Professional+Development

=Professional Development=

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Ultimately the success or failure of any technology launch will depend on the amount and quality of the professional development that is provided to teachers and staff. In addition to professional development during the rollout of new technology, ongoing PD, support, and coaching is necessary to reinforce learning, ensure that staff is using the equipment and applications with fidelity, and follow up to hold staff accountable.

Quality professional development can be found in a number of places including:
 * Webinars
 * Online tutorials
 * Web discussion boards
 * Professional Development conferences
 * Twiter

Companies from whom you purchase equipment are usually willing to provide professional development to your staff so that the equipment is being used frequently and to its maximum capacity. This is both an excellent way to provide professional development along with a great way to deepen the business relationship that exists between the vendors and your district.

The single most overlooked provider of professional development would be other teachers. Tech-savvy teachers not only are excellent providers of professional development because teaching is their profession, but they offer insightful recommendations about how to use these new technology tools in the classroom effectively. Teachers respond very well to their peers, and there is a greater level of comfort when it comes to asking questions. As mentioned earlier, establishing a Peer Mentor group can help bridge the gap between technology training and everyday use. If your budget can afford it, a district technology coach is a great investment and a wonderful way to have someone available to assist in a hands-on capacity in the classroom to help with any possible questions or simple technical issues that may arise during the use of the technology in the classroom while teachers are learning.



There are many available online tools that provide on-demand professional development. Many are free but the best tool currently available requires a subscription. Atomic Learning can be made available to your district and offers step-by-step video tutorials on many different applications. This is a great way to reinforce learning that takes place during more traditional professional development, and has the added benefit of empowering users to be self-learners.



A 2007 study by REL Southwest revealed that teacher participants who had more than 14 hours of professional development showed a positive and significant effect on student achievement from professional development. The 3 studies that had the least amount of professional development, 5 - 14 hours total, showed no statistically significant effects on student achievement.

The illustration below offers some insightful things to consider when developing your plans for professional development. Back to Chapter 9 Index