Galeas, A. (July 2015). "Professional development priorities of 1:1 initiatives." Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/professional-development-priorities-11-initiatives
In his article, “Professional
Development: Priorities of 1:1 Initiatives,” Albert Galeas shares his experiences and
findings from taking part in the roll out of a 1:1 initiative in a Mississippi school district. Supporting a 1:1 initiative
is very demanding and requires many steps.
In carrying out the process, Galeas found one of the most critical steps
for implementation is providing teachers with consistent professional
development. Galeas learned in his
experience when approaching professional development, it is most effective to first
teach the tool and then teach instructional strategies for implementing the
tool. Knowing, understanding, and
feeling comfortable with the technology first, Galeas found teachers were more
likely buy in and put the tool to use.
I agree with
this article- I feel teachers definitely
need to feel comfortable and well versed with a tool before they are able to
implement it effectively into their teaching and the students’ learning. This article then got me thinking about my tech PD
experiences and the approach that was taken to train teachers. I have gone to a lot of PD trainings and have
left feeling different ways about the sessions.
I have felt: “Wow! This is amazing and I am inspired to start
this tomorrow.” “I am so confused and
overwhelmed.” “Ehhh- I didn't get much out of that session.”
I think that professional development can sometimes be tricky to plan
because you are trying to meet the needs of a diverse group of adults whose
skills can range. Within
the group you will have some members who are very tech savvy and keep up with current
trends while others are still learning the basic operations and functions of a
device. I feel it’s important for
participants to leave a PD training feeling it was relevant and beneficial to
them. In my opinion it would be best to offer
optional tool related sessions for those in need. Once all participants are comfortable with
the devices and tools, all can come together to learn instructional strategies
for implementation. This way we aren’t
skipping over steps. We are able to meet
the needs of all without leaving teachers feeling uncomfortable with using the
device or leaving others’ feeling bored or like their time has been wasted.
