The EdTech Roundup
Connect:
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Editorials & Press
  • Ed Tech Sites
  • Lesson Plans
    • Elementary
    • Secondary
  • Former Weekly Podcast
  • About Me
  • Contact

Guest Post | Identifying and Delivering On-Demand, Targeted Professional Growth Development with Education Technology

8/29/2015

0 Comments

 
Author: Todd Whitlock
Picture
A recent study conducted by TNTP reported that the schools they examined were spending, on average, $18,000 per teacher for training over the course of 19 days. At the end of the training cycle, however, little to no improvement was shown in teacher performance, with 2 out of 10 teachers improving worse over the next two to three years. 

During the study, TNTP found that there was no formal process or goal setting in these training sessions, and “districts just throw different teacher-development techniques (and lots of dollars) at the wall and hope something sticks.” In essence, thousands of dollars were wasted on teaching techniques that didn’t contribute or negatively contributed to the performance of their teachers.

Professional growth development is contingent on a systematic approach to providing feedback. Without a targeted plan for individual teachers, the students’ learning experience will suffer.

In response to a growing need in the education industry, technologies have been developed to support the fluid nature of professional growth development for educators. Three education technologies that support this critical function of K-12 educator growth are:

1. Customizable, Online Professional Growth Development Courses

Training isn’t confined to the classroom anymore as teachers are seeking new and flexible ways to learn different techniques. Online courses are becoming increasingly more popular with educators, providing them with the information they need to grow and learn in desired areas.

Customizable professional growth development courses allow educators to hyperfocus on their personal goals and allow administrators to personalize professional development. As a result, professional growth development is more targeted and teachers as a whole are more effective. These courses allow schools to bring experts such as Danielson, Marzano, Strong, and many more to the teacher.

2. On-Demand Professional Development Training

While online courses are a great fit for some schools, others need more of an express approach. On-demand professional development training in short segments to a targeted need. Administrators and teachers work hand-in-hand with a network of experts across the US to identify needs and create targeted, professional development videos. National Board Certified teachers as well as content experts share best practices and hands-on tips to drive growth. It could be classified as “Training-as-a-Service”.

3. Teacher Evaluation Solutions

Professional growth plan development is all for nothing if there isn’t a way to measure its effectiveness. That’s where teacher evaluation comes in.

Professional growth plans should be directly aligned to specific goals and metrics, which can be easily identified with the right teacher evaluation software. These solutions should also provide administrators with the ability to customize individual plans for individual teachers and different rubrics so PD can be tailored for each and every school.

The combination of these three technologies is the key to effectively identifying and delivering on-demand, targeted professional growth plan development for your teachers. The reality is students suffer when teachers aren’t provided with the right training, which impacts performance, motivation and overall productivity. Instead of wasting thousands of dollars on training that contributes little to nothing to the student learning experience, consider investing in these technologies to develop professional growth development plans that work. 



About the Author:

Todd Whitlcok spent 20 years in public education. He served as a classroom teacher, coach, and district administrator overseeing technology, curriculum, testing, and early college programs. Todd was recognized as the TechPoint 2012 Bridge Builder Award Recipient, was the 2008 winner for contributions to K-12 education and was recognized as a National School Board Association (NSBA) “20 to Watch” school leader. As an entrepreneur, Todd has founded or co-founded three companies in the technology and service area during the last 21 years.  His passion for helping people be successful in the classroom, office, and workplace motivates him to continue to think out of the box in bringing solutions to Standard For Success clients.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Editorials

    Here you can find the Round Up's collection of editorial pieces and press releases where we will discuss the latest trends and ideas in educational technology


    Picture

    Featured

    Picture
    Check out our featured review | ClassroomAPP: A Complete, K-12 Digital Platform for Online and In-Person Classrooms

    Teach.com

    Connect


    Awards

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

           
​Except where noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Picture

Copyright 2020 | Mike Karlin, Ph.D.