It's time to RENOVATE our PD for technology integration!

"Now more than ever, education leaders must focus strategically on educational technology profesional development (ETPD) for teachers" (Harris, 2008)

There is no question that the need for Professional Development in the area of technology integration is required for teachers to keep up with the increasingly digital world that our students are living in. Unfortunately, the path our Professional Development has taken in the past has not been working in our attempts at ETPD...it's time for some renovations!

I'm a huge fan of home improvement T.V. shows such as "Holmes on Homes", "Trading Spaces" and "Real Renos"! As I read through this week's readings, I started to get the sense that ETPD really needs to go through a major renovation. The methods we have been using for professional development in this field have not been addressing the needs of the teachers as learners and therefore technology integration is not transcending into their teaching practices. I really connected with the article by Kimberley Ketterer "Coach, Nurture or Nudge, How do you learn technology best?". In this article she identified three unique styles in which teachers prefer to deal with the learning of technology integration:

1. The Coaching Style - They are willing to take risks, but they need support and encouragement from a colleague and embrace feedback from their coach.
2. The Nurturing Style - They need a teaching partner to help develop and model lessons, someone to help build their confidence.
3. The Nudging Style - These learners need to be gently pushed, prodded and cajoled into learning how to integrate technology and their development is very gradual.

As I read these different styles, I could actually visualize different members of my current staff in each style! As a future TL in my school, taking on the role of technology integration PD leader of ETPD renovations, I could tell I was going to have my work cut out for me! Simply put in the 4 part series of articles by Judi Harris..."One Size Doesn't Fit All"! There is definitely a need to renovate our ETPD to help teachers learn technology integration in the manner that best fits their individual learning styles and program goals.

As teacher-librarians or "contractors" for ETPD renovations, this may require tearing it all down and beginning from the ground up to construct and re-build how we educate our teachers about technology integration. As Scott McLeod states in his article "An Absence of Leadership", "We will see few tangible, long-term benefits from technology in most schools until they have leaders who know how to effectively implement, build upon, and sustain technology -related initiatives." That's a pretty tall order for a teacher-librarian or any "expert" designated as the information technology leader in a school, so where does one begin with a renovation project like this?

In the words of Camilla Gagliolo, "How best can we, as technology leaders, inspire teachers to take advantage of these opportunities to engage students in 21st century learning?"

I guess if I'm going to play the role of "contractor" of renovations, I'm going to need a pretty hefty toolkit of ideas to begin this project. I decided to try and pool many of the suggestions made in this weeks' articles to create a resource for myself (and others) in our future endeavors towards ETPD in our schools.















So, let's take a peek inside my toolbox:

• begin with a set goal in mind, whether it is awareness, curriculum integration in a specific content area, change in instructional practice or school cultural change (Harris, 2008)


• build a professional learning community (ie. collegial collaboration, feedback at community or individual improvements, etc.) (Gagliolo, 2008)


• establish a teacher mentorship program within your school


• hold regular meetings and training sessions on ET


• set up co-teaching opportunities in the classroom


• celebrate successes by sharing at staff meetings


• create a set of laminated "keys" that contain information on experts and their area of technology exptertise, so they can be a resource for teachers


• "provide a fabulous Library 2.0 learning space and robust online information portal that provides good reading and quality in-depth information resources in all possible formats" (O'Connell, 2007-08)


• let students provide the information and be the teachers...take a step back (yikes!)


• become the "knowledge broker" in your school for continuous technology integration and support for your teachers (or find someone who can play this role...good luck!) (Plair, 2008)


• enourage online professional learning (like EDES 501....I just had to get that one in there!) I guess you could call this the DIY strategy of professional development and one that has worked wonders for me, but isn't for everyone!


• classroom visits for teachers to observe other teachers integrating technology to gather ideas and confidence


• action research and study groups on ET (Within my school division, teachers are required to develop our own Professional Growth Models and submit these at 2 different points in the year. Teachers are given 6 different models to choose from that best suits their learning styles and needs. An ideal situation but a challenging one for administrators and most teachers to monitor on their own.)
  

I'm sure this list could go on, but it's a great starting point and demonstrates the many possibilities for renovating our ETPD. As with home renovations, there are always barriers and obstacles that need to be overcome and there is such a gammit of choices in styles, colors, sizes and materials in making those improvements.

"Once teachers make the paradigm shift to the positive role that new instructional technology strategies and tools could have in their classroom, it is just a matter of deciding how they will learn it best." (Ketterer, 2007)