September 22, 2014
I am creating this professional development project with Taeler Good. At the end of August, we began our new roles as Digital Learning Coaches in Anaheim. We are both assigned to two different school sites with a wide range of teacher digital literacy. Overall, we see a lot of teachers approaching technology with fear. They are unsure of themselves, don’t want to break anything, and don’t know how to problem-solve when there is a technology hiccup. This year, our district has mandated that all teachers use Google Apps to support English-language Learners and foster the four Cs of 21st century skills: Communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
In all four of our school sites, we find a variety of learning needs. Many teachers have skill and knowledge gaps with Google Apps. They need to first understand what Google Apps are and why they are important in promoting the four Cs within the curriculum. We see a large disparity in knowledge, skills, and comfort levels between primary and upper grade teachers. In general, our primary teachers are more reluctant to use Google Apps as they aren’t comfortable with the tools and don’t see the value in using Google Apps to support their students’ learning. Upper grade teachers, on the other hand, are generally more open to learning how Google Apps can be used to support their English-language Learners in the four Cs.
Our PD plan is focused on helping teachers gain the knowledge and skills to integrate Google Apps into their curriculum and is outlined below. We plan on holding the PD sessions after school as optional growth opportunities for teachers. We chose these four topics after sending out a Google Form to assess the highest teacher needs.
I am creating this professional development project with Taeler Good. At the end of August, we began our new roles as Digital Learning Coaches in Anaheim. We are both assigned to two different school sites with a wide range of teacher digital literacy. Overall, we see a lot of teachers approaching technology with fear. They are unsure of themselves, don’t want to break anything, and don’t know how to problem-solve when there is a technology hiccup. This year, our district has mandated that all teachers use Google Apps to support English-language Learners and foster the four Cs of 21st century skills: Communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
In all four of our school sites, we find a variety of learning needs. Many teachers have skill and knowledge gaps with Google Apps. They need to first understand what Google Apps are and why they are important in promoting the four Cs within the curriculum. We see a large disparity in knowledge, skills, and comfort levels between primary and upper grade teachers. In general, our primary teachers are more reluctant to use Google Apps as they aren’t comfortable with the tools and don’t see the value in using Google Apps to support their students’ learning. Upper grade teachers, on the other hand, are generally more open to learning how Google Apps can be used to support their English-language Learners in the four Cs.
Our PD plan is focused on helping teachers gain the knowledge and skills to integrate Google Apps into their curriculum and is outlined below. We plan on holding the PD sessions after school as optional growth opportunities for teachers. We chose these four topics after sending out a Google Form to assess the highest teacher needs.
PD Plan Outline
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