Assignment 3.1

Select a course, topic, or training module that you currently conduct. This is your opportunity to look at it from outside the box. Using the Five Critical Qualities of professional development, analyze your course, topic, or training module. Discuss the following:

• Describe the course, topic or training module you have selected to use as your example.
• How is it sustained over time – if it isn’t, how can you improve upon that?
• How does it integrate the job-embedded quality – if it doesn’t, how can you improve upon that?
• How is it interactive – if it isn’t, how can you improve upon that?
• How does it make use of groups and team support (collegial) – if it doesn’t, how can you improve upon that?
• How is the learning integrated to help reach different students – if it isn’t, how can you improve upon that?

For this assignment, I am using a model we implemented as a statewide group staring in 2004. The project is called “The Learning Web.” I have based many of our other professional development opportunities for teachers around this model as it has worked very well. We have several “Curriculum 2.0” type workshops that have this same feel. By curriculum 2.0 I mean we have “Science 2.0,” “Elementary 2.0,” “Language Arts 2.0,” etc. Although not exactly the same, these still pull on the strengths outlined by the five critical qualities of professional development.

Describe the course, topic or training module you have selected to use as your example.

The Learning Web – ESUs statewide have received funding through the Enhancing Education Through Technology grant to implement a staff development process known as the Learning Web.  A team(s) of five educators from a school or district in each ESU will create a project that uses technology to integrate a proven instructional strategy for increasing student achievement and supports a school improvement goal.

How is it sustained over time – if it isn’t, how can you improve upon that?

A learning web team attends the NETA (Nebraska Educational Technology Association) conference in the spring of the year to start the process. At this conference they go to sessions that might interest them and are introduced to a myriad of technologies they may choose to use in their project. In the summer, each ESU holds a summer institute for the teams. This consists of time to develop a plan of action for a project they will implement throughout the year. It is also a time for learning different technologies that they may use in their project. Throughout the year the teams implements their plan with the help of a facilitator and will receive training in specific technologies or implementation strategies throughout the year. At the end of the year, teams are encouraged to submit their project as a presentation to the NETA conference for others to share and ask questions.

How does it integrate the job-embedded quality – if it doesn’t, how can you improve upon that?

Each team develops a project independently. The project must meet the criteria of relating to their school improvement goal (usually reading), and also tying in Marzano’s Instructional Strategies. The team’s end product us usually a lesson plan or series of plans that they integrate into their classroom right away.

How is it interactive – if it isn’t, how can you improve upon that?

Although the teams may be from different curricular areas or different grade levels, they are encouraged to build a project they can all work together on throughout the year. An example of this would be the facilitator may need to help them figure out the best way to use 5^th grade writers to help kindergarteners write a podcast script they will record for the school website.

How does it make use of groups and team support (collegial) – if it doesn’t, how can you improve upon that?

Each step in the process is built upon the strengths of the team, from choosing what sessions to attend at the first conference to building the final presentation for the conference session at the end of the year. Each person has a role and is given opportunities to communicate and collaborate with each other and the facilitator.

How is the learning integrated to help reach different students – if it isn’t, how can you improve upon that?

Each learner is introduced to a wide variety of topics using a range of multimodal approaches. At the beginning of the learning web, most topics are the typically “dog and pony” shows. They introduce topics to peak the learners interests. At the two day summer institute, the teams are encouraged to participate in the hands on opportunities to learn new technologies. They are modeled throughout the institute with the thought that they may choose this as a technology to use in their project and may need further training at a later time. Information shared is text based, provided online on a multitude of websites, shown in video and audio formats, and also shared in kinesthetic opportunities. We are trying to arrange the learning web into a website that could using more online discussion and sharing of resources throughout the year.