Professional development? Where we are going?

Engaging to Empower the Basic to Intermediate Skilled Teacher through Network Learning
In my mind the major challenge is to empower the greater majority of teachers with basic to intermediate skills new to eLearning

To initiate these outcomes Teachers with basic to intermediate skills have been traditionally supported in their first steps with professional development for example:

• Workplace training
  Trainers go out to workplaces and show and train teachers how to utilize useful technologies such as audio and svideo within the workplace


• Workshops
  We have advertised and provided timetabled specific professional development programs where teachers with basic to intermediate skills can visit to learn about using critical technologies such as a digital camera, Microsoft Outlook and Word


• Online courses
  Teachers can empower themselves with information and skills and work through at their own pace.

Learning success is often measured by the transfer of knowledge and skills in the workshop or through a Learning Managment System within a structured framework and allocated timeframe. The measure of success being positive or negative feedback on the PD evaluation form.

In the future the focus wil be on THE OUTCOMES over time; beyond the professional development through incorporating a new networked learning approach to professional development, the premise being:

• Train and support a teacher to manage technology and network with peers and they will be empowered.
• Actively engage with teachers following professional development to track their progress and promulgate the outcomes of their work

The TLRU is constantly researching to keep ahead of technology. The pace of change in technology is relentless, and there are limited resources for Professional Development. We are looking at strategies that will enable us to:

• Leverage the latent skills and knowledge of innovative TAFE teachers
• Provide systems and technology to facilitate communicating and sharing ideas and innovations that benefit the entire organization.

Questions include how we can share innovation, knowledge and improve upon it. If the innovation is useful it will flourish, otherwise it will not be adopted.

This is a subject that I look forward to exploring further on this blog.