Realizing the potential of online and blended professional development

Realizing the Potential of Online and

Blended Professional Development

Barbara TreacyISTE

June 30, 2015http://bit.ly/1eFzJDc

● Our Questions● Effective PD ● Online and Blended PD

o Opportunitieso Challengeso Examples

What do we want to know about online and blended professional learning?

Discuss

Professional Learning / Unlearning

Unlearning

Learning is Social, Networked, Anytime, Any Place, Any Device

http://www.personalizemedia.com/media/socmedcounter.swf

“The change we are in the middle of isn’t minor and isn’t optional”-Clay Shirky

National EdTech Plan“Episodic and ineffective professional learning is replaced by professional learning that is collaborative, coherent, and continuous and that blends more effective in-person courses and workshops with the expanded opportunities, immediacy, and convenience enabled by online learning”

“Build the capacity of educators by enabling a shift to a model of connected teaching”

Think about: A professional learning opportunity you participated in or led that was effective

Discuss: What made it effective?

Effective Professional Learning

Effective Professional Learning is:● focused on student learning● intensive, ongoing, job-embedded● addresses teaching specific curricular

content● aligns with school improvement priorities

and goals● builds strong working relationships with

teachers-Linda Darling-Hammond

Principles

● Professional Learning designs can make use of technology to support o Learning Goalso Personalizationo Scaleo Differentiationo Facilitation

● Important to learn with the tools educators are expected to use in their classrooms/schools

● Enables connected teaching!

Technology

● EdTech Leaders Online ● Leadership in Blended Learning● NYCLA Blended Residency● MOOC-Eds● Share your examples!

Discuss how these examples● address principles of effective PD● embrace connected teaching and learning● use online tools to address traditional limitations

Examples: Online, Blended, Massive

● Flexibility: Anytime, anyplace learning● Access: Engage with experts/resources not

available locally● Reflection: Participate and interact over time● Collaboration: New tools and options● Personalization: Custom paths ● Extended over time: Ability to try things out in

the classroom with feedback● Data: Increased access to learner data● Scalability: Ability to replicate across sites/scale

to large audiences● Tools: Increasing number are free/easy to use

Online/Blended PD Opportunities

● Facilitators/developers need training and expertise in online design and delivery

● Content development and facilitation is labor intensive

● Important to build in budget to maintain and update content

● Initial and ongoing investment in technical infrastructure and staff may be needed

● Ability to customize important● Tools choices can be overwhelming

Online/Blended PD Challenges

1. Establish clear goals and expectations2. Make everyone feel welcome 3. Provide behind-the-scenes support via email4. Foster communication between participants5. Model participation and discussion techniques6. Keep online discussion alive; prevent stagnancy7. Keep online discussion on-topic8. Guide participants through curriculum9. Ensure audience and content are in sync10.Bring closure to each topic before moving on

http://courses.edtechleaders.org/documents/opd/ETLO_Ten_Tips.htm

Facilitation - 10 Tips

● Requires rethinking content, design, tools, implementation

● Not a simple solution: requires time/resources● Can improve educator practice/student learning● Learning community models foster reflection● Learning goals must lead; technology follows● Can enable personalization and scale● Can be effective, engaging and fun!

Recap: Online/Blended PD

Thank You!

Barbara TreacyDigital Learning Consultant

Instructor, Harvard Graduate School of Education

btreacy1@gmail.com@barbaratreacy

Questions?