Dedicated Time for Online PD
From LiteracyTentWiki
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1145] Re: Participation, Engagement, and Completion
From: Miller, Jane Miller_J at cde.state.co.us
Date: Wed May 16 11:59:22 EDT 2007
Our discussions this week have been very interesting and informative for
those of us who are as yet only considering on-line PD as an endeavor
for the future. In Colorado, most of our teacher PD is still conducted
F2F. However, we acknowledge that on-line PD would go a long way to
overcoming the barriers of geographical distance that we face.
As a trainer, what I have noticed that works in favor of teachers'
participation in F2F and may be a disincentive to participation in
on-line PD is the notion of "dedicated time". When teachers overcome
their barriers of transportation and family responsibilities, and do
arrive at a study circle or training, they know that for those 3-6
hours, they can focus exclusively on learning about teaching. There
will be no phone calls, no children needing lunch, no errands, no
laundry, etc. Those PD hours are exclusively their own - to reflect, to
learn, to share with colleagues, to ask questions, to plan.
With on-line PD a teacher can participate "anytime" that is convenient
for her. I'm guessing, however, that for many teachers it is more
difficult to find time "anytime" at home to dedicate to on-line PD than
to find PD time by driving to a F2F training. At home, the demands of
family members who are standing right there, household chores that are
visibly piling up, and phones that are ringing int he next room take
priority over on-line PD that can be done "anytime". "Anytime" might
only occur at 11:00 p.m. when the teacher is exhausted. If she does
manage to snatch a few minutes here and there - the PD is fragmented.
When a teacher is out of the house - or workplace- to attend PD, it is
evident to everyone around her that she is not available. When a
teacher is at home, or in her office, it appears to all that she is
available for interruptions.
A compromise situation might be to suggest that teachers drive a few
blocks to their nearest public library (thereby minimizing travel time
and cost) and participate on-line from a computer at the library where
they can dedicate 2-3 hours to their own PD, free from interruptions.
Jane Miller
Colorado Dept. of Education
PD Coordinator
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1153] Re: Participation, Engagement, and Completion
From: Noreen Lopez lopezns at comcast.net
Date: Wed May 16 17:49:50 EDT 2007
Jane,
You bring up an interesting point about access and disruptions. In my survey
of teachers who used online PD, 90% said they had easy access to the
Internet at convenient times while working on their course. But almost 40%
never used access from home. Unfortunately there weren¹t any questions about
where they did access the Internet. My guess is that it was either at work,
the library or a friend¹s. Though there could be many other options.
Overwhelmingly the ³ability to work at my own convenience² was very
important in the decision to take an online course. This was true despite
the fact that only 19% of the respondents felt ³very comfortable² with
technology before taking the course.
I think this lack of familiarity with the technology is one of the reasons
teachers don¹t participate in online PD. I think that any way that can be
used to familiarize teachers with the resources out there while they are in
a f2f setting where they can get an orientation and technical assistance
will help alleviate the concerns many teachers have about using the
technology. This could be done at local in-service sessions and various
conferences. Once teachers see how easy it can be to use the resources out
there they are more inclined to take advantage of them.
Noreen Lopez
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1158] Re: Participation, Engagement, and Completion
From: Katherine G Kgotthardt at comcast.net
Date: Thu May 17 09:18:01 EDT 2007
Re: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1145] Re: Participation, Engagement, and
Completion"Teachers, we especially need to hear from you on these issues.
How can we reach you best?"
To be sure, a dedicated time away from distractions with some f2f time would
make an ideal learning environment for me! I had to laugh when I read
Jane's description of online instructors working from home (which would
include me): if I had to count the number of interruptions I get even when
I am alone in the house, I truly would never get anything done! This week,
for example, I have worked through this list and my classes with a sick
child at home, the phone ringing, the dog barking and a number of doctors'
appointments. Focusing takes some real effort and practice. This is not my
preferred method of working or learning.
