Article Review

In the article, Technology Starts with Professional Development and Training (Peterson, 2016), districts share the creative ways they provide technology professional development and training when time and financial resources are in short supply.

Three things that I found insightful are:

• Schools that are successfully implementing technology recognize that technology has to be woven into a larger landscape of learning goals. It's important to look at both short and long term impacts. In the short term, adjustments should be made to professional development strategies as feedback is provided. In the long term, data and anecdotal information should be collected on the impact of technology in the classroom.
• Districts with successful professional development and technology integration recognize the overwhelming duties and tasks that teachers already face and find ways to "job embed" the PD with the use of technology specialists in each building. They understand that expecting teachers to go figure it out on their own time is not effective. Finally, there should be consistent follow up with teachers to make sure they aren't struggling with a particular tool or implementation strategy.
• Districts that make PD and training fun, find that teachers are more open and willing to explore technology integration without fear or inhibition. Providing incentives and unique approaches to PD make teachers feel in control of their own learning goals.

Two things I would like to see in my school/district are:

• I think my district is doing great things with our in house PD, but I would like to see more classroom support with more technology coaches. We are lacking in the follow up. I think teachers would appreciate the chance to co-teach a lesson or to have a lesson modeled for them.
• I would like us to continue to look for innovative ways to provide PD such as online webinars, Twitter chats, and more socially connected peer learning. I thought the idea of a Midnight Madness PD session one district did from 6:00 pm to midnight with food and interactive sessions was a fun and relaxed way to approach PD.

One question I have is:

• One district in the article said they use tech PD "points" as an incentive for teachers to participate in tech PD. They were able to cash in the points for technology in their classroom. I am wondering how the point system works exactly, and what kind of extra technology they can earn. 

The article can be accessed here.

Article Review

In the article Teaching Teachers (Murphy, 2016), the struggle for teachers to implement technology successfully in their classrooms is discussed. It discusses the innate desire of teachers to better their teaching and to incorporate technology into their instruction. The biggest hurdle is time and support.

Three things I found to be insightful are:

• Districts are recognizing that the days of district driven "sit and get" professional development are behind us. Teachers need their own personalized learning, and that equates to giving them choice. Teaching professionals know what they need and want to improve their craft. 
• Teachers are spending an enormous amount of their own time and money to learn outside of contract hours with little to no recognition or credit.
• Teachers are asking for role models and coaches for continuous and consistent support with technology integration.

Two things I would like to see in my school/district are:

• I am proud of the recent steps my district has taken to bring back internal professional development offerings taught by teachers, district leaders, and other professionals. Teachers get the choice they want, and they get to receive training from their colleagues who have experience with district curriculum, goals, and policies. A lingering problem is once the day is over, there is inadequate support for teachers. Also, it puts undo burden on teachers who teach full time and then have to prepare and give professional development. I would like to see more coaching positions to provide the needed support and to alleviate some of the PD teaching load.
• Currently, at the building level there are a few teachers who have been identified as tech competent who field day-to-day tech questions, but it makes it difficult to provide adequate support when you have the responsibility of your regular classroom in addition to that. I, again, think that additional coaches would resolve some of the issues associated with this model.

One question I have is:

• One of the districts in the article has a staff development teacher in each school. I would like to know if that is their only job or if they are full time teachers, as well. I am aware that the financial impact of paying to have a coach in each school is probably not realistic, but I would like to hear how other schools handle that situation.

The article can be accessed here