) pieces.

Most plans have groups of goals around various elements of the vision...

Planning into Practice

Types of Goals

Curriculum IntegrationProfessional DevelopmentAdministrationCommunity Involvement

and other areas that are critically important to your vision

Planning into Practice

Professional Development

Let’s talk about technology professional development as a specific area in your strategic technology plan.

How do you decide what professional development to offer? Particularly now that your plan is in operation?

Planning into Practice

A Framework for Review

From Designing ProfessionalDevelopment for Teachers of Scienceand Mathematics, Loucks-Horsley,Hewson, Love, and Stiles. CorwinPress Inc. 1998

Planning into Practice

Types of PD Strategies

ImmersionCurriculumExamining PracticeCollaborative WorkVehicles and Mechanisms(page 4-24 of Planning into Practice)

Planning into Practice

The basic idea is that different strategies are appropriate for addressing and developing different levels of teacher awareness A = Developing Awareness B= Building Knowledge T = Translating into Practice P = Practicing Teaching R = Reflection

Because integrating technology is all about teaching and learning!

The New Yorker, 2/22 and 3/1/99

Planning into Practice

For Example...

Workshops, Institutes, Courses, etc. B -- Building Knowledge (primary) A -- Developing Awareness (secondary) T -- Translating into Practice (secondary)

Curriculum Development and Adaptation T -- Translating into Practice (primary) B -- Building Knowledge (secondary)

Also see the ACOT research on stages of teacher awareness visa vis technology

Planning into Practice

Assess Your Needs

In your strategic technology plan, you needed to assess needs and create the mechanisms for on-going assessment and review.

Use this knowledge to inform your choice of appropriate professional development strategies.

Planning into Practice

What’s Your Current Strategy?

Workshops!But what about those people who aren’t

reached by workshops?How do you know whether workshops are a

sound strategy given your needs?

Planning into Practice

Maximizing Workshops

Schedule dedicated staff development days and time

Pay stipends for anything that goes beyond scheduled days

Create your schedule way in advanceUse a combination of outside and in-house

trainers Use new faces to build upon known expertise

Assign follow-up tasks

Planning into Practice

So, What Else Might Work?

Walk the Talk! Workshops are like teacher-centered classrooms Can you adopt a collaborative an constructivist

approach to technology staff development?

Planning into Practice

Learning Teams

Teachers team in collaborative groups with a common goal to develop technology integration skills

Fits “Study Groups” and “Coaching and Mentoring” strategies Primary P and R strategies

Kansas and Beyond http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Tech/Kansas

Planning into Practice

Advantages... Spreads the technical support burden Professional development becomes authentic Develops a learning community useful well beyond

technology skills development

Disadvantages... Huge time commitment Homogenous vs. heterogeneous groups

Planning into Practice

Other Benefits...

Study groups, Learning Teams, provide time to develop deep understanding of both technology and curriculum (reflection)

Ultimately encourages creation of cross-disciplinary and integrated curriculum units (practice teaching) Although don’t be surprised if in the beginning, you spend less

time on these higher order purposes and more time “mousing around.”

Planning into Practice

Pilot Projects

Groups or individuals are chosen to develop technology-enriched projects

Fit into the Curriculum strategies on our chart Primary P and T strategies

The Crucible Project http://www.shawsheen.tec.ma.us:90/crucible/index-2.html

Planning into Practice

Rewards for participation They get the technology first They receive dedicated professional development

“Costs” of participation -- accountability They have to produce! You require that they become trainers

Planning into Practice

Remember...

Professional development activities should always produce concrete products! Sample/Outlined lessons Templates Examples of actual student or teacher work

Distribute the products Produce a guidebook or facilitators guide Publish materials on the web

Planning into Practice

Think about your range of strategiesMaximize your strategies...one approach

doesn’t fit all needs Workshops work best as “B” (building knowledge) strategies

Learning teams -- Practicing and Reflecting Pilot projects -- Translating and Practicing

Planning into Practice

Create rewards and responsibilities Accountability is the key!

All staff development needs to... Have anticipated follow up Produce tangible products

Planning into Practice

So Let’s Try One

Using the Professional Development Idea worksheets, and perhaps some of the ideas on pages 4-14 through 16, fully map out a PD idea for your school/district

Think about... What awareness level you are addressing How you will know that your strategy has had impact

Planning into Practice

Evaluation

A good technology plan provides a logical framework for the evaluation of your technology implementation. Goals show you what you are looking for Progress towards fulfillment of goals and objectives

can be measured Activities can be recorded

Planning into Practice

Summary

A strong educational technology plan is rooted in a strong vision for technology’s role in education This role needs to be centered around the anticipated and

desired student impacts

Training must be adapted to the various needs of your staff at different stages in their technology “development.” One size will not fit all! Understand the stages, and then pick the appropriate strategy

Planning into Practice

Eventually, evaluation will become the emphasis of your district’s technology efforts. Take the time to write a strong evaluation component for your

plan Evaluate -- review and reflect -- on a regular basis so that you

can formatively assess your progress and fine tune your strategy

Planning into Practice

For More Information

On-line resources (including this presentation) www.sun-associates.com/resources/stuff.html

Email or Call [email protected] 978.449.0200