My own enticement for learning about technology or anything new in my field
is simply my love for learning. Learning and growth were strong incentives
for me to enter education, and teaching follows as a natural progression of
that passion (because if you love and believe in something, you tend to want
to share it). Tapping into teachers' natural curiosity is one method of
encouraging professional development. Relating the experience to their day
to day routine further encourages the experience. Finally, accountability
for the learning closes the incentive loop.
Best Wishes in Learning,
Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
ESOL Distance Education Instructor
Prince William County Public Schools
Adult Education
P.O. Box 389
Manassas, VA 20108
703-791-8387
http://www.pwcs.edu/curriculum/adulted/
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1160] Dedicated Time for Pursuing Online PD
From: David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Date: Thu May 17 09:46:31 EDT 2007
Jane and others,
Making "dedicated time" or "protected time" available for one's PD is
difficult for most adult educators who often work long hours, sometimes
at multiple jobs, and have many other family and community
responsibilities. Dedicated or protected time for study in class or at
home is, of course, also an issue for students.
Your suggestion -- to go to a nearby public library to do the online PD
-- might work for some people, depending on whether they can get the
needed time on the library computer, and if the web sites and software
are available from the computers there.
Here are some other suggestions:
- 1) Funders could (and in many states do) require that teachers have a PD plan for the year. They could monitor programs to make sure that the plans exist and are getting attention. Funders could also provide tuition reimbursement for finishing online courses that fit a teacher's PD plan, lowering the barrier for taking the courses and providing an incentive for dedicating the time needed to finish the course -- getting the reimbursement.
- 2) Teachers -- and their students -- could each develop a "study plan" that they commit to. The plan could spell out which hours in the week they would be unavailable for other activities because they would be studying. The plan would need to be shared with household members, and perhaps colleagues and supervisors, so that everyone would know not to interrupt them when they are studying. A sign on the door (or where there is no door, a "study hat" ) might be needed to remind family and colleagues that "this is my time to study". Also, a "phone off" policy might be needed during study time. Respecting the time of adults who need to study needs strengthening throughout our society.
- 3) Supervisors could tell teachers that they support their PD time, and that they will help them to protect it at work.
What other protected time strategies would you suggest?
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1161] Re: Participation, Engagement, and Completion
From: Leslie Petty lpetty at twmi.rr.com
Date: Thu May 17 10:11:11 EDT 2007
It's certainly a challenge for us as adult educators when we do PD at a
distance. But, our adult learners who study at a distance also face the
same kinds of challenges. What can we learn from our efforts working at
a distance that might be useful in supporting our students at a distance
(I know this is a different take on things, but I really hope that the
two sides can learn from each other).
Leslie
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1167] Re: Dedicated Time for Pursuing Online PD
From: Dr Elizabeth Hanson-Smith ehansonsmi at yahoo.com
Date: Thu May 17 12:21:32 EDT 2007
Just a note to add to David's excellent list:
At EVO we found that setting benchmarks for each week of study was very important. Studies indicate that students often give up online learning because they get so far behind in the course they know they can't finish it. Often online study is the last thing on someone's list -- whether teacher or student -- but if they know there is a point in time by which X (and Y and Z) must be done, they will set aside the time to do it.
So it's still "at their own convenience" but with a tight schedule.
--Elizabeth Hanson-Smith
Electronic Village Online
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1173] Re: ProfessionalDevelopment Digest, Vol 20, Issue 43
From: maureen hoyt maureenh at azcallateen.k12.az.us
Date: Thu May 17 14:09:50 EDT 2007
On dedicated time: In our Arizona ETE discussions, one of the group was
chosen to discuss a specific topic for one week. This seemed to work
well; participants would log in at their convenience during the week. We
could also access archived discussions.
I also participated in the DL course. I liked the short time frame and
the format.
Also- I was just on atomic learning (technology skills). This innovative
on line stand alone tutorial is great for me because it includes a great
audio and visual information which is broken into very small segments.
Some of the lessons are free. www.atomiclearning.com
Maureen Hoyt
Basic Education Manager
ACYR
602-252-6721ext 223
fax: 602-252-2952
www.azcallateen.k12.az.us
www.az-aall.org
