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Recently, Bob Nelson, superintendent of Chawanakee (CA) Unified School District and Barbara Haeffner, director of curriculum and instructional technology of Meriden (CT) Public Schools were featured in Tech & Learning. See what they had to say below and be sure to visit Tech & Learning to read the full story!

It’s easy to point out the flaws in mass-produced professional development (PD). Generally, one-size-fits-all means one-size-fits-no-one, and teachers leave sessions confused, demoralized, and unfulfilled. But PD doesn’t have to be that way. Check out our best practices from best practitioners across the U.S.

“We tend to spend a great deal of time on the specific types of devices we should buy for kids, but rarely do we expend that same thought and effort on how we are going to adequately support teachers in using the devices in class to support their learning goals and objectives. Many times, the technology isn’t being used effectively, or—even worse—the devices go unused. You are only as good as your training and your ongoing commitment to the people willing to make it happen.

We try to focus on growing our own tech experts. In other words, we do everything
we can to encourage our staff members to get out into the world of Ed Tech PD as learners and presenters. Organizations such as Computer Using Educators (www.cue.org) provide local opportunities for our staff to develop their skills as trainers. In turn, we create opportunities to teach our own colleagues. This year, we hosted Ed Tech Fest (http://theedtechfest.weebly.com/the-edtechfest-details.html) a free conference that takes place prior to the new school year. The advantage of having local experts as trainers is that people know to whom they can turn for follow-up or additional help. The result is the formation of a team of forward-thinking, like-minded educators who begin pushing one another to make things increasingly better on behalf of children. Our little rural district of 1,200 students has several Apple Distinguished Educators, Google Certified Teachers, and Madera County Teachers of the Year who have presented across the nation and in Europe. And new opportunities, such as writing for Tech & Learning, materialize every day!”

—Bob Nelson, superintendent, Chawanakee (CA) Unified School District

“PD is best when it is meaningful and hands-on. Since we are shifting to a blended learning environment, we created a PD session using a blended learning model to provide meaningful PD to our teachers. They began the multi-day session with face-to-face meetings and hands-on experience with the technology they would use. Then they shifted to the online environment during their summer vacation to experience anytime/anywhere learning and participate in the engaging activities we want them to provide for our students. Next, teachers came together to build their courses. This collaboration and interaction strengthened the online course offerings and allowed for many adaptations.

Students are valuable resources in providing PD. Our high school students shared Evernote, TodaysMeet, and Edmodo. They walked the staff through how to use the tools and discussed how the tools can be used in class to make instruction meaningful. Not only was this a great opportunity for teachers, but the embedded coaching was built in the next day in class.

This fall we began offering online evening Webinars. We selected two topics based on teacher feedback. Teachers can log in from home, interact with each other, and learn about tools they can use in their classrooms the next day.”

—Barbara Haeffner, Director of Curriculum and Instructional Technology, Meriden (CT) Public Schools