Bethany Taylor Current Issues Issue 6

As with all academic programs, when one graduates, they are equipped to enter the workforce with the most current, up-to-date research and theories. Those who choose an academic program that focuses on technology are faced with an additional challenge of keeping current in their field and in technology. Since technology changes rapidly, keeping up with the changes while working a full-time job can be a struggle for many professionals. These are the obstacles that I am faced with entering the instructional technology field. Not only does technology change rapidly, but so do instructional practices. Professional development is something that has been essential to the teaching profession for years. It is imperative for teachers to be lifelong learners. It is difficult to be a good teacher without also being a good learner. Schools, districts, and the laws covering teacher licensure also recognize the need for teachers to be lifelong learners (Tiene & Ingram, 2001, p. 2). However, many districts and conferences are ineffective at helping teachers to integrate technology into their classroom. Many schools, districts, and agencies offer programs that are fragmented, intellectually superficial, and do not take into account what (is known) about how teachers learn. (Ferdig). I know that I need to keep current in technology as well as know how to integrate it into my instruction. Instruction and technology go hand-in-hand in that we cannot merely start using technology to teach the same way that we have always taught, but instead the instruction needs to change in order to use the technology in the most effective manner. Many of us expect that using technology wisely and effectively in education can lead, over time, to a real revolution in how teachers teach and students learn. It

will not happen quickly or easily, but it could happen. It will not happen if we simply use technology to continue our old ways of teaching. We all need to learn new ways to teach which take advantage of what the various technologies do best. Learning how to use new instructional strategies is likely to be a more challenging task than learning the technology itself (Tiene & Ingram, 2001, p. 7). Since I am currently a teacher, I plan to stay in the profession for as long as possible. Of course, other factors could change that plan. Therefore, my professional development will focus on technology specifically in the K-12 classroom. All of my subsequent CEUs that will be required of me after I have finished my degree will involve using technology in the classroom. I never wish to be a teacher who resists technology, but instead, I seek to embrace technology in order to stay relevant, to engage students, and to improve my lessons. Education Weeks article, Creating Learning Organizations, was very interesting to me since I have been on the receiving end of teachers globally sharing their knowledge. In my classroom, when looking for supplemental lessons, I first go to the Internet and do a Google search in order to find a tried-and-true lesson from a teacher more experienced than me. However, I have found that blogs which are created by teachers have been invaluable to me in improving my instruction. It is wonderful that teachers have taken the time out of their busy day to share their awesome lessons with the world, for free. Through virtual exchanges and the building of personal learning networks, teachers are increasingly drawing on external communities that promote connection and knowledge-sharing (Nussbaum-Beach, 2009). The easiest, cheapest, and at times, most effective professional development involves finding experts in the field and following them either on Twitter, a website, or a blog. Twitter hosts education chats every week with the hashtag, edchat. This is a great way to start finding professionals in the field and a way to participate in professional development on a weekly basis without leaving wherever I am.

I have found blogs to be the most effective medium for finding education on anything from lesson plans to even educational technology resources. Many instructional technologists are ready to share their ideas and insight and offer them freely on their blog or through Twitter. Many people that I know in information technology keep up with their field through experts blogs, podcasts, or some other medium. Case in point, in order to find professional development resources, I came across a blog from an educational technologist who offered many resources for professional development. One of his suggestions involved getting a copy of Education Weeks Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook (Andrade, 2009). This is a free resource that is available twice a year. This is a resource that I will look into receiving. Knowing what professional opportunities are worthwhile and which ones are not worthwhile are hard to decipher at times. Having a professional publication give resources is helpful for ensuring that my professional development will be a profitable use of time and money. One of the things that attracted me most to Kent States instructional technology program was the fact that it was entirely online. It has helped out tremendously with working full-time and earning a degree. One of the resources given in David Andrades blog was that of Connected University (Andrade, 2009). It is a company who delivers professional development online and has courses in the two areas I would be most interested in, mathematics and technology integration. More research would need to be conducted before I would officially Connected University. For example, the website did not specifically state if CEU credit would be given for taking the courses and prices were not listed either. However, if this would work out, this would be a great option for me to keep up in the field and also earn CEUs. Edutopia is another helpful resource on the professional development topic. The company has started a blog where they post tech tips for teachers twice a week (Flickinger, 2012). They are short tech ideas that can be implemented easily or can be used to make teaching

more efficient. With RSS feeds or Google Reader, I can easily subscribe to this blog and receive updates daily. After getting some additional information and resources on the topic, I am able to gain a better perspective of my plan for my next 5-10 year professional development plan. I plan to continue to follow several experts in the field through blogs, Twitter, or podcasts. This is one of the most effective methods, I believe, because it is cost effective and provides the most current information. If I were to wait until a conference that occurs annually, I would not have the latest up-to-the-minute information as I do through the Internet. In addition to these field experts, I will also be receiving professional development through my school district. I cannot guarantee that the professional development from my district will involve technology, although, it has included technology many times in the past. Therefore, I plan stay current through following experts, district professional development, and conferences that I am able to attend. I will also receive a copy of Education Weeks Professional Development Sourcebook since it will provide me with additional ideas to choose from at the time. For official professional development, I will look further into online courses. Using this method is the most time effective for my schedule. Of course, I would want to make sure that these online courses are reputable and worthwhile. In addition, I would be interested in attending conferences and face-to-face classes in order to obtain my CEU credits. Overall, I realize the importance of keeping up-to-date in my field since both technology and instruction is ever-changing. I am extremely motivated by technology and integrating it into the classroom. Once I go searching for educational technology resources, I can get lost looking for new ideas and new technology. I become enthusiastic thinking about how these materials can be used to change my lessons and make them more interesting to me and, most importantly, my students. I currently have a plan to ensure that I am actively pursuing my professional development goals, but that could change just as quickly as technology changes.

Works Cited
Andrade, D. (2009, March 24) Professional Development Ideas. [Blog entry]. Retrieved from http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/03/professional-development-onshoestring.html Ferdig, R. E. (n.d.). Continuous Quality Improvement Through Professional Development For Online K-12 Instructors. 6. Flickinger, M. (2012, July 25). Ten Ideas for Teaching Teachers Technology. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-teachers-technology-moniqueflickinger Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2009, October 6). Creating Learning Organizations. Education Week. Tiene, D., & Ingram, A. (2001). Exploring Current Issues in Educational Technology. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.