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Professional Development Plan

Teachers are currently integrating technology in various ways at multiple levels of expertise. Students are using technology regularly ranging from accessing different instructional apps, to creating videos through iMovie, to researching topics through the Gale Virtual Research Library.

But teachers and students still struggle with different aspects of technology at a wide range of levels. It is the goal of the Technology Department to build the technology capacity of our building leaders and teachers to increase the ways technology is used in the classroom.

Every year, the Technology Department will select three to five technology integration best practices to work with the staff throughout the year. The Instructional Technology Coordinator’s main job responsibility will be to organize, create, and deliver professional development opportunities for all staff members in large group, small group and job-embedded methods.

2015-16 Instructional Technology Integration Best Practices

• Increase use of Google Apps for Education in the classroom and for professional meetings

• Determine effective strategies of use of devices in the classroom. • Determine successful ways to collect, analyze and use data to drive

instructional decisions.

Additional monthly professional development will be scheduled for building leaders to build their capacity to share with staff in their building.

The District has partnered with the Tierney Professional Development Team to provide ongoing face to face and online support and training (see page 67 for more about this partnership).

The District will also partner with the Instructional Technology Services of Central Ohio (ITSCO) to deliver some online and face-to-face trainings on major technology initiatives in the District.

The District will send a group of teachers or school leaders on an annual basis to the Ohio Educational Technology Conference (OETC).

In-district technology courses for college credit will be taught on an on-going basis concentrating on the major initiatives from the Technology Department.

On-going, relative, and personalized professional development for the District’s staff will be crucial for continued effective use of technology by educators.

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Instructional Technology Professional Learning Series

The PLSD Instructional Technology Professional Learning Series is a targeted professional development series designed to advance the skills, abilities, and knowledge of teachers, administrators and support staff of the Pickerington Local School District. The Professional Learning Series (PLS) ensures that educators become even more effective in their skills in advancing the practice of integrating technology, ultimately helping to improve student learning.

The PLSD Instructional Technology Professional Learning Series is grounded in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for students, teachers, instructional coaches and administrators, as well as examining the essential conditions for successful technology integration.

The Professional Learning Series provides a sequenced curriculum that develops foundational instructional technology integration skills as well as increasing those skills to be able to make technology used in more impactful ways. The Professional Learning Series will focus on current instructional technology tools used in the PLSD classrooms and concentrate on increasing the effectiveness of those technology tools through the SAMR Model.

The Professional Learning Series is made up of eight, one-hour sessions over the course of the academic year. In addition to our face-to-face PLS offering, there will be the availability for online extension sessions through Google Hangouts, as well all sessions will be recorded and placed online to extend the anytime, anywhere learning of our educators.

Google Certified Training for all District Educators

As the District continues to utilize more and more tools from Google Apps for Education it is important that we supply the District’s educators with quality professional development. Through this plan the District will make Google Level 1 Certification training available to all educators. This online training created by Google will allow all educators to get a solid understanding of the digital tools in Google Apps for Education. Additionally the District will make 400 Google Level 2 Certificate Trainings on a first come, first serve basis to educators that finish the Google Level 1 Certification program.

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Bringing Equity to Learning Through Technology

Closing the Digital Use Divide

Traditionally, the digital divide in education referred to schools and communities in which access to devices and Internet connectivity were either unavailable or unaccessible. However, we have to be cognizant of a new digital divide—the disparity between students who use technology to create, design, build, explore, and collaborate and those who simply use technology to consume media passively.

On its own, access to the Internet and devices does not guarantee access to engaging educational experiences or a quality education. Without thoughtful intervention and attention to the way technology is used for learning, the digital use divide could grow even as access to technology in schools increases.

Through ongoing and personalized professional development PLSD staff members will learn strategies and skills to take technology integration from passive use to more active use. The SAMR model will be the framework in which staff members will be able to measure passive or active use.

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Available Professional Development Opportunities

Below is a list of the available professional development opportunities that the instructional technology department can deliver in to staff members during the 2015-16 school year. This list will be constantly updated to reflect the changes in currently used instructional technology tools and future instructional technology purchases.

Google Sessions: Overview of Google Apps for Ed. Using Gmail Using Google Drive Using Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides Using Google Calendar Using Google Classroom Using Google Hangouts Using Google Sites Using Google+ Using YouTube Using Google Add-ons and the Google Web Store

iPad Sessions: How to locate great iPad apps All these iPads, Now What? (using iPads) Creating Lessons with the iPad

Increasing Student Engagement: Student Polling Software - Kahoot!, Plickers, Socrative, Poll Everywhere Use BackChannels to Encourage all Student’s to Have a Voice Using iPads Apps for Better Student Engagement Technology for Classroom Management Using the SAMR Model to Transform the Learning

Social Media Sessions: Use Twitter to Expand the Walls of Your Classroom Use Twitter to Create Your Own Personal Learning Community (PLC) Use LinkedIn to Connect to Colleagues Across the World Use Pinterest to Locate Wonderful Images and Infographics

Using Video and Sound in the Classroom: How to Create Videos to Flip Your Classroom Using Airserver Using QuickTime Player Creating Screen Casts Creating Audio Podcasts Using the FrontRow Juno Speakers

Technology Software: Using Lightning Grader Using Illuminate Education IIS (K-12) Using ST Math (PreK- 8) Using Cengage Virtual Library (K-12) Using Spreadsheets (Excel & Numbers) Using Word Processors (Word & Pages) Creating Presentations (Keynote & PowerPoint) Creating Interactive Presentations Creating Student/Teacher Blogs

Online Researching: Ideas for Proper Online Searching Using WolframAlpha for Up-to-Date Information Using InfOhio Digital Library How to Save Links (Symbaloo, Diigo)

Infinite Campus: Gradebook Assistance Mastery Based Grading System Creating AdHoc Reports

Technology Setup, Fixes and Repairs: 5-Minute Simple Tech Fixes How to use Apple Configurator (for BTAs only) Proper storage and troubleshooting with the iPads How to use Self-Service

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Partnership with Tierney Professional Development Team

With the increase number of devices and digital opportunities available to students and staff there will be an even larger need for support and professional development then what the current Instructional Technology Department can provide.

The Tierney Professional Development Team will work with the District to create a responsible plan and timeframe that supports instructional technology implementation best practices for teacher success that drives effective student learning outcomes and achievement. Outside of teachers and students, other stakeholder involvement will be decided as they are an integral part of instructional technology implementation.

Proposed Implementation Pathway

Phase 1- Pre-Professional Development Services •Google Domain and Chrome Management Console Check

Phase 2- Google Apps for Education Bootcamp (Face to Face) •Google Level 1 & Google Level 2 •Implementation Applications •Pre-Exam Support

Phase 3- Flipped Professional Development (Self-Paced) •Provide on-demand, self-paced learning opportunities prior to the face to face PD so in person learning in more meaningful and escalated.

Phase 4- Implementation PD (Face to Face) •Google Apps for Education: Fill in the Gaps •Google Classroom Investigation and Creation •Google Play for Education content deployment for differentiation and personalized learning. •SAMR Implementation and Reflection

Phase 5- Curriculum & Instructional Strategy PD (Face to Face) •What does it mean to be a 21st Century Student/Educator? •Instructional strategy Implementation to drive student critical thinking, content creation and collaboration. •Assessment Strategies •Data Driven Lesson Creation

Phase 6- Curriculum & Instructional Strategy PD (Face to Face) or Chromebook Instructional Coaching (Face to Face)

•What does it mean to be a 21st Century Student/Educator?

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