Enhancing Teacher Quality with Online PD

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Enhancing Teacher Quality with Online PD

• One States Pilot Project
• Jill Weber, EDC Cathy Higgins, NH
  jweber_at_edc.org chiggins_at_ed.state.n
  h.us

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NEIRTEC (neirtec.org)

• Part of RTEC network (rtec.org)
• Online PD - ETLO, Designing for Technology
  Integration
• Collaborative Evaluation Resources
• Technology Integration - Math Resources
• Knowledge Loom (KLOOM)

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New Hampshire Online PD Pilot

• Design and implementation of project
• PD model - face-to-face and online
• Face-to-face institute content
• Online supported work environment (course)
• Results
• Lessons learned
• Next steps

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Background

• NCLB Title II-D Educational Technology funding
• New Hampshire Local Educational Support Center
  Network (LESCN)
• Six regional centers
• Technology-enhanced support/PD
• http//www.nheon.org/

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Background

• RFP
• Mini-grants - 2000 per participant
• Teams of two teachers
• Develop and deliver effective and content-rich
  online PD courses to a statewide audience
• Funding priority
• Emphasis on research-supported best practice
  tools and strategies
• Specific content focus

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RFP Rubric

• Specifies proposed course learning goals and what
  participants should know when they complete the
  course
• Describes the performance objectives related to
  each goal
• Outlines a variety of proposed assessment tools
  and techniques related to each learning objective

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RFP Rubric

• Includes links to websites with at least two
  examples of assessment tools that might be
  appropriately used for the proposed course topic
• Includes links to websites with at least two
  research references to the proposed course
  content
• Describes a variety of teaching strategies and
  materials which the team expects to use to teach
  the course, including technology resources

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The Pilot Program

• Nine two-teacher teams
• Four-day face-to-face summer institute
• Six-week supported learning environment - ETLO
• Course design complete first semester
• Beta test course second semester

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The Pilot Program

• NEIRTEC Partners
• EDC - ETLO (EdTech Leaders Online)
  http//www.edtechleaders.org
• Ed Alliance at Brown - Knowledge Loom
  http//knowledgeloom.org/gmott
• TERC - Designing for Technology Integration
  http//neirtec.terc.edu/
• Learning Innovations at WestEd - Collaborative
  Evaluation http//www.neirtec.org/evaluation/
• Sun Associates - NEIRTEC evaluator
  http//www.sun-associates.com/

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The Pilot Program

• Initial survey of teachers
• Do you have much experience in doing PD?
• How would you rate yourself in overall use of
  technology? (very comfortable, comfortable, not
  comfortable)
• How would you rate yourself in overall use of the
  Internet? (vc, c, nc)
• Are you experienced with Blackboard/other course
  design tools?

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The Pilot Program

• Teacher Teams
• Master teachers
• Professional developers
• Online PD participants
• Online course designers
• Technology-savvy
• Teacher Teams
• Willing pioneers
• Eager to apply knowledge in online course AND
  classroom
• Ready to make an impact

Lesson
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The Pilot Program

• Face-to-face learning environment
• to teach online course development
• for courses that would be delivered online
• to impact face-to-face teaching and learning

Lesson
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Face-to-Face Institute

• Backward design model
• Elements of good professional development
• Good models of teaching with technology
• Online resources
• Instruction for beginning course creation
• What can participants take away for their own
  course development from each step of the process?

Lesson
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Model Lessons - Emersion Model

• How do these lessons reflect good teaching and
  learning methods? Good technology integration?

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Classroom Vignettes

• How can you create the feeling of looking into a
  classroom? How can a lesson be documented?

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Online Resources

• How do you evaluate a website? How do your
  online resources measure up?

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Building community

• Three-legged stool model
• Learning content
• Resources that bridge research and practice
• Learning tasks
• Expert facilitation
• Peer-to-peer interaction
• Face-to-face methods translated into online
  methods

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Pedagogy of online course design and delivery

• Online teaching and learning
• Opportunities, challenges, goals
• Model courses
• Online course design
• Key elements
• Developing course content
• Online environment - Blackboard
• Online assessments

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Pedagogy of online course design and delivery

• Online PD facilitation
• Techniques
• Sustaining participation
• Simulated online discussion practice
• Facilitation scenarios and models

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Lessons Learned

• Participants
• Building community
• Planning with experts
• Acquiring quality resources
• Forming foundational knowledge on which to build
  course
• Making connections between PD they were receiving
  and PD they were about to create/deliver
• Using model courses/lessons as a framework

Lesson
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Lessons Learned

• Implementation of the Project
• Writing the RFP
• Setting participant expectations
• Planning - the little things
• Logistics for course offerings

Lesson
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Lessons Learned

• The Big Lessons - what was key?
• Flexibility in program design
• Integration with other state goals/initiatives
• Alignment with state benchmarks
• Interfacing with state resources (human, tools)
• Building capacity
• Teachers
• Center network
• State-wide PD plan
• Someone needs to be the expert. You need
  expertise in the leadership, and experience in
  the implementation, if youre going to jump into
  the deep end.

Lesson