Professional Development

Professional Development Presentation Transcript

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Professional Development Presentation

Michael H.McKinnon

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Professional Associations are an invaluable resource for educators as they pursue excellence in their chosen field. Some associations offer credentialing which brings professionalism and respectability to education and educators. Some associations also offer continuing education in the form of classes that can be taken on-line and conferences which can be attended in person where invaluable networking can take place. Another function which professional associations can serve is to keep educators up to date on cutting edge developments within the field. (Frederiksen, 2016).

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Professional associations such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) work within the broader context of continuing education to provide educators with professional development resources in technology. We will focus this presentation on ISTE resources.

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ISTE Blogs

The EdSurge Podcast

Edtech Research

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ISTE. (2023). ISTE Blog: Ideas, content, and resources for leading-edge educators. https://www.iste.org/explore

The ISTE Blog has many wonderful resources for teacher development. Just a brief glance at the homepage for the ISTE Blog shows the most recent happenings for educators around professional development, a link to subscribe to the ISTE YouTube channel where an educator can view countless hours of professional development videos, and a categorical list of topics designed to guide educators into focused areas of professional development. Categories within this list include Computer Science, Digital and Media Literacy, Educational Citizenship, ISTE Standards in action, and several others. There is a “Most Recent” tab on the ISTE Blog which connects viewers to a wide range of subjects most recently covered by ISTE Blog writers. I looked at two posts titled, 7 Ways of Creating Psychological Safety for Students by Greta Sandler and Stephanie Howell and Focus on UDL when using classroom technology by Jennifer Snelling.

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Sandler, G., & Howell, S. (2023, May 31). 7 ways of creating psychological safety for students. ISTE. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/7-ways-creating-psychological-safety-students

This blog takes educators through seven steps or ideas that can be implemented in the classroom to create a psychologically safe environment where students feel supported and are more likely to engage with their teachers, peers, and curriculum. Teachers get clear, practical methods from this article on how to help students self-reflect toward achieving a self-awareness that leads to metacognition, how to build community amongst students by encouraging self-expression and facilitating diversity of thought in class discussions, and fun ways to bring a “growth mindset” to the classroom through positive teacher and peer feedback. Lastly, this blog discusses that thing which we all want to bring to learning and that is joy. How can we as educators infuse a sense of fun and creativity into our students’ daily learning? This blog offers some great, practical ways to achieve some of the intangibles which we all seek in our classroom that can be thought of under the umbrella of a psychologically safe environment. This resource has provided me with some thoughtful ways to create a peaceful, reflective, and engaging classroom for students. I think that students who will benefit the most from this resource are those who find classroom discussions an anxiety provoking exercise and students who become anxious when there are behavioral disruptions present in the classroom. (Sandler & Howell, 2023).

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Snelling, J. (2021, October 23). Focus on UDL when using classroom technology. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/focus-udl-when-using-classroom-technology

UDL Pedagogy

Another great blog is this one on Assistive technology which discusses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom. The author discusses the need for flexibility to achieve genuine inclusion in learning. The problem that is often encountered for special needs students in classrooms is that they are accommodated rather than truly included in the classroom. The author also asserts that accommodation and inclusion are practiced in a reactionary manner in today’s classroom rather than by design. UDL encourages educators to envision the future of their classroom and how inclusion might be achieved in many different facets, for many different individuals, across a considerable span of time. In this manner a kind of universality of inclusion will occur naturally (Snelling, 2021).

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UDL Technology

Snelling, J. (2021, October 23). Focus on UDL when using classroom technology. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/focus-udl-when-using-classroom-technology

Technology which aids accessibility and inclusion is ubiquitous in today’s culture and the classroom. Touchscreens, voice dictation and word prediction, closed captioning, and text-to-voice features all started out as accommodations for disabilities but are now universally utilized. Educators would do well to keep this in mind when implementing Universal Design for Learning in the classroom. As a teacher I plan to adopt the UDL mindset and seek to anticipate rather than react in the classroom. I believe special needs learners will benefit the most from the UDL mindset as they step into a classroom which is tailor made for their learning (Snelling, 2021).

