May 02 2009
Creating Your Own Professional Development
Will Richardson’s recent blog post resonated with me. He opened quoting a tweet from John Pederson:
“Community building is the new professional development. We forgot that and taught Web 2.0 tools.”
Hmm. I love that line about community building providing for professional development. He’s so right. As for the Web 2.0 tools, it’s hard to decide which should come first. I believe for the teacher not versed in the innovative ways that technology can be used to engage students, that the tools must be taught first. However, not for immediate use in the classroom. I feel the learning takes place best when that teacher uses the tools for their own professional development first. I personally got much more out of experiencing the tools in my own educational experience, before teaching them to my students.
It’s okay to take a year or any time you need to practice using the tools first. I am still learning. And I will continue to have more to share with them. And that’s how it should be. But I will be far more effective having a handle on it, being able to explore these tools in the setting of my online networks and community first. The value of learning in the setting of community is immeasurable.
As I commented on Will Richardson’s blog, there is such value at seeing ourselves as lifelong learners first, teachers second. Social communities and networking can play a huge role in our professional development. We can’t wait to be spoon-fed through power points and handouts. We need to make our learning experience relevant and set out to create our own plan.
Prior to this past year, professional development trainings at my school were not often relevant to what I feel I needed to know to make a difference in how my students learn. At first, I sought out my own professional development in frustration, because I didn’t want to be “fed” with announcements or listen to speakers that didn’t understand our learning environment. It didn’t interest me. I wanted to grow professionally so I could turn around and share that passion for learning with my students.
The frustration soon wore off and I became excited at the possibilities. I joined Classroom 2.0 and loved the opportunity to connect with other educators seeking similar paths to lifelong learning. I “attended” the K12 Online Conference, and registered for courses in EduFire. I subscribed to online webinars. I listened to interviews, learned from tutorials and slideshares, and watched alot of Ted. I read books and joined other educational social networks. I try to catch as many of these Saturday Elluminate sessions as I can. I was blessed to be asked by my school to attend the Innovative Learning Conference, in San Jose last fall, as well as the CUE conference, in Palm Springs, this past March. This past year, my school decided to focus on technology, which aligned nicely to what I was learning on my own.
I chose what I wanted to learn. And now, I can more effectively share the web2.0 tools I’ve been learning about with my students. But the learning doesn’t stop here. I will continue to seek other like-minded colleagues to develop my PLN, so we can learn, collaborate, and share ideas and projects. Does it take time? It takes a ton of time. But the students are worth it! Will Richardson talks a bit about the time it takes here:
“So when John Tweeted “Community building is the new professional development” it really resonated, because it suggests that unlike most so-called pd that schools offer, getting our heads and our practice around this is a process, not an event. It’s learning, not training. (I cringed a couple of weeks ago when a principal said “Wow, our teachers are going to need a lot more ‘training.’” Ugh.) It’s not something we can “deliver” in a four-hour PowerPoint-like session. As Linda Darling-Hammond suggests, “…teachers need to learn the way other professionals do—continually, collaboratively, and on the job.” If that’s not a description of what I see most of us doing in these spaces I don’t know what is. Somehow, by luck or hard work or a combination, those of us who are taking advantage of the affordances of learning in online communities and networks have found a way to invest the time, not in big chunks in a physical space classroom but in as-needed, passion-driven, hour-here-fifteen-minutes-there learning flow that relies on the interactions of many learners, not on the expertise of any one person. And it’s in knowing how to effectively navigate those interactions where the value lives, not in effectively navigating the tools.”
Yes! I couldn’t agree more. I want time to observe other teachers, learn from mentors, and work collaboratively, as Linda-Darling Hammond suggests. Read her findings in the recently released report from Stanford University and the National Staff Development Council here. The report states that:
“Most states and districts are still not providing the kind of professional learning that research suggests improves teaching practice and student outcomes. The research tells us that teachers need to learn the way other professionals do—continually, collaboratively, and on the job.”
Technology has always been around at my school, but not being utilized to its potential to make learning engaging and meaningful for kids. No, it’s not about the tools. However, there are amazing ways that we can teach innovatively, using these tools. When taking control of my own professional development this year, my eyes were opened to the innovative things that educators are doing in their classrooms, as well as the amazing things students are doing to contribute and find their voice.
I want that for our students. They deserve the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and contribute. I am doing what I can to help others get things moving forward at my school and the possibilities are beyond exciting. It will be transformational.
What are your thoughts about professional development? What resources have you found interesting to learn about? Anyone open to my observing their classroom or computer labs so I can learn from you?
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