The next 2 weeks, you will only be responding to my blog so that you can spend your time working on video annotations and your multimodal article. You will need to meet with your writing group and with me with your drafts of your article online via Google hangouts or Skype. I'll be available Nov. 29 in the evening or daytime, Nov. 30 in the evening or afternoon after 3, and Tuesday Dec. 1 in the evening or late afternoon. I"ll be in California on Nov. 30-Dec 4 at the meeting of the Literacy Research Association, so remember the time difference (I'll be 2 hours earlier than you). I want to touch base with everyone about their chapter and how it is coming.
Have a good Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you and the work that you do to support the learning of all children/learners. I'll be down in Texas with my mother celebrating her 90th birthday on Nov. 25. I'm including a picture of my Mom and I. She still lives alone, is a basket weaver, knits and sews for her great-grandchildren (ages 18,14, and 1) and honorary great-grandchildren, reads the newspaper daily (and has at least 2 books going)and is a faithful attendee of women's soccer, basketball, and softball at Texas A&M University (where she lives). I could tell you all about the gutsy stuff she has done (she was the first woman in her small town in Iowa to go to college and she worked for the FBI in Washington, DC during World War 2, for example) that makes her a role model of her time.
So think about what makes effective PD for you? I love professional development classes when they are relevant to my teaching. When I attend a workshop and come out of it with new ideas, activities…things I can actually use…it’s awesome! An effective PD makes you feel excited about trying something new or implementing a new activity.
ReplyDeleteHow do you continue to learn about your profession? We have PLC’s at my school and I have Pinterest boards that I utilize as a PLN. I have student teachers almost every year and try to stay up-to-date on what is being taught in the teacher colleges. This class, obviously, has opened up many PLN opportunities for me online such as Twitter, Google community, etc…Being a student again will also help me stay current on educational trends. Last summer I attended a week long training on Conscious Discipline in Florida and WOW! Loved it! I love learning new things that I feel are important. Staying current and changing your teaching strategies is a good thing...after 20+ years...ya don't wanna be the "dinosaur". lol
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform? I love that tweeting and googling! Lol Seriously though, I have watched so many informative videos from postings on Twitter/Google Comm. I have been amazed at all of the interesting posts from this class. It really is a great way to learn new things and be connected with other teachers that want to learn. It is invigorating, refreshing, and educational. I hope to continue with this type of learning even after this class.
Professional development is such an intriguing topic. I’ve seen great PD and not so great PD. For PD to be effective, I think teachers need to take something away from the topic of study that we can apply in the classroom or gain something that challenges why we teach things certain ways. Sometimes it is easy to get stuck in a routine and do things out of habit rather than theory based best practices. I enjoy attending and being a part of PD that isn’t based on the winds of whim that often blow through education, but is based on sound pedagogy. Just as we scaffold student learning, we need to make sure we are doing that for our educators learning.
ReplyDeleteI often learn more about the profession by reading current research and materials available than through the PD I attend. Sometimes this is a professional journal I get in the mail, or it can be an online study that I am looking at. I think good teachers are continually looking at what they are doing and adjusting. There is always room to improve!
Twitter and Google are great tools to extend knowledge regarding education. To be honest, I didn’t use these a lot for the purpose of PD. Since I began this course, I realized what a great tool these can be for PD. I am hoping to continue to use these tools after this course. This is a great way to stay connected to other educators you might not be connected to otherwise.
What makes effective PD?
ReplyDeleteIt needs to be something that I am interested in and can find meaningful. I want it to give real examples and things that I can implement in my classroom. I would like it to provide resources and accessible information.
How do you continue to learn about your profession?
I am in grad school, obviously, which lets me learn about different things going on in the education world. My school does book studies over interesting books which helps me learn more. Also, I do my own research when I am interested in or come across something that I am confused about or struggling with in my classroom. I have attended conferences like the Oklahoma Kindergarten conference where I learned a great deal of new information and tips.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform?
I have asked questions that I find interesting or about something that I am confused on. Reading people’s opinions, experiences, and resources has been very helpful and interesting. Everyone has posted great resources and sites on there that have been useful and provide great explanation and information.
