Today’s educators are inundated with requirements and activities that eat up every bit of time they have available. With these demands, it can be difficult to find time for personal improvement. And when they do find time, finding quality resources can be a chore. Here’s how school districts can help fill this gap.
Create a central area on your district Web site where teachers and administrators can access online resources — “quick bites” that will address their needs, without the unnecessary fluff and boredom of the typical “sit and get” professional development session. You can choose from all-inclusive professional learning libraries such as Atomic Learning or Lynda.com or pull pieces from Pinterest, YouTube, Symbaloo, Twitter and the like. Taking time to curate these materials for your educators empowers them to further professional growth on their terms.
Differentiated learning for adults can go a long way to increasing their engagement. If it works with our students, it can work with our educators!
Neal Kellogg has been in education for more than 10 years. Initially an elementary music teacher and site lead technology educator, he is now the administrator of educational technology services for the Oklahoma City Public School System (OKCPS). Under his direction, technology professional development in OKCPS has evolved to a more personalized, engaging, and interactive experience by focusing on individual coaching and personal responsibility for professional learning. Kellogg received his Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of North Texas and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Oklahoma.
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