Hello Gina and others,

Sometimes crisis offers opportunity. Here's where you could start:

Since you know a lot about technology already, and since two of the  
areas that teachers in Delaware probably need to improve on is  
integrating technology in their classrooms, and using online learning  
for their own professional development, I recommend you look at  
Adulted online 's Technology Integration Self assessment (TISA)  
[http://adultedonline.org] Go to Tech Savvy -- select "Teachers start  
here" link. . This (free because it was developed with funds provided  
by the U.S. Department of Education] online process is a self- 
assessment and much more. It is an online professional development  
process.

After taking the self assessment, a teacher (or group of teachers at  
a program, or all the teachers across a state) creates a professional  
development plan with a few objectives for the year. The teacher then  
is guided to (free or inexpensive) online learning resources to meet  
the specific objective(s). It's new, simple, elegant, and many  
teachers, program administrators and states are using it. The  
learning curve for teachers is not steep.

There is another reason to use this. It's a good model for other  
kinds of professional development. The same process could be used for  
other kinds of professional development. The process is not limited  
to only online learning. Teachers can still take advantage of face-to- 
face PD (if there is any, and if their schedules allow them to take  
advantage of it) but it opens new opportunities to the majority of  
adult ed teachers , those who work part-time and have other full-time  
and part-time jobs and who can only learn online. Incidentally a  
similar online learning process is used by new State Directors of  
Adult Education and their staff, so some are quite familiar with how  
an online PD model works from their own experience.

Full disclosure: I helped to build the TISA so I am not impartial  
about it, but check it out and talk with others who have used it.   
Maybe some people on this list have used it. If so, what do you  
think?  Do you like it? Is it helpful? What are its strengths? If  
there were more funds available to support it, how could it be improved?

http://adultedonline.org/
Go to Tech Savvy -- select "Teachers start here" link.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Apr 10, 2008, at 4:20 PM, Lobaccaro Gina (DOC) wrote:

> I am investigating the use of technological tools to build and  

> enhance teacher professional development during these days of  

> financial cutbacks.

> It is my understanding that the State of Delaware has left no money  

> in the budget for professional development during this year of such  

> a shortage of funds.

>

> As it happens, I have just returned to work on my EdD (Educational  

> Doctorate) at the University of Delaware, so I hope to offer my  

> expertise and work on projects that will give teachers in Delaware  

> opportunities to create their own opportunities for professional  

> development.

> I am writing this to this listserv to solicit ideas and suggestions  

> for how other states and professional groups have taken on the  

> development of professional development opportunities without a  

> great deal of funding provided by the states or the federal  

> government.

>

> I will be creating a bog, for the project for the class I am taking  

> this semester - Cognition & Technology, to document and provide   

> sounding board for Delaware adult educator and other adult  

> educators who have used technology to enhance the effectiveness of  

> low cost/high quality professional development opportunities for  

> teachers.

>

> I am an adult educator and an correctional educator. I am the media  

> & technology specialist for the Prison Education program that is  

> administrated by the Delaware Department of Education, but I do not  

> expect this conversation to be limited to Adult Education  

> professional development.

> But, I will take suggestions that I might use to strengthen the  

> opportunities for adult educators' professional development in  

> Delaware.  The Adult Education Professional Development  

> organization for Delaware is DAACE.

>

> I look forward to a lively conversation on this topic.

>

> Sincerely

>

> Gina Lobaccaro

>

> Sussex Correctional Institution

> Prison Education Program

> PO Box 500

> Georgetown, DE 19947

> 302-856-5282 x 6204

>

> gina.lobaccaro at state.de.us <mailto:gina.lobaccaro at state.de.us>  

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David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net