Every Day is a ProD Day

I'd like to think that one of my positive traits, with regard to my job as an educator, is that I genuinely like to learn.  I take vicarious pleasure in being part of the learning process with students, but beyond that, I enjoy the learning process for my own means as well.  So when it comes to professional development, I'm always quite happy to jump at opportunities to better myself. 

Our district has made available a number of courses and organized inquiry groups to support their technology roll-out, and I have been a part of a few of these, including a Moodle/Blended Learning inquiry group (Moodle and Inquiry ) and a variety of informal tutorial efforts, both in the role of a student and as a facilitator.

Having someone within the school setting looking to develop similar technological skills and programs is particularly useful.  I've already cultivated one or two relationships of this sort, and you definitely spur each other on and magnify the learning.  Maintaining an open, receptive and opportunistic attitude is vital to seeing these opportunities, and I will continue to look for ways to make the library a hub for not just for students, but for teachers as well.  I found an article called Collaboration Generation: Teaching and Learning for a New Age collaboration generation  (edutopia.com)  which discusses how some teachers are collaborating in innovative ways. 

Additionally, in terms of a teacher's professional development, it shouldn't be dismissed that one might look to the students themselves.  By this, I mean that students are in many respects

at the forefront of technological advancements, and the best among them can reverse the teacher-student role and provide real means of professional development.  For instance, IBM representatives are directing the implementation of the new technology in our schools, but students have already discovered flaws in their security systems.  Happily, these are good students, and they've already let me know, and in the process I certainly learned something new, as did the representatives of IBM!

Courses like these are particularly useful for my learning style in that they expose me to new things which I then pursue on my own.  For instance, I have discussed on an earlier blog my interest in the flipped classroom, and Screenr would be a useful tool for teaching remotely.  Specifically, in my Science 8 class, with an upcoming unit, I intend to summarize the lesson with Screenr and give students the opportunity to use it as review.  screenr

 

Additionally, I've come across an interesting site which seems geared towards self-directed professional development.  DIY Professional Development: A Resource Roundup DIY Pro-D is on Edutopia's site, and includes some great links which can be used to "build your network and learn new skills on your own." 

Sources:
vsta.ca
http://www.eclass4learning.com 
tamarackcci.ca
multimedialearning.com
acronymsandslang.com
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+use+screenr 
edutopia.com