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September 15, 2001
Online Professional Development
By Jeffrey Branzburg and Kristen Kennedy
Just as good off-line teaching comes in many forms to suit a wide variety of learning styles, so too does online professional development. Taken together, the Web-based courses we sampled represent the scope of online professional development opportunities for educators at different career stages. Courses range from self-paced tutorials with low interactivity to graduate-level courses with lively class discussion. Some even experiment with making students the teachers in technology training programs that take place off-line. Still others offer a combination of online and off-line activities led by local mentors. The verdict is still out on what works best, but we found the most authentic learning experiences take advantage of Web-based communication tools, such as e-mail, discussion boards, or chat, to reach remote but diverse learners. However, class formats vary to reflect their subject matter. For example, self-paced workshops efficiently bypass class discussion by offering busy teachers short courses on common computer applications, while explorations of educational theory lend themselves to chat and discussion boards. So whether you're looking for continuing education credit or just a short introduction to Microsoft Word, there's something for everyone here, depending on your time, needs, and interests.
Apex Learning
Connected University
Generation www.Y
Online learning
TaskStream
T.H.E. Institute
Additional Professional Development Programs
Jeffrey Branzburg is supervisor of instructional technology for Lawrence Public Schools in New York.
Kristen Kennedy is senior editor of T&L.
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