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October 1, 2002
Good Resources: A Professional Developer's Best Strategy
By Barbara Bray
In a standards-based and constructivist learning environment professional developers will want the latest research, resources, tips and strategies at their fingertips. To help facilitate technology integration the professional developer needs good information about academic content and technology standards, curriculum frameworks and assessment strategies, research and reports on educational reform. Building learning communities through organizations, conferences, and listservs helps with knowing the appropriate tools for different projects, the skills to use these resources, classroom management ideas and best practices for integrating technology. To get and keep this knowledge up to date, here are some great resources.
Standards Drive Curriculum
K-12 content standards are on an online database organized and maintained by the McREL Regional Center. Wherever they are with their own technology skills, teachers need to start with the content standards and curriculum: What do students need to know? Each district is equipped with the standards they are using; they might be an adapted version of their state or national standards.
A History standard may ask students to understand multiple perspectives. A professional developer can help by meeting with the History department to map the curriculum to determine when specific events and times in history are taught, and what might be the most appropriate events to include to meet each standard. For example, when the Boston Massacre is the appropriate topic for an 11th-grade class, they can design a project where students do research online, write a persuasive essay, and create a multimedia presentation on one of the perspectives.
The International Society for Technology in Education has developed standards for students and standards and performance indicators for teachers. Technology literate students in grade 11, according to NETS for Students (National Educational Technology Standards by ISTE), routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration, research, publications, communications, and productivity (NETS for students 4, 5, 6). And in this example the teacher would meet the Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum standard for teachers (NETS III).
Each state refers to either the national standards or their own state standards. When planning for a specific project for a school or district, a professional developer needs all the appropriate standards and also information literacy resources for making good use of online information. A good one is Big6 Skills, which provides a problem-solving approach. The ICYouSee Guide offers critical thinking skills and one called NoodleTools provides proper citation methods.
Reports and Reform Efforts
Research is essential for any professional developer if they want to provide a rationale for using - or not using - technology in the classroom. Professional developers should keep abreast of research on 21st-century skills students need to know; the use of technology and constructivist learning; best practices and best resources and what's happening in discussions about reform.
For an overall view on reform, go to the Center for Education Reform>. The Goals 2000 Educate America Act was published by Congress to improve learning and teaching by providing a national framework for educational reform. You can also download the year 4 report from the CEO Forum on School Technology and Readiness. The U.S. Department of Labor published the SCANS Report in 1991 to focus on the ways schools are preparing students for the work force; it is still applicable today. The SCANS skills and competencies are available. The StaR chart determines the level of readiness of teachersı to use technology and can be accessed from this Web site.
The Forum on Technology in Education-Envisioning the Future encourages discussions and reports on the promising future roles of technology in education. The Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC) has established a region-wide effort to transform teaching and learning in the San Francisco Bay area; the principles and tools can help any school anywhere.
Congress created the Regional Educational Laboratories in 1966 to provide research, resources, and services on educational change. WestEd, located in San Francisco and around the country, has programs, resources, and services that promote professional development and the use of technology. McRel, located in Colorado, has a purpose to improve education through applied research and development. The products and publications they created use the latest research and tools. NcRel is the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory; its Pathways to School Improvement is very useful.
Learning Communities Share the Wealth
Become part of a professional development learning community. One fast way is to join several listservs. Collaborating and sharing ideas online brings people with similar goals together. And building an online community naturally builds a community at conferences. It's useful for a professional developer's own learning to add listservs, affiliate meetings, and conferences to their activities.
CUE now has forums for online discussions including one on professional development; member input is encouraged. Along with the national CUE conferences, CUE affiliates have their own meetings and conferences.
Membership in the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) gives you a conference and also the Journal of Staff Development, Tools for Schools, and Results with the latest research.
Resources Support Implementation
The Design Elements for High Quality Professional Development are incorporated in Designs for Learning, a resource to help teachers develop and implement a professional development plan. It helps educators move away from "one-shot workshops" to a more comprehensive approach. You can download a PDF introduction to these materials.
A wide variety of resources is available at the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) and for information on assessment visit CTAP2 Assessment.
There are tools that enable teachers to build Web pages for their students to visit including WebQuests, InternetWorkshops, and SLATE. For other project ideas see PBSOnline.
These are only some of the many great resources available; take a look and build your own professional development library of resources with the latest information out there.
Email: Barbara Bray is president of Computer Strategies, LLC and My eCoach. She moderates the CUE techstaffdevelop listerv and writes PDQs for TechLearning.com where you can also submit tips.
Computer Using Educators
Copyright 2002, CUE, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
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