Alternative Professional Development

Alternative Professional Development

• 1.
  As presented onMay 7th, 2009 at the MATN Conference Created using Wordle.net
• 2.
   What’s thedifference between “PD” and “Training”?  What content are we doing during PD?  What are the problems with traditional “Butt-In-Chair” PD?  What are some solutions to these problems?  A word about “Follow-up Activities”  A word about training by community building
• 3.
   PD:  Ongoing process  Often, but not always, mandatory  Provided to larger audiences  May contain more theory  Training:  May be provided to student and/or teacher  May contain more “hands-on” interaction  Provided to a smaller number of individuals  Content is typically on one specific tool or idea Note: The answers to the question are summative based on audience participation and discussion
• 4.
   What isAT? (An Overview)  Using available tools to address student and teacher problems Note: The answers to the question are summative based on audience participation and discussion
• 5.
   We can’tstay awa…zzzzzzzzzzzz Note: These answers to the question are  Schedule conflicts summative based on audience participation and discussion  Low attendance  Not necessarily of interest, but is mandatory  I don’t want what is being offered  After school training—teachers don’t want to spend their free time doing PD  Not enough time in the day  If it not mandatory, I have too many other work related things to do!  Need an incentive beyond knowledge gained(stipend, credit, giveaways)  I know it when I am there, but not good follow up for retention  Staff is at different levels of learning (many teachers are not “techies”)  Need to be ready for the information—needs to be “just in time” training  Only reaching a small population (mostly special educators)—we need to reach out to ALL teachers to convey messages of UDL and Differentiated Instruction
• 6.
   Stipends and/orcredits  Extending the day  Include everyone (general educators, related services, paraprofessionals, etc.)  Whenever possible, “hands on” rather than “sit and get” approach  Access to SHORT tutorials and tip sheets that can be accessed anytime, anywhere (possibly housed online in text, audio, or video formats) Note: The answers to the question are summative based on audience participation and discussion
• 7.
   Strategy-A-Day Calendar  Creation & Distribution  AT Tonight DVDs  Creation & Distribution  Results  AT Tonight Volume 1: ~300  AT Tonight Volume 2: ~200
• 9.
   Burn podcastsonto CDs to play in the car!  Try it with the A.T.TIPSCAST.  Three volumes completed.  Download the question booklet.  Distribute to educators  Over 3.5 hours of content! www.attipcast.wordpress.com www.tinyurl.com/attipscast
• 10.
  ADDRESSED UNADDRESSED  Uses available time  Only Awareness Level  Watch short videos on TV Training during commercials with DVD  No follow-up  Listen to podcasts during  Still “sit n’ get” style commute  Not “hands-on”  Read one calendar slide a day  No “extra” technology required  Everyone knows how to use a CD and DVD player
• 11.
   Just startingto explore this concept. Haven’t actually implemented it yet.  The Ideas:  After viewing a DVD and answer the questions in the booklet, get together to discuss what you experienced, either web-based (online forums) or in persons  Create a product from what you heard on a podcast or saw on the DVD and then share that somehow (wiki, existing online resource depending on the topic)
• 12.
   When trainingon a specific tool that is not available to general educators (for example, a specific AAC device) form communities of teachers who are working with students who are using these devices.  Example: 5 teachers (along with related services) in the county are working with students who are using a SpringBoard Lite. Quarterly meetings to bring these minds together to share strategies, data collection techniques, and resources may decrease likelihood of abandonment, decrease time spend recreating same resources, and increase student achievement/integration.
• 14.
  Check out Night LightStories Free audio stories for children of all ages www.nightlightstories.blogspot.com