Professional Development Plan

Engaging Technologies for Students & Parents

Target: Elementary-Wide Content Teachers

Location: The elementary school libraries tend to be the best locations around the district because of their space and access to technologies. Particularly for some of these lessons, we will need to record audio, which would mean that allowing our teachers to spread out would be ideal so groups have their own space if needed.

Sessions:Each session may be 1-2 hours and cover one of the following areas:

Social Media and Twitter for Educators Website Development 101 Screencasting for Flipped or Hybrid Classrooms LMS: Which Learning Management System is For Me? Is There an App for That? Getting the most out of student

production on an iPad

The Trainers:The trainers may be one of the elementary technology teachers, and they may include a co-host by a content teacher who may be already utilizing one of these technologies or strategies in their classroom.

SMART Goal: Through a series of engaging yearlong professional development opportunities, elementary teachers will learn and implement 21st century technologies and techniques to engage students and parents in an online environment that will enhance collaboration and curriculum.

Specific – Teachers will learn how to utilize 21st century technologies and techniques, such as Twitter, screencasting, websites, learning management systems, and apps to engage parents and students in curriculum activities.

Measurable – These trainings will take place over the course of professional-development days throughout the year.

Attainable – By offering a few different options for teachers to utilize, they should be able to attain and infuse knowledge about at least one area of 21st century technologies or techniques into their curriculum.

Relevant – The teachers are no longer the smartest in the classroom. Teachers need to learn how to engage students and parents using 21st

century technologies and techniques so that they continue to stay relevant and use what’s available to bolster their curriculum and using technologies to their advantage.

Timely – In one year, teachers could begin to be evaluated on this “third dimension” of learning, and how they’ve broken down their walls to engage students and parents in the online world.

Potential Obstacles:Typical obstacles will be teachers who don’t see a need for this type of engagement or find excuses as to why they can’t successfully implement this kind of change into their everyday management. Teachers must understand that this training is not intended to add more to their everyday management, but rather to allow teachers to see how they can assimilate these technologies into what they already do, possibly requiring a change or shift in a daily mindset. Teachers who have already adopted these engagement strategies will share success stories encourage others to use the same techniques. By grouping teachers into their own groups for the duration of the year would allow them to rely on their small groups for support and help as needed.

Assessment:At each of the trainings, teachers will be given an opportunity to share how they’ve incorporated these technologies and techniques into their classroom. Not all teachers will use every skill, so we should see different teachers sharing during each meeting. Ideally, by the end of the year, every teacher should share how he or she has used at least one technique or technology in his or her classroom.

Individual PD Session

Screencasting for the Flipped or Hybrid Classroom

Background: Teachers are expected to make their websites more interactive. By incorporating screencasts into their curriculum, the website provides a perfect launch pad for not only keeping parents and students informed of upcoming lessons, but can also serve as a supplement to the hybrid learning model.

Audience:This will be a two-hour professional development opportunity for all of the K-5 content level teachers. With teachers expected to make their websites more engaging and a shift towards a hybrid model, this PD will be required by the principal to provide an opportunity to learn a new 21st century skill.

Equipment:Teachers will be engaging with either laptops or desktops with microphones or/and with iPads (microphones optional). These will need to have internet access; the iPads will need to be able to export a screencast to Dropbox and the computers will need to access the Screencast-o-Matic website. The iPad apps will include “Educreations” and “Explain Everything.” http://screencast-o-matic.com will be used on the computers. An Apple TV may be used to share final products from the iPad.

Expected Outcome:Teachers will begin to include screencasts in their curriculum. Some may put videos on their website to help parents or students learn a concept, while others may utilize them as part of an individualized session on hybrid learning, much like Khan Academy or Ten Marks, only personally made for the students. My flexible schedule allows me to work in one-on-one scenarios following this training.

Differentiation:

Following an overview of “Educreations,” “Explain Everything,” and “Screencast-o-Matic,” teachers will be randomly put into groups. 12 teachers will be placed into 4 groups of 3. Each group will need to make a short screencast sharing something that they are an expert in using one of the three screencasting options. Each teacher in the group must have a hand in creating the screencast. They will share this screencast with the group through the Apple TV or via the projector. Each group will then list pros and cons for the option of choice.

Support:Following this training, I will be available to assist anyone who still has questions regarding how to use any of the three applications. Follow-up may occur with the principal and their evaluation of each teacher, as websites are always being looked at for content and updates. Because of this, the principal may be my biggest supporter in this training.

Measuring Success:If teachers continue to engage students through screencasts either in class or from home, this will be a success. Even if teachers continue to come to me with questions regarding application or use, I would call it a success because they are trying.