Technology integration and online professional development for k-12 educators in the education unit

Date
2016
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University of Delaware
Abstract
Teachers in Delaware’s mental health day/residential treatment centers and detention centers need more accessible professional development that is focused on their needs. In Delaware, these teachers form a group within a state agency called the Education Unit. These teachers are spread throughout the state and do not have the luxury of being able to attend face-to-face, school-wide and content-based professional development where they work. This executive position paper (EPP) describes an effort to address this problem by making use of online modules accessible to teachers anytime, anyplace, thus eliminating a number of existing barriers. ☐ Seventy percent of the licensed educators (N = 34) in the Education Unit completed the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) survey in early 2013. The TELL Survey was intended to measure teacher opinions on subjects such as: school climate and professional development needs. Using findings from the survey, the short-term goal of this study was to improve access to professional development resources by creating and delivering one online module that addresses the concerns and needs identified by the Education Unit staff. The long-term goal of this study is to improve teaching practices among teachers in the Education Unit through effective online professional development modules in a variety of areas. ☐ The professional development module intended to help participants integrate technology into instruction in conjunction with the Common Core State Standards. ☐ The design for the module was aligned with key principles of effective professional development (face-to-face and online). The teachers from the Education Unit who agreed to participate in this study were given the opportunity to complete the online module and provide feedback through a survey and interview. ☐ The key questions for this study were designed using the Practical Guidelines for Evaluating Professional Development (Guskey, 2000) as the framework. This evaluation framework was used to determine if this type of online professional development can meet the professional needs of the teachers and determine what changes should take place in the content and design of the module. Participants indicated that they improved their understanding of the role of technology within Common Core State Standards, gained information on new resources related to the integration of technology within Common Core State Standards, and took steps to integrate technology into lesson plans. However, the participating sample was small. Future research should continue to examine the role of online modules focusing on different areas, in addressing the professional development needs of teachers.
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