The instructor’s guide contains several useful tools, discussion questions, a case study, review questions, additional chapter assignments, lesson examples and a student application assignment. As the Instructor, pick and choose which of these materials work for you or you may decide to use our ideas and create your own. This guide is intended to help solidify the information from the chapter and help you as an instructor implement the application of these materials.
Discussion Questions
The following questions are intended for use in a small group, discussion setting. Please use these questions to help the students understand the important concepts in this chapter. To add interest to class discussions, copy and paste some or all of these questions into a Nearpod https://nearpod.comor PowToon, https://www.powtoon.com, to create a fun, user friendly, student-voice based, review.
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What is Professional development? Describe an effective professional development day.
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Consider the National Education Technology Standards (NET’s) found in the chapter or on the ISTE website, listed below. What types of professional development, pertaining to your specific endorsement, best fit these standards?
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Do you think that all teachers should understand how to use newer technologies in their classrooms? Why or why not?
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List and discuss the four characteristics of an effective professional development.
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Have you attended any professional development events? If so, how did it help you to become a better future teacher?
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How many hours of professional development do you need?
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Are there professional development opportunities available to help you learn more about new technologies? If so what are they and how do you find them?
ISTE National Education Technology Standards (NET’s)
Standards for students: https://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students#startstandards
Standards for teachers: https://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf
Case: Lifelong Learning
As you read the following scenario, think about how you will continue to develop professionally in technology- supported learning.
The teachers at Pierce Junior High School had just participated in an in-service provided by the state education department. The focus of the meeting was the new state technology standards for students. The teachers learned that, in addition to content area standards and grade level indicators, the state was requiring all teachers to address the technology standards throughout the curriculum. During the workshop the presenter provided a resource list that included many print and electronic resources that teachers could use to help them learn about the technology standards and integrate them into instruction.
Patricia Morello, an eighth-grade English teacher, used technology regularly in her classes, particularly word processing. Her students typed their essays, looked for resources on the Web, and sometimes made graphic organizers to lay out the structure of a text. Patricia felt that she could probably meet the majority of the standards with little change. Just to make sure that she was working in the right direction, she decided to complete the Learning with Technology Profile Tool at https://www.iste.org/standards/lead-transform/diagnostic-tool. When she received her responses in graphical form, she discovered to her dismay that there was a lot more that she could do to use technology to engage learners. She also found that the technology she was using in her classes was neither very challenging nor very functional for students. Patricia understood why the standards should be addressed well and decided that she needed to learn more about the use of technology to meet standards, but she was unsure where to begin and how she could fit professional development in technology into her already- busy schedule.
Review Questions:
Answer these questions about the case. There are no right or wrong answers to this chapter preview—the goal is for you to respond before you read the chapter. Then, as you interact with the chapter contents, think about how your answers might change.
1. Where should Patricia start her professional development? Why?
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2. How can new teachers fit professional development about technology into their busy professional lives?
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3. Should all teachers know about technology and its uses? Why or why not?
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4. How can teachers learn about technology use? List 3–5 ways.
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Patricia understands the importance of helping students to meet standards, but she also is realis- tic about what she can do with the amount of time and current knowledge that she has. She, like many other teachers, is willing to learn more but has a number of barriers to overcome to be able to do so. The goal of this chapter is to help you to understand the role of professional develop- ment in learning to teach with technology and how some of these barriers might be bridged. Although you may not be thinking about professional development yet, you should be aware of the opportunities that exist so that you can plan appropriately when the time comes. After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
· Understand the role of professional development in technology-supported learning in student achievement and school change.
· Discuss guidelines for professional development in technology-supported learning.
· Evaluate tools for teacher development in technology-supported learning.
· Discover and participate in effective activities to support technical and pedagogical development.
· Assess your own development in technology-supported learning and teaching.
When you have completed this chapter, which NETS*T will you have addressed?
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The sample activities and tools will help you understand the many opportunities available for professional development in technology. To begin, review the standards that guide teacher professional development in technology-supported learning in this chapter’s Meeting the Standards.
– How can these standard is help Patricia and other teachers folks on what they need to do? Which of these standard is do you think you have mastered? What evidence do you have?
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– What should the general goals for Patricia’s PDB? Why?
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– What can Patricia Morello do to make sure that hair PD choices will be effective?
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– What other benefits can you think of the teachers may do you live from participating in PD? Who else benefits, and in what ways?
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– At what stage in her development in technology-supported Learning is Patricia? What stage are you in? Describe why you think so.
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– How can Patricia gain the support she needs from here colleagues, school, and district?
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– which of these tools might be most appropriate for Patricia to learn? Why do you think so?
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– Which of these activities might be good for Patricia to start with? Why? Which is most interesting/useful for you? Why?
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How do you evaluate your own learning? What criteria do you use? Are there others that you should consider? Why?
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– How likely is Patricia to stick to have a plan? Why do you think so? How should the principal evaluate had a plan? Why?
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– Which information in this chapter is most valuable to you? Why? How will you use it in your teaching?
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXAMPLE
Patricia decides to complete a formal learning plan, not only to guide her own learning but to share with her principal and others from whom she will ask support. Her plan, using the district form, is presented here.
TECHNOLOGY LEARNING PLAN
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Write information about your strengths/weaknesses, knowledge and skills, and/or practical technology use. Include the source of the information. For example, you can read the following ISTE article that discusses technology tools that support the NET standards. https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=777&category=ISTE-blog&article=
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Reflect on what your answer to Question 1 means for potential areas of improvement, questions to be answered, skills to be learned, and/or problems to be addressed.
