I picked Chapter 5: Professional Development as my choice chapter because I think it is the essential and often missing piece in creating school 2.0 or library 2.0. The problem of inadequate professional development (pd) has been around as long as I've been an educator. In 1985, my school got its first computer lab: 10 apple 2e's (or whatever the latest version was back then). There was one copy of apple writer (I think that's what it was called). The computers were set up and that's it. We got fussed at our monthly faculty meetings for not using the lab. But gosh, most of us didn't know how to turn the things on, much less how to use 10 of them with a class of 35 high school students. Fast forward a few years and every teacher had to take a computer competency class: half day inservice that including using a mouse, saving a document and printing. There weren't enough computers in the lab so we had to share. My point in taking us down memory lane is that without good, appropriate pd that includes ongoing support and follow-up, technology doesn't get used to its full potential.
The authors recognize this and make some excellent suggestions for effective pd. One idea is the community of practice or learning community. I was excited to see designating a team librarian included in the list of strategies to support communities. Again, as in chapter 1, communication, connection, creativity and collaboration are key concepts. Many of the suggestions are common sense such as embed the tools in the PD; model and use the tools even as you are introducing teachers to them.
Alaska librarians are doing this. AkASL, ASD library curriculum (Ann M) and others use wikis and nings to engage us, present new material, archive documents, gather input and more. I'd like to explore some of the websites listed in this chapter. This is another chapter that I think would be beneficial for administrators to read.
The Intersection of Science and Joy
1 week ago
2 comments:
Nail and head :-) PD is the key and we are getting better at it but, it still takes teachers being willing to reach out, recognize their need to learn and be willing to take the time (much like all the bloggers for this class:-)
I wish there was a magic wand we could wave for professional development.
Ann
Last year, I had a discussion with my young (she has been teaching for 3 years) building tech person about showing a new technology I had learned at one of our library quarterly's and she learned at a tech meeting. Her comment was, I will give them a sheet and they ca learn on their own. Like that is going to happen! So, in reading your reflection about pd and how we as immigrants are going to use it probably means we won't use it unless we are given direct instruction on it-Just like the students we teach.
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