Training vs professional development

…technology is an accelerator of greatness already in place, never the principal cause of greatness or decline. Newsweek, April 29, 2002.

• A small group of teachers (who have been tasked to recommend the type of device our district will use in its 1:1 program) framed what they needed to know and be able to do in order to take advantage of technology in their classrooms. They categorized their needs as being both training and professional development.
• At our last technology conference, I heard many positive comments that more sessions were about "teaching and learning" and fewer were about gadgets and apps.
• As our district leadership team plans its PD calendar for next year, each department arguing for what it views as mission-critical uses of these valuable hours we get face-to-face with teachers, I found myself asking for time for "hands-on" technology classes.
• ISTE is currently revising its NETS Standards for Students, asking members to prioritize the essential elements of the current standards. One focus group in which I participated argued for the creativity standard, downplaying technology operations.

I don't think anyone can argue that teachers need both "basic skills" along with deeper knowledge of how technology can be meaningfully applied in classroom. Back in the early-90s (can it be over 20 years ago?), I identified for our district two sets of "CODE77" rubrics: For Professional Productivity and For Restructuring. Revised and updated over the years, explicated in a book*, these rubrics described both foundational skills (of the day) as well as more aspirational uses that would have a real impact on the classroom. I still use this separation of skills as a mental model for how I think about teaching teachers "technology."

I am excited about our current "technology" PD work in my district. Using technology to provide a blended learning model, to differentiate instruction, to do real-time formative assessments, to give students the skills to communicate in multiple formats, to "flip" classrooms to make the most of class time with students are all uses that will, I am convinced, make a real impact on kid's learning opportunities.

What I hope we don't lose sight of is that teachers still need some foundational skills. I am firmly convinced that teachers who do not know how to word process or send an email by now never will feel the need to learn and we can stop offering any formal PD in those skills. But we still have a need for foundational training in our LMS (Schoology), the collaborative powers of GoogleApps, and how to create video lessons and post them where students can access them. Teachers can't be expected to differentiate, flip, or blend without knowing the tools.

I love the direction and possibilities of these fantastic tools that seem to growing in popularity and availability. Just remember we need both the foundation and philosophy to make a complete PD initiative.

* Unless you are into historical documents, I would not recommend purchasing this 2002 title. Even in Minnesota, tech has moved on...