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ISTE. (2023). The Edsurge podcast. https://www.edsurge.com/research/guides/the-edsurge-on-air-podcast

ISTE has several podcasts available on their website. The one I chose, The EdSurge podcast, is a great resource for teachers looking to expand their understanding of technology. This podcast is hosted primarily by reporter Jeff Young with a few other occasional, guest contributors. This prolific podcast focuses on the future of education and features interviews with leading scholars, technology creators and prominent educators. The broad range of subjects covered in this podcast which spans hundreds of episodes over more than three years is just incredible. A brief scan of recent episodes includes discussions on utilizing ChatGPT, the efficacy or harm of active-shooter school drills, and the debate over school start times. I chose to listen to an episode on student disengagement in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Young, J. (Host), (2023, May 31). How instructors are adapting to a rise in student disengagement [Audio podcast episode]. In The EdSurge podcast. ISTE. https://www.edsurge.com/research/guides/the-edsurge-on-air-podcast

This episode of the podcast found the host at Texas State University where he interviewed several professors and students on student disengagement as well as anonymously observing a few classes on his own to assess students’ engagement. The host also interviewed a variety of credentialed experts in the field of education about in-person learning. The theme that teachers, administrators, and experts kept coming back to was empathy and variety. Empathy means understanding that students are returning from a two-year period of distance learning wherein they experienced various types of traumas while variety was discussed in the context of students being constantly distracted by the technology around them and how educators can leverage that technology in the classroom through providing a variety of ways to complete learning goals. I think that this podcast is useful for teachers in that they can stay on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom as well as learn from a broad range of educational professionals what the current trends and ideas are in education. This resource helps me serve my students by keeping me up to date on what is going on in education regarding pedagogy, research, and technology. I think the range of topics in this podcast is so broad that all my students will be served by it.

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Castaneda, L.M., Bindman, S.W., & Divanji, R.A. (2021, August 9). Don’t forget to assess: How teachers check for new and deeper learning when integrating virtual reality in the classroom. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 55(2), 210-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1950083

Edtech Research

Membership in ISTE grants access to the Journal of Research on Technology in Education as well as the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. Both journals are filled from cover to cover with every type of qualitative and quantitative study imaginable in the field of educational technology. The article which I chose to highlight for this presentation focused on how teachers may discover new assessment strategies as they implement new technology in the classroom. This article will help me serve my students as I develop ways to assess learning with the advent of new technologies and learning platforms in the classroom. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes prolific in students lives through programs like ChatGPT, articles like this one will help me adapt to the ever-changing classroom. I think this resource will most benefit students who are challenged by using technology as it will equip me on how best to teach them.

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ISTE Live 23

ISTE. (2023). EdTech Conference. ISTE Live 23. https://conference.iste.org/2023/?_ga=2.168653025.1376405961.1685898621-3425219.1684466628

McBride, A. (2023). Get your grant proposal to the top of the stack. ISTE Live 23. https://conference.iste.org/2023/program/search/detail_session.php?id=116517582

This exciting conference is taking place in just a few weeks in Philadelphia, PA. It features an international array of educators, innovators, actors, authors, journalists, inventors, and public servants. There is even an autonomous AI listed as a guest. Over 900 individual sessions are being offered at this conference. The first session I would like to attend is by Dr. Ashley McBride, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Get your grant proposal to the top of the stack. I work at a small, private, Christian school. We do not have access to the same resources as publicly funded schools, so I would like to learn how to write grants for our school.

Create Labs. (2023). CLAiRA AI. ISTE Live 23. https://conference.iste.org/2023/program/search/detail_presenter.php?id=116658351

The second session I would attend features an autonomous AI powered avatar known as CLAiRA. Create Labs states that this autonomous AI is at the forefront of design. I am curious about the capabilities of AI and want to stay informed as to its effects on education and the culture which my learners inhabit.

References

Castaneda, L.M., Bindman, S.W., & Divanji, R.A. (2021, August 9). Don’t forget to assess: How teachers check for new and deeper learning when integrating virtual reality in the classroom. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 55(2), 210-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1950083

Create Labs. (2023). CLAiRA AI. ISTE Live 23. https://conference.iste.org/2023/program/search/detail_presenter.php?id=116658351

Frederiksen, Lee. (2016, December 12). The value of your professional associations. Hinge. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SBPT9gECVk&t=2s

ISTE. (2023). EdTech Conference. ISTE Live 23. https://conference.iste.org/2023/?_ga=2.168653025.1376405961.1685898621-3425219.1684466628

ISTE. (2023). Edtech Research: Explore the horizons of educational technology. https://www.iste.org/professional-development/edtech-research

ISTE. (2023). ISTE Blog: Ideas, content, and resources for leading-edge educators. https://www.iste.org/explore

