Professional Development - The Evolution
The hot topic seems to be around professional development for teachers. How can teachers learn more? How can teachers choose what they want to learn more about? How can teachers collaborate with each other to be more productive and better educators? There are so many "How" type questions that surround the big cloud of Professional Development.
As Edsurge eloquently states in their article How Teachers Are Learning: Professional Development Remix, "A new era of personalized professional development is sweeping into schools."
As we travel around the country to meet with teachers from private schools to public schools to urban schools to rural schools, the conversation is always the same. "Our professional development is boring and ineffective. We don't look forward to attending these workshops."
With the rise of the 'sharing economy' and the digital age that brings around Twitter chats, Facebook groups, and Pinterest walls, how can we not evolve and take advantage of the resources in front of us? Here are a few of the new and engaging type PD opporutnities that anyone can attend and learn from:
Twitter chats: We're seeing teachers collaborate more by engaging in Twitter chats worldwide every day and night. Teachers are joining #SunChat, #TXEduChat, #EdTechBridge, etc. and collaborating. Educators are learning in an engaging way from others around the world and they are doing it on their free time because they want to learn and get better! It's a crazy concept, but it's true. Teachers want more professional development, but let's not be afraid to shake it up a bit.
Conferences: For teachers who are more hands-on type learners, the growing popularity of conferneces is the new PD. More teachers are wanting and hoping to attend CUE, SXSWEdu, ISTE, TCEA, and so many more. We have the opportunity to attend these conferences and sit in workshops alongside teachers who come in with energy to learn. They are taking selfies, they are taking notes, and most importantly, they are learning because they want to grow as individuals and educators!
Edcamps: If you've never attended an Edcamp in your area, we hope you had a good excuse. Edcamps are "Organic, participant-driven professional learning experiences created by educators, for educators." In a nutshell, Edcamps are free workshops held on Saturdays all around the world. They are hosted by teachers and there is no agenda; you get to make the agenda and learn about what you want to learn about. Kinda sounds perfect, right? Now, you should probably look at the national Edcamp schedule and see when the next one is happening closest to you.
Yes, we know that 2 of the 3 trendy PD opportunities cost a little more than just some time on a weeknight or weekend. That's why PledgeCents has opened our doors to help educators crowdfund for the PD of their choice. Last year, a select few educators were chosen to pilot the opportunity to attend ISTE 2015 in Philadelphia. Over $3,000 was raised for 5 teachers to help offset their expenses. Twitter superstars like Nikki Robertson (@NikkiDRobertson) raised nearly $500 to help her #Get2ISTE.
Interested in attending a PD opportunity but don't have the funds? Sign up today and let's ensure you get the funds needed so you can collaborate, learn, and be excited about becoming an even better educator!
