Paving the Road to Success:
A Personalized Professional Development Plan for Educators
The PurposeWe live in a world filled with technology. Our students are using technology on a daily basis; they are what we can refer to as "digital natives.” It is crucial therefore that teachers learn to use this technology as a supplement to teaching. The problem lies in the fact that most teachers are not as well versed on these new technologies as our students. Before it can be used to help improve the learning of our students, teachers need to understand how to effectively use this technology. The majority of teachers use technology for administrative tasks, communication and planning, but there is a lack of technology being used in the classroom to support the education of students. With so many resources available today, teachers need two kinds of help. They need to understand how to effectively use a technology application, then they need the support to take risks in trying new ways to implement the technology in the classroom. To support teachers in this approach to discovering and learning new technology, it is helpful if they are able to work closely with someone who has been using the technology. Initial whole group instruction can be followed by small group and/or 1-1 follow up support available to the teachers to assist them as they embark on this new challenge.
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The PlaceSycamore Canyon is the only K-8 school in the Conejo Valley Unified School district and is located in a very new, secluded and affluent area of Newbury Park. While it is the newest school in the district, it also holds a certain amount of prestige as it has the highest API score in the district. The surrounding neighborhood contains only one apartment building, which is a point of contention for residents who feel that it invites lower income families into "their" community. Sycamore currently has around 1,400 students enrolled in grades K-8, with close to 1,000 of those students in the elementary school and the remaining students in the middle school. Sycamore has recently taken on the challenge of becoming the district’s leader in the utilization of technology in the classroom and intends for its use of technology in the classroom to far surpass the other schools in the district.
The Sycamore Canyon population is fairly diverse. There are heavy Caucasian, Indian, and Asian populations, with a smaller number of African Americans and Hispanics. The majority of students are well behaved and have at least some level of support from their parents at home with regards to academics. As the school is in such an affluent area, many of the students have their own iPads, or at least a family iPad, as well as iPhones, Androids or some other type of smart phone or iPod touch. They all have computers and Internet in their homes and the majority have their own email address. As we’ve discussed, these students are all digital natives. They love technology and more specifically they love using technology in the classroom. The drawback to being part of such a small school is that most of the kids live in the same community and have attended the same school since kindergarten. Finally, there are a very small number of resource students at the middle school level and only a handful or 2 ELL students. The staff at Sycamore Canyon is relatively young. They are energetic and passionate about their work. You will often find these teachers in their classroom well past contract time and even on the weekends planning their lessons to deliver the best instruction to their students. They are eager to learn and take pride in what they do. My membership in the community of practice I am working within can most accurately be described as that of a leader. I have formed a committee of teachers who will meet once a month to discuss technology needs in our school and be available to the staff as support. They will also develop and carry out professional development classes of their own. Finally, the committee will reflect with teachers after a few weeks to see how the integration of technology is going and what adjustments may need to be made to the program. |