My grandfather worked for the FBI around the same time. Long shot, but I'd like to pretend they knew one another. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never really gone to PD of any kind, save the copious number of meetings I had at Riverwind to teach me to do basic management things. Instead, my PD is getting to edit. I learn more through fact checking other people's work than I ever could on my own. Thankfully, my natural curiosity helps me continue to delve into the information I find most interesting, most recently researching what makes effective puzzles within a larger game. This curiosity helps in learning on Twitter and Google. If anything looks interesting, I research it. So, those lists of apps that people have been posting have made for long afternoons of playing with new apps. And I have posted questions, but I think more than answers, I wanted hints at which direction to go searching in for answers. Some things are so personal, like a person's opinion of video games, that I won't understand unless I speak with someone who holds that belief/opinion.
I'm not afraid of "new," but rather, I gravitate toward it, as I am sure we all do, considering the class we chose to take. I hope I can continue to keep up with everything, but there's too much out there to be in the know on everything. I doubt I will ever be able to stay away from gaming and gamification research, so I hope my natural curiosity (and eventually, company PD) keeps me updated on what I don't know.
What makes effective PD for you?
ReplyDeletePD becomes effective when it is meaningful and worthwhile and everyone is able to benefit, not only in the moment but in the long run. Effective PD shouldn’t be mundane but enlightening and teachers should feel as if they have gained some useful information that can assist them in the classroom and in their profession.
How do you continue to learn about your profession?
In addition to reading articles I think the best way I continue to learn about my profession is by asking questions to seasoned and new teachers as well as investigate new ways I can improve different aspects of my teaching, communication and other skills.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform?
As a result of being in this course I have only now acquired a Twitter account and become a part of a Google Community. Consequently, I am using them as a learning platform. I read what my classmates have to share, I post my thoughts and ask questions to get their thoughts and now and then I also search for other communities and users who have similar interest to learn about different topics and this wonderful profession of teaching.
What makes effective PD for you?
ReplyDeletePD is effective for me when I am able to take something meaningful away from it and actually implement it into my classroom. It has to be an attention grabber, keeping me engaged and it make me want to continue being in this profession.
How do you continue to learn about your profession?
I do conduct research. I’m not only talking about formal research with books and articles but I like to surf different sites like Pinterest to get ideas on implementing different learning strategies, ways to deal with arising issues I might have to deal with as a teacher and of course ways to make my classroom inviting and comfortable for my students. Pinterest has everything! I also ask for advice from new and seasoned teacher as well as parents. Sharing my opinion and receiving feedback on our social media platforms has definitely allowed me to continue learning about my profession.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform?
Before I post on Twitter and our Google Community I have to be knowledgeable of what I am posting. When I post comments, videos or fun informative pictures I am actually leaning too. These platforms both allow me to share my opinion and receive feedback which I think is the best way to continue learning about my profession.
So think about what makes effective PD for you? Effective professional development is hands-on and allows me to interact with whatever it is we are learning. I always appreciate when I get to leave with some things that allow me to begin implementing the new tool or strategy, too. This past week, I went to FOSS training for our district's new science curriculum and she walked us through each part of a typical third grade lesson pack, including letting us do the exploration science experiment. That helped us so much.
ReplyDeleteHow do you continue to learn about your profession? I continue to learn about my profession through my peers and through digital pathways like Pinterest and Twitter. Pinterest leads to some really cool and useful blogs written by teachers around the U.S., teaching my same grade level, so I get a lot of tips, freebies, and strategies from there.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform? I've followed #edchat and a couple of other hashtags for resources and great discussion before. I've used our Google community to read up on what other people are posting and finding, that they consider to be of quality.
PD is effective when you learn things that can be used in your classroom to enhance learning for your students, or something that makes your life easier! I enjoy PD because I am constantly looking for ways to become a better teacher. I think I will always have more to learn about. One of the best things about PD is the relationships you can make during it. I think half of what I take away from PD is strategies or ideas from others at the PD.
ReplyDeleteI joke that I will always be in school but I am serious. There are always classes I find that I think would help me learn more about concepts or skills. I learn things by surrounding myself with people in my profession and discussing things with them. I also learn from journals I subscribe to, TED talks, and Pintrest.
I wasn’t a fan of Twitter before this class and I still am not. I can appreciate that people enjoy it and like it but I am not huge on social media. I have however enjoyed the Google community and learned a lot from others posting. I think it is an excellent resource tool.
So think about what makes effective PD for you?
ReplyDeleteProfessional development should give useful information about effective programs and tips to implement. I feel like it needs to be more about the practices and less about the theory. It needs to teach me something that I can take away and use in the classroom.
