Virtualized Professional Development

Nicole Schomp (@nschomp) &Dr. Jason Murray (@jasonmurray72)

Our Journey

▪ From– Traditional professional development

– Outnumbered

– Very little differentiating during in-service

– Frustration

– Limited topics

– Limited time

▪ To– Virtual solution

Needs Analysis

▪ Number of instructors

▪ Differentiate instruction

▪ Diversity of topics

▪ Changing dynamics & perspectives

▪ Time flexibility

Planning & Designing

Virtual Model

Implementation Framework

▪ Moodle– Courses by level of difficulty

– Interactivity

– End of course deliverables

▪ Coincide with curriculum & lessons

▪ Support– Phone

– Email

– Remote

Differentiating Model

▪ Grouping of staff by skill level for course enrollment– Eases anxiety

– Removes frustration

▪ Differentiation within course– Moodle lessons have multiple pathways determined by answers

– Provide options to culminating activities

Tools

▪ Moodle– eBooks

– Lessons

– Forums

– Embedded Content

▪ Panopto

▪ Voki

▪ Padlet

▪ Google Docs

▪ OneDrive

▪ Surveys

▪ GoAnimate

Tracking Progress

▪ Completion Tracking– Releasing next activity after completion of previous

– Automated check marking of completed activities

– Automated emails when course is completed

▪ Tracking reports

▪ Badging

▪ Registrar system

Attention to Details

▪ Personalization through coaching– Tech provides feedback

– Reach out when we see someone struggling

▪ Communities of Learning– Teachers pull together

▪ Complement each other

▪ Give credit to each other

– Acknowledgement of teacher success

– Physically meet to work on it together

▪ Self-Reflection– Building on prior course knowledge

– Implementation strategies▪ Thinking outside the box

▪ Willingness to fail

Asynchronous Virtual In-Service Day

▪ Automated activity completion courses

▪ Required forums with feedback element

▪ Wikis

▪ Padlets

▪ Assessments

▪ Deliverables

Synchronous Virtual In-Service Day

▪ Similar to asynchronous courses– Everyone taking the courses on the same day in their classrooms

▪ Offerings– Differentiated courses & lessons

– More course topics

– Time for F2F collaboration

▪ Support– Phones & email

– Virtual helpdesk with real time chat and remote services

– Live technicians to repair hardware issues

Benefits

▪ Crowdsourcing

▪ Feedback – ongoing support

▪ Statistics on staff progress

▪ Customization

▪ More topics & variety

▪ Collaboration

▪ Flexibility

▪ Cost effectiveness

▪ Ability for learn to review course materials as often as needed

Challenges

▪ Developing content rich, customized, interactive courses

▪ Logistics– Tracking activity completion

– Tracking course completion

– Communicating expectations

▪ Culture Shift– Anxiety about online training

– Computer skills

– Administrative buy-in

Solutions

▪ Strategy

▪ Leveraged Moodle activities & reports– Outlined expectations and content

– Model ideal lessons

– Integrated & embedded web 2.0 tools

– Showcased a variety of approaches

▪ Communication– Email blasts

– Newsletters

– Increased support

– Personal touches

Conclusions

Questions

▪ Presentation – www.slideshare.net/jasonmurray72

▪ Twitter – @nschomp

– @jasonmurray72