PD+Goals+for+Jan.+31,+2011

One of MTA's technology goals this year states:

Teachers will have ongoing professional development in technology integration that will include development of instructional units, implementing standards for web presence, understanding and implementation of instructional technology standards for students (NETS).

On January 31 there will be two hours of time dedicated to learning about using technology for teaching and learning. This time should be used in ways that raise teachers' awareness and knowledge of SAMR and support the development of units / lessons that integrate technology. This time should be customized to meet the needs of the teachers and departments' ongoing curriculum work.

There are a number of ways these two hours can be structured. Professional development can be structured and planned for at the department level, the individual teacher level, or at small group levels.

At the department level professional development could focus on the use of an application(s), introduce SAMR, look at use of technology and literacy, etc. The department would need to determine what it’s needs and goals for the two hour session. From there I can plan for the session with the iTeam and other MLTI mentors if necessary to support the goals. While this time could briefly involve sharing what department members have been doing this year, the focus of this department time really needs to be on learning new ways to use technology to achieve those higher levels of SAMR.

It is also possible to allow teachers to determine what they would individually like to learn about and work on. Teachers would submit their goals for the work during the two hours, stating what they would like to learn and work on. I can group teachers together based on the commonality of their requests. I can then plan the professional development to meet their goals and needs. The iTeam and the MLTI mentors can assist as needed to support this work. Again, the focus of the individual work is to learn new ways to integrate technology to achieve those higher levels of SAMR.

Another possibility is for small groups of teachers either by department or across departments to work together on lessons/ units / the use of an application for learning. The group of teachers would submit what they would like to learn, work on, and their goals for the work during the two hours. From this information I can plan for supporting their small group work.

Some departments could choose to work at the department level, while others may choose to work at the individual and small group levels. January 31 is not a one-size fits all professional development plan.