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Create several goal statements based on your answer to Question 2. Include your specific, obtainable learning goal, a measurable outcome, and how you expect to achieve it (an online course? a conference? a learning circle?). Prioritize the goals, and note when you expect to have achieved each one.
Goal 1: Become more informed. I’ll talk to colleagues, make time to search the Web, and join a teacher technology listserv discussion to find out what other teachers do in eighth-grade English with technology. I’ll keep notes to guide my other goals. This will take all fall semester.
Goal 2: Collect resources. I’ll make lists of 10 Web sites and software packages for each major theme in the eighth-grade English curriculum. I’ll have students help so it won’t take so long and I’ll find sites that work and that they’re interested in. They can test any software we find. We’ll start working on this halfway through fall and continue until we’re satisfied that we have a core list of excellent resources.
Goal 3: Learn one new technology. I’ll ask the district to buy me a handheld computer with my resource funds that I can use while I work on Goals 1 and 2. I’ll analyze this technology in light of what the goals for my classroom are. I should know this technology well by the end of the school year.
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How will you measure progress toward your goals?
For example: Keep a journal of my activities and of how I implement them in class. I’ll also collect copies of the artifacts we produce, including Web site lists and activity ideas. I will present my new understandings at the last staff meeting of the year.
Patricia could have easily used the NETS*T standards, her state technology standards, and/or her school curriculum to guide her in developing her learning plan. Notice that in her plan Patricia is following many of the guidelines from this chapter—she is giving herself enough time to accomplish her goals within her busy schedule, is counting on her students and colleagues for help and collaboration, and has chosen goals that relate directly to the needs of her classroom and in which she is invested.
There is plenty more that can be said about professional development. There are more re- sources, more ideas for assessment of PD plans and experiences, more explanations for why PD is necessary and how it can best be done. However, the essential ideas have been included in this chapter. PD becomes even more important as both technologies and the focus of education change. These changes are the focus of chapter 10.
There is plenty more that can be said about professional development. There are more re- sources, more ideas for assessment of PD plans and experiences, more explanations for why PD is necessary and how it can best be done. However, the essential ideas have been included in this chapter. PD becomes even more important as both technologies and the focus of education change. These changes are the focus of chapter 10.
CHAPTER EXTENSIONS
Adapt
Develop a personal technology learning plan. Use the Technology Learning Plan form found in chapter 1. As you answer the questions, think about your own individual interests in technology. List ways that work with your learning style that can help you to learn more about those things you are interested in. Decide how you can best assess your learning.
Technology Learning Plan
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Write information about your strengths/weaknesses, knowledge and skills, and/or practical technology use. Include the source of the information.
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Reflect on what your answer to Question 1 means for potential areas of improvement, questions to be answered, skills to be learned, and/or problems to be ad- dressed.
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Create several goal statements based on your answer to Question 2. Include your specific, obtainable learning goal, a measurable outcome, and how you expect to achieve it (an online course? a conference? a learning circle?). Prioritize the goals, and note when you expect to have achieved each one.
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How will you measure progress toward your goals?
Practice
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Start a technology resource list. Develop a system to keep your important links and technology resources in some efficient manner. Start this resource list by going back through this book and picking out important resources.
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Test PD tools. See if any of the PD tools mentioned in this chapter are interesting to you and/or work with your time and teaching style. Note which and why.
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Describe a tool that you use regularly. Brainstorm how you might move it from personal use into more administrative or academic purposes.
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Apply the NETS*T. Map the standards onto knowledge that you have gained while using this text, giving specific examples of how you have met these standards for teachers. Note gaps that you hope to fill.
Explore
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Make a dissemination plan. Many of your colleagues will not have the same information, learning, and technology that you have. How will you share what you know with your colleagues? Outline a plan.
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Find new resources. Look at technology magazines online or in the library and note which you would like to consult on a regular basis and why. Which do not seem as useful?
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Interview a teacher. Choose a local teacher to interview. What does her school or district provide in the way of PD in technology-supported learning? What does she wish it would provide? What steps is she taking to make it happen? Summarize your findings.
Additional Student Application
The following assignment is intended to help individual students go beyond what they’ve read and apply the information from the chapter. After reading chapter 9 students will have a broad overview of specific websites and how to apply them as tools in the classroom. This application assignment will delve more deeply into designing a lesson and applying technology, more specifically, social media and its use in the classroom to develop a user-friendly professional development lesson.
Create your own professional development based on the use of school approved social media in the classroom.
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Identify the social media you would use (Examples: Schoology, Edmodo, twitter etc.) Remember that it needs to be social media that will be allowed in the schools.
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Write a brief description explaining the method you would use to teach your fellow teachers how to use this type of Social media effectively in the classroom.
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Describe how you would protect the students in your school from the pitfalls of social media, cyber bullying, pornography, inappropriate language, etc.
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What methods would you use to teach your students responsible computer and internet use?
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Describe the types of technology you would use to teach your professional development.
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Discuss how you would use the web, tablets, the classroom computers and projector to provide the information for your fellow teachers.
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Discuss how you would assess whether your professional development lesson was successful or not.
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Would you provide a formative or summative assessment at the end to see if your fellow teachers learned the intended information from your presentation?
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If so how would you accomplish this? What assessment tools would you use?
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Reflect on the professional development that you designed, how would it help the teachers in your school or district?
Website and App Tools:
https://create.kahoot.it/login
YouTube Kahoot explanation https://youtu.be/v2JbY979WUg