How do you continue to learn about your profession?
I think that I learn a lot just by talking with others. In this class and grad school in general, I am surrounded by smart and experienced teachers. It is sometimes intimidating but mostly it is wonderful! I have learned a lot about good teaching methods from our conversations.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform?
I love twitter!! I use it in my personal life daily, but I have started to follow fellow teachers that tweet. Our Google community has provided some thought provoking discussions as well. Along the same lines, probably my favorite online site to learn about tips and tricks for teaching is Youtube. I'm addicted to watching teacher videos about anything from their classroom layout to recommended books. It's fun!
What makes effective PD for you?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I think my mindset to learn is the essential thing to make my PD effective. If I had a very enthusiastic presenter or a guest speaker, the possibilities of effectiveness may increase; however, still my mind to make a change plays a significant role. One reason behind this notion is one article I read last semester about PD. The content pointed out the phenomenon of not-moving teachers. Although numerous teachers sitting at a PD seminar keep saying wow, it is not difficult to see a majority of them coldly grin and come back to their classroom and do the same things as their past 10 years. Again, my, or teachers’ mindsets to learn, change, and transform is the key point. Hmm, that being said, a school’s atmosphere/culture to encourage students to apply what they learn from PD workshops would be another essential aspect regarding this question.
How do you continue to learn about your profession?
As an doctoral student, I am blessed to learn about my profession in various ways, which includes taking thought-provoking classes, attending conferences, and talking with classmates as well as faculty members. On top of that, in my teaching setting, it is quite common to see teachers working together to share ideas, observe each other’s class, and talk. So, we learn and teach at the same time, which is one of the vigorous points in my teaching setting. Attending local, nationwide, and international conferences definitely helps me keep learning as well. I’d like to keep doing these activities in order to continue my PD.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform?
It was my first time to use Twitter for educational purposes; which was an really exciting experience. I have learned a lot from my peers, my own reflective tweets, and also from diverse educational tweets from others I have never met before. For example, yesterday I twitted the news that I learned how to use iBooks Author. After a few minutes ago, one twitter account favored my tweet; and it was an iBooks Author conference official twitter account. Now I am connected with this new information/knowledge channel based on the fact that I use twitter. I learn a lot from Google plus as well; what’s nice about that is, comparing Twitter, that Google plus has no letter limits! And, it notices very effectively to the community members, so I can check my peers’ comments anytime anywhere and make comments of course. Our usage of the hashtag (#litandtech) was really effective to stay connected in our theme simply by using the tag. In my future, I’ll keep using both for more learning, PD, and hopefully expanding this positive waves to more people. And, I’ll stay open to new tools/ways of communicating by remembering this experience.
And, thanks for the lovely picture! I hope you and all lit and tech people have a wonderful thanksgiving. :)
DeleteProfessional development is extremely important to the development of teachers. Effective development is a game changer. As you stated, many or most often, districts select the professional development programs, and in many cases the PD is not what you as an educator need for your subject area, grade, or area of interest. Effective PD is what is going to move the bar in your own teaching and development in becoming a more effective and efficient teacher to your students. Just like not all students learn the same material with the exact same perspective, not all teachers will benefit from a one-size-fits all district PD.
ReplyDeleteI believe PD should be ongoing and feature different subject matters, over different skills, topics, and areas in which we all need to grow (technology is an excellent example). Coming from the corporate world, and having the benefits of top-of-the-line training in selling and communications I profited personally, and of course my company profited monetarily. It made sense. It still makes sense to those in the corporate world. The hook is, when you are trained to acquire the best tools, accountability becomes a big factor. I look at PD in that same perspective. If teachers had ongoing professional and relevant training to sharpen their skills, become aware and trained in the changes regarding best practices, and see models of exemplary teaching pertaining to their area of expertise, then we have invested in the future of education and our students. With that investment, comes accountability. We all are accountable—we should be. The gap that has greatly widened is the gap that exists between teachers that are not professionally trained to exhibit the best and current practices in the classroom and the measure that is being implemented for accountability. The gap screams “Ludacris” to those that understand the importance of staying current and developing your expertise in content and pedagogy. One doesn’t have to pursue a Ph.D. to perform at high levels, but they do need to read, belong to educator groups that foster best practices in the classroom, and be purposeful in all lessons and modes of instruction. Oops.. My practitioner voice came out again….shh…
P.S. Regarding Twitter and Google Communities—it’s still a work in progress, but just wait…I’m sharpening my abilities on a daily basis! Thank you for sharing the picture! You mom sounds amazing!!
