Bricks and Clicks: Training Teachers

Online  Barbara Treacy, Director, EdTech Leaders

OnlineOSEP Project Directors Meeting

July 20, 2010

Goals

Overview to online professional development

Opportunities and challenges Examples New research Accessibility issues Future directions Questions and discussion

“The illiterate of the 21st

century will not be thosewho cannot read and

write,but those who cannot

learn,unlearn, and relearn.”

-Alvin Toffler

Effective PD

Should: focus on student learning be intensive, ongoing, connected to practice address teaching of specific curriculum

content align with school improvement priorities &

goals build strong working relationships among

teachers-Linda Darling-Hammond, NSDC (2009)

National Ed Tech Plan Draft

“Episodic and ineffective professional development is replaced by professional learning that is collaborative, coherent, and continuous and that blends more effective in-person courses and workshops with the expanded opportunities, immediacy, and convenience enabled by online learning.”

-U.S. Department of Education, March, 2011

Online PD“Some online tools have some affordances that, if the training takes advantage of them, can help with some of the classic issues of professional development.”

--Dr. Chris Dede, EdWeek, 10/1/2009

“In education…we have not really seized upon the power and the tools that are now available to us in the Internet age.”

-Eric Schmidt, Google CEO

http://www.personalizemedia.com/the-count

How do we know which tools to use?

“Technology is a vehicle, not a destination...Rather, aspects of technology – like all components of an effective course – should be chosen according to how they help meet the learning objectives.”

-Henry, J. & Meadows, J. “Nine principles for excellence in web-based teaching”

Goal: Build capacity to use online learning to meet local goals

For states, districts, universities, non-profits, others

Over 3000 online specialists trained in 36 states

Focus on educator PD & Virtual Schools Online facilitator & course design programs 60+ online workshops Custom course development Learning Community Model Based at EDC

EdTech Leaders Online

E-Learning for Educators Goal: build state online teacher PD programs

focused on content, pedagogy, student achievement

10 state consortium: AL, DE, KY,MD, MO, MS, NC, NH, PA, WV

Funded in 2005 by USED Unique state/PTV partnership Content sharing across states EDC facilitator training, developer training,

workshops Experimental research on impact on teachers

and students

Impact: Ability to ScaleIn first four years 480 workshop facilitators trained 1536 workshops delivered 21,628 participants completed workshops 278 course developers trained 110 workshops developed 91% teachers rated workshops

excellent/very good 96% facilitators rated training

excellent /very good

Research Study

Goal: examine the effect of online PD on teacher knowledge, practices, and student learning

Conducted by: Boston College Includes: 4 large-scale randomized

experiments using 3 workshops/grade designed by EDC for teachers in:– English/Language Arts (4th and 8th Grades)– Math (5th and 7th Grades)

Results: Significant impact on teachers and students – most subjects/grades

Louisiana Algebra 1 Online PD program

11 online workshops in targeted Algebra 1 topics

State add-on certification for Algebra 1 teachers who complete all 11 workshops

Workshops include online applets and tools to support learning

Workshops are project and classroom based Online facilitator training for LA math

teachers

“The interactivity and connectivity that this training course has provided has exceeded even my wildest expectations.  It's our charge to provide this kind of community- building, knowledge-sharing experience for all KY teachers. I can't wait.”

-Kentucky facilitator training participant

Accessibility issues to consider Digital curriculum enables important flexibility (such as ability to adjust text, navigation, features, colors, pace, order, etc) but not all digital curriculum is the same or equally accessible

Examples: Many features not activated in schools Video and audio: requires captioning, transcripts,

ability to pace Image descriptions needed for

webpages/documents PDF’s not accessible to many screen readers

Some lessons from EdTech Leaders OnlineOnline PD enables: New, accessible opportunities for learning Reflection & collaboration via learning community

models Classroom implementation with collegial discussion Content & pedagogy to lead; technology to support Scalable, capacity building approaches Customization, adaptation, personalization of

learning Incorporation of new technology tools &

approaches “Teachers teach as they were taught”

Online teacher feedback

“If we want our students to succeed in a global environment, then we, as educators, must be engaged in 21st century content, context, tools, thinking skills, and assessment. Thanks to online learning I am a 21st century life- long learner!”

-West Virginia facilitator and course developer

Thank you!

Contact:Barbara TreacyBtreacy@edc.org

Director, EdTech Leaders Onlinehttp://edtechleaders.org

Education Development Centerhttp://edc.org