Databus Issue: 2008 3 07/31/2008
CTAP Looks at Professional Development
Bonnie Marks Executive Director
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In addressing the 1999 U.S. Department of Education Forum on The Future of Technology in Education, noted author and education futurist Dr. David Thornburg stated, “I would propose that staff development be moved to the number-one position in any dialog on technology in education. Unless effective staff development is in place, the only thing that will change when schools incorporate technology is their electric bill.”
Almost ten years later, and under a different presidential administration, the United States Congress seems to be heeding Dr. Thornburg’s advice, with a change in the proposed revision of the Title II, Part D portion of the No Child Left Behind act. The Achievement Through Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) act, which would replace Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT), strengthens the program's emphasis on teacher quality and technology skills by raising the portion of formula-grants set aside for professional development from 25% to 40%, while emphasizing the importance of timely and ongoing training.
At the same time that this change is being proposed, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has refreshed its National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T), which describe what teachers should know and be able to do using technology in the classroom. Key aspects of the new NETS•T, which were introduced at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Antonio in June, are aligned with the standards for students that ISTE revised in 2007.
The new NETS•T indicate that digital-age teachers need to model and apply the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S) as they design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community. Under the new standards and performance indicators, teachers:
• Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
• Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S.
• Model Digital-Age Work and Learning: Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.
• Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.
• Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.
The focus of the new standards is not on how to use technology, but on how to design 21st century learning experiences and incorporate contemporary tools that support student learning. Built into the standards is the engagement in continuous improvement and professional development.
Where, then, can California educators seek professional development to be ready to meet these standards? The choices are myriad, with technology making possible many methods of learning, including informal ones. For some educators, the courses offered through the eleven CTAP regions will be of critical importance. The state CTAP website (http://ctap.k12.ca.us), recently redesigned, contains links to the eleven CTAP regions and descriptions of key resources and professional development activities throughout the state. In addition, most county offices of education have technology divisions that offer courses locally that are engaging and affordable. TechSETS and TICAL, both funded by the California Department of Education are excellent sources for professional development, with online courses from MySkillSource and Career Academy at http://techSETS.org, and narrated presentations and “radio TICAL” podcasts on key topics at http://www.portical.org.
For many educators, professional conferences play a key role in new learning. Fall offers two great opportunities, with Computer-Using Educators (CUE) partnering with FETC in the Innovative Learning Conference in San Jose in October (http://www.cue.org), and CETPA is holding its conference in Sacramento in November (http://www.cetpa-k12.org/events).
The Web serves as an important learning place for educators. Organizations like ISTE, CoSN and WestEd offer Webinars on topics that range from cybersafety to assessment. The K12HSN offers “Internet Café” presentations on emerging technologies and archives them for future viewing at K12video.org.
Web 2.0 tools are important enablers of informal learning, with social networks, wikis and blogs all being used to further professional growth. CUE set up a social network on Ning that is being used by members to communicate, post videos, and share ideas in discussion groups (http://cuecommunity.ning.org). ISTE followed CUE’s lead and has a Ning site for NECC attendees (http://www.necc2008.org). ISTE also maintains wikis for their various SIGS, with great resources posted by users (http://www.iste.wikispaces.net).
The blogosphere offers its share of resources for learning. Edutopia polls readers to identify the best of education blogs (http://www.edutopia.org/best-blog-educators-2008). Google sponsors The Infinite Thinking Machine, a great education blog that includes videos (http://www.infinitethinking.org). Lastly, California’s new edZone, part of the K12HSN, hosts a promising site for California educational bloggers (http://www.k12hsn.org/edzone/blogs.php).
For those who are so new to Web 2.0 that they don’t know where to start, the California School Librarian’s Association (CSLA) has created a self-paced tutorial, based entirely in Web 2.0. The tutorial contains directions for the user to complete a blog-based list of 23 Things, with each Thing introducing the user to one more 2.0 Web tool. To begin, the user visits the Classroom 2.0 Website at http://classroomlearning2.blogspot.com and starts by reading about the program and checking out the pointers for lifelong learners that CSLA has created. From there, the site will lead the user through creating a blog and exploring a variety of tools, including Flickr, Technorati, Del.icio.us, wikis, YouTube, Google docs, Rollyo, and iTunes.
The mention of iTunes brings to mind another web-based tool with great professional development content all available at no cost. In addition to the 99¢ songs that one can download, iTunes is the home of iTunes U, with podcasts and videos from universities and informal learning organizations throughout the country. Of particular interest to educators will be the Quest resources from KQED and the University of South Florida School of Education videos, both of which focus on using technology in the classroom. To access the site, users need to download the free program iTunes. For information on iTunes U, visit: http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu.
For the leading-edge learner, the access to just-in-time information has made Twitter a unique informal learning tool, with educators linking to others for quick answers to questions, or sharing postings about key topics. See http://twitter.com/education for some of the uses of Twitter in education. With access through mobile phones and handhelds, it puts learning in the palm of your hand.