So truly I am not sure you could have asked a better question this week!!! I am very excited to see a question that I am confident in answering and passionate about! Woo hoo!!!!! You see, the reason I am so excited about this post is because PD is my thing!! Not only do I love going to and engaging in PD, but I actually teamed up with three of my colleagues last month and have started a non-profit organization called "Inspiration for Instruction". Our hope and dream is to provide free PD to teachers across the state, in order to equip them with techniques, strategies, and resources, to make them more confident and capable in working with a diverse student population, in an ever-changing education system. We are not exclusive nor associated with any one district, and hope to establish relationships with districts across the state, in order to be viewed and utilized as a resource for classroom teachers, assistants, and administrators.
ReplyDeleteYesterday we held our first PD conference (yes, I missed being physically present) at Hawthorne Elementary School in OKCPS. We had attendees from 10 different districts, including Temple, Union, & Frederick. Our focus was enhancing student engagement, so all of our presenters focused on activities and methods within their content area or specialty that enhance engagement. We provided a make & take activity (brain break sticks), refreshments, door prizes, and numerous resources. We wanted them to walk away with strategies and activities they could use in their classroom on Monday. Although our attendance wasn't as high as we would have liked for it to be, we got excellent feedback. Hopefully our next conference (which will be February 27th at Mustang Elementary) will have more attendees as we are able to spread the word, along with those who attended yesterday.
Please consider following us on Twitter @InspirationOkEd #Inspiration4Instruction
On Facebook facebook.com/Inspiration4Instruction
And our website www.inspirationforinstruction.org
:)
Now, to more directly address your questions ( I got so excited to share my news with you that I got a little sidetracked)...
DeleteWhat makes effective PD for you?
For me, effective PD does not fit within one mold. I've been around long enough to have generated many questions and have quite diverse interests related to my profession. As a result, I consistently seek opportunities for PD from a variety of sources. Some of the sessions I attend provide hands on, ready to implement strategies and resources, while others make me think more deeply about my practice, my philosophy, and the intentions behind many of the habits I have developed over the years.
I can appreciate those teachers who are only interested in the hands on PD, yet I think that some of that comes from a lack of experience and a feeling that perhaps some teacher prep programs are theory heavy and don't provide enough practical information & resources. I also think that there is a sense of (and this is not the correct word I'm looking for but it'll have to do) idealism/arrogance in young teachers that prevents them from being able to really reflect on their practice in their first few years. Now, before anyone gets upset and thinks I'm crazy and how dare I say such things, please remember that it is my job to mentor and coach first year teachers, so I do think I have a fairly decent amount of interaction (with a large number of teachers new to the profession) and experience to call on.
How do you continue to learn about your profession?
Thankfully I have a significant amount of PD embedded within my position. We have a partnership with the New Teacher Center (out of FL) that provides 20 days of PD this year, focusing purely on our role as teacher mentors and coaches. I also attend conferences around the state as often as possible. I am hoping to attend the ASCD Conference in April 2016 (as a practitioner- and also because I have somewhere to stay so now it won't be nearly as expensive), as well as the NCTM Regional Conference in St. Louis, MO in Nov. 2016. I've also enjoyed the free PD sessions offered by Simple K12, an online community. Although riddled with comments to get you to pay for membership to be able to access more PD, the free sessions offered have been really cool. I've "attended" sessions on all of the Google Tools, STEM, Tech in the Classrooms, and more. I've walked away from each one with something new in my brain and toolbox, which is pretty awesome.
How have you used Twitter and our Google Community as a learning platform?
I was not quite sure about the purpose or advantages of Twitter prior to working with it via this class. I was able to find some great educators and leaders in Education to follow, which has made it interesting and meaningful. I don't have many followers myself, so getting feedback to ideas and questions that I've put out there has been limited, but that's ok.
I was familiar with Google Communities prior to this class because the PD team within our district used them quite a bit the last few years. Each of us created our own community specific to our role and/or grade level. We posted videos, resources, and lots of other goodies. We also joined each other's communities and encouraged teachers to join, and check them regularly. It was a fantastic opportunity to reach a large group of teachers in a fairly low-stress manner. I'm so sad (although not surprised) that our current leadership has done away with them.