planning into practice planning into practice resources for planning, implementing and integrating...
TRANSCRIPT
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
