Questions by Oberazzi
My Questions:
- How do you make PD sticky? We've all gone to a conference or PD day, learned some wonderful (or not) things, then gone back to our classrooms never to revisit those ideas again. How to make them sticky?
- How do you encourage teachers to start their own Professional Learning Networks (PLN) and provide them with the skills to be successful?
- How do you support the sharing of ideas and resources within your local area? I've been very lucky to connect with wonderful educators from around the English speaking world, but know very little about the teachers in my own small school district.
- How do you truly integrate technology and support your teachers while doing so?
The training element of introducing new technology is always a challenge. The approach that you took this year sounds like a good start. You definitely have to meet people where they are at. In my dream school the director of technology would be a consultant. S/he would meet with teachers one on one; the individual teachers would outline what their objectives with a particular unit or project are and the director of tech would come up with a variety of ways to integrate technology. Doing a poetry unit? Let me suggest using Wordles, or Voice Threads, or... and here's how to proceed.I think that you also have to find the people in your school or district who are really into integrating technology into their teaching and/or professional learning and support them like crazy. You're going to see great things from them and the goal is that they will inspire others. I'm not sure that converting people overtly is going to work, but diffusion just might do it.
What do you think? Do you have answers to my questions above? I'm happy for some push back and sharing of ideas. Cheers!