McBride, A. (2023). Get your grant proposal to the top of the stack. ISTE Live 23. https://conference.iste.org/2023/program/search/detail_session.php?id=116517582

Sandler, G., & Howell, S. (2023, May 31). 7 ways of creating psychological safety for students. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/7-ways-creating-psychological-safety-students

Snelling, J. (2021, October 23). Focus on UDL when using classroom technology. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/focus-udl-when-using-classroom-technology

Young, J. (Host), (2023, May 31). How instructors are adapting to a rise in student disengagement [Audio podcast episode]. In The EdSurge podcast. ISTE. https://www.edsurge.com/research/guides/the-edsurge-on-air-podcast

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A Personal Philosophy of Technology in Education

Summary of Technology’s Purpose in Education

The purpose of technology in education is to support teachers, students, and administrators in their educational processes in a manner that leads to positive learning outcomes. Technology is an integral part of today’s educational system because technology is prolific in the economic, political, and entertainment systems of the entire world. Students must be prepared to use technology if they are to succeed within those broader systems. As technology ever more rapidly evolves through the development of quantum computers and artificial intelligence applications, it becomes increasingly important that students are prepared for a political world which will be radically different from that inhabited by generations previous. International and regional security partners such as NATO cite quantum technology and AI as, “emerging technology whose potential applications might enable Allies to extend their warfighting capabilities” (NATO, 2022). Technology resources, systems, and processes must be leveraged for the education of students who will occupy the spaces created by the development of technologies heretofore unimagined (Hughes & Roblyer, 2022). Teachers have a professional obligation to include technology in their curriculum so that students have opportunities to be challenged using, “computational thinking to innovate and solve problems” (ISTE, 2023). Student learning is positively impacted by educational technology as students feel the empowerment of freedom which comes from access to information. The agency students derive from accessing information autonomously through technology serves to motivate them to positive academic outcomes.

Biblical Defense of Technology in Education

The scriptures teach that we are to be, “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (English Standard Bible, 2001, Matthew 10:16). It is our responsibility as teachers to prepare our students for the myriad challenges which they will face in this world. Technology will be inextricably tied up with many of the challenges which our students will come across in their daily lives and it is our responsibility as educators to include technology in our curriculum. We are responsible for teaching our students how to navigate the online and social media spaces in which our students live and move. They will be like sheep among wolves, and we ought to teach them the safe and responsible use of technology. If we do not teach technology in the classroom, then they will be ignorant and vulnerable in the world.

“We aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight, but also in the sight of man” (English Standard Bible, 2001, 2 Corinthians 8:21). International educational systems have adopted beneficial best practices in educational technology. Insofar as the systems are doing what is beneficial and do not violate God’s law, then we ought to pursue mastery of those systems before the eyes of our fellow man. It is good for Christian educators to have an excellent reputation as professionals who pursue best practices by “actively participating in local and global learning networks” and empowering students through “learning with technology” (ISTE, 2023).

When the children of Abraham were about to leave their exile in the wilderness and enter the promised land, the LORD spoke to Joshua and said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (English Standard Bible, 2001, Joshua 1:9). This verse promises that God is with us wherever we go. The LORD is with us even in the virtual spaces which inhabit technology. The LORD is ruler over every space in this universe whether it is political, cultural, or technological. It is our responsibility as educators for Christ to lead our students into the bold, new spaces of technology in education.

Classroom Application

My approach to technology in my classroom is to integrate it as much as possible. Students are integrating technology into their social lives through group chat and social sharing applications like Tik-Tok, their extra-curricular time is scheduled through platforms such as athletic.net or arbiter.com, and many students have after school or summer jobs which integrate technology. Since students are not allowed to have cell phones on campus, they are engaged when technology such as YouTube or Chromebooks are introduced to a lesson. I often assign project-based learning which utilizes technology so that students get to feel a social aspect in their learning. Technology is prolific in my students lives and I want to leverage it as much as possible in the classroom.

References

Dohn, N.B., Markausite, L. Hachmann, R. (2020). Enhancing knowledge transfer. In Bishop, M.J., Boling, E., Elen, J & Svihla, V. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (5th ed., pp. 73-96). Routledge.

English Standard Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/

Hughes, J.E., & Roblyer, M.D. (2022). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780137544622

ISTE. (2023). ISTE Standards: Educators. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers

NATO. (2022, October 14). NATO exploring quantum technology for future challenges.https://www.act.nato.int/articles/nato-exploring-quantum-technology-future-challenges