One staff development approach does not fit all

My writing "assignment" for the 2007 spring/summer edition of the MACUL Journal is due soon. Here's the lead:

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Consider these teachers and their technology professional development needs:

Judy has just come back to teaching after a ten-year stint as a stay-at-home mom. During new teacher orientation, she learns that she is now expected to keep her grades using a computerized gradebook, take attendance online, read the staff bulletin as an e-mail attachment, use the district’s “mapping” software when writing curriculum, create all student materials using a word processor, and keep her classroom webpage current. There is also this strange looking device called an interactive white board in front of the room. “How, after only ten years,” she wonders, “can I feel so out of touch? And how do I learn to do all these things?”

Tom’s just about had it with the “personal narrative” unit in his writing class – he can’t get the kids interested. But he’s been reading that when students write for a wider audience than just the teacher, their level of concern and writing quality goes up. He thinks he’d like to try a class webblog so students can post their narratives and get reactions from other students. Ah, but where to start learning how to create a blog?

Juanita is a part of the site team that is responsible for the building improvement plan. One of the big tasks this year has been looking at student test scores and disaggregating the data for specific groups of students like English Language Learners. While the district uses a giant online data mining/data analysis program, its complexity baffles, not just Juanita, but the rest of the site team as well - including the principal.

Do any or all of these scenarios sound familiar to you? Judy, Tom and Juanita are all modeled after real teachers in the Mankato (MN) schools, but can be found in any district across the country. Each of these teachers has a very real, but very different need for “technology" staff development experiences. To think that any one training program or any one training approach will satisfy the requirements of all teachers in a district would be a mistake.

But how can any district meet the diverse technology training needs of all its teachers?

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 Clever approaches your school or district has taken to extend the reach and effectiveness of its staff development in technology efforts?

Comments

[susan funk]

Hi Doug,

Interesting that you should be writing on this. I had just stated, in my online course on information technologies, my goal for next year, should I be able to get a position as a TL, would be to work with my prinipal, the technology person and staff to develop individualized technology targets for teachers in my school. I don't know how it would work in a large school but in a small one, I can see being able to help each teacher with something of importance to them. In a large school, I can see that there may be overlap between the needs of teachers. I wonder if setting up professional development wiki space would help teachers share as they learn new things. Of course, the teachers would have to be comfortable with wikis! :)

[Doug Johnson]

Posting for Brian...


http://bsnaxton.edublogs.org

Doug,

I agree with your theory that one staff development does not fit all. Just like students teachers are at many different levels, especially with technology.

One of the ways Aptos Junior High responds to this challenge is to offer mini workshops on our staff development days. Over the last 3 years we have offered everything from how to build a website, mailmerge, word tips, excel tips, and currently how to post homework online.

We also have a mobile computer cart that we use to help facilitate tech training. The cart allows users to go at their own pace and also allows us to individualize training by letting teachers use their own students when working with data mining programs or other similar programs.

Lastly, we are lucky that myself and one of our math teachers have taken on the role of "tech trainers". We make sure that if a person wants to use "tech" in their classrooms we are available to train them, whether one on one or in a group. This allows teachers to see that we are serious about integrating tech into our classrooms and are willing to administer the training.
Brian

Brian Saxton

Assistant Principal, Aptos Junior High

[Doug Johnson]

I think RSS may be part of the answer. When teachers can assemble their own network of professionals discussing topics near and dear to their hearts, and access that network on demand, they are in control and that is something that adult learners need. I wrote about this very topic on my own blog yesterday:

http://mikecurtin.edublogs.org/2007/02/10/rss-and-blogs-as-professional-development/

[Brian Anderson]

of course, I think is time to make a change in educational system, specially in the teaching method, as parents we know what is the best way to do this, apply technology and advance in study tecnics, in many schools and high schools, teachers are using the new xlpharmacy system, so moderm and easy to use with children and youngs.