Professional Development
Current Professional Development
With the major emphasis over the past couple of years being on technology, one could confidently say that a significant portion of the professional development is devoted to technology. This is evident in the training of how to use current technologies; a teacher reward system for technology training, scheduling training for technologies and practices most desirable, and showcasing excellent example of how various teachers are using the technologies. Training is conducted during Wednesday afternoon faculty meetings and teacher in-service days, in addition to one-on-one training by the technology staff as needed. The goal is to have at least one technology training event monthly, while anyone can request personal training as the needs arise. For some of the scheduled professional development opportunities, presentation evaluations are completed, especially if the participants need to use the time towards CPDUs. Evaluations are reviewed by the technology staff and administration to determine future training initiatives and modifications. Recent professional development opportunities have been designed to promote collaboration, both in modeling and implementation.
Future Professional Development Opportunities
In order for this project to succeed, professional development opportunities for the faculty and staff is essential. This is a constantly changing area and we need to change as we go. This includes continual life-long learning in the use, availability of tools and their application to the classroom. To meet these needs, the technology department will continue an emphasis on training. One of the ideas for future training includes a how-to video library in Blackboard Learn, aimed at and for teachers. The videos will be created by our teachers and staff, showcasing different techniques and tools, as well as how to implement them in class. The 2013-2014 school year will present many collaborative teacher training opportunities. There are 2 half-day opportunities at the beginning of the school year to help everyone work together in common. This not only helps the teachers set up their classes in similar manners, but it allows teachers to experience what we want them to emulate in their own classrooms.