Milobo’s Musings

The past few weeks have been filled with lots of thoughts and planning around professional development. Most of the thoughts rolling around in my head revolve around how to find balance in a training model between the art and the science of teaching. Traditionally, technology training has spent way too much time on the mechanics and not enough time on the instructional implications. Right now, we’re working to find that balance and move toward a plan that begins with a foundation of good learning practices.

As we plan, here are three essentials I keep coming back to and the questions they bring to the forefront:

1. Learning about technology should be embedded into curricular practices.

There are lots of ideas on how to do this – one that’s interesting to me lately is the TPCK model which is described as an intersection of technology, content, and pedagogical knowledge. It’s in the blending of those three areas that interesting things begin to happen with technology. But for me, the challenge isn’t in understanding that fact, it’s in figuring out how to best develop a program that builds natural capacity in technology and pedagogy concurrently. What’s the best way to support a technology-curriculum  blend?

2. Learning to incorporate technology happens best when supported by a team of colleagues.

Another big component that we’re working on is developing a sustainable model that builds capacity for change from within. Good professional development models support communities of learners who provide collegial support.  Many times this looks like a “train the trainer” model, but that model still implies a top-down approach to knowledge transfer. What would a “learn with the learner” model look like instead?

3. Learning to effectively integrate technology requires time to try new ideas and time to examine their impact.

Just the other day, I pulled out a book entitled “Reflective Practice to Improve Schools” that I had bought and skimmed a few years back and it seems a perfect fit for the work we’re starting – here’s a quote from there that sums up what I’m thinking about:

“To change our practices, to change our beliefs, and to alter our own theories of change, we must slow down and have reflective conversations that allow us to think through possible changes… Shifting from a culture of doing to a culture of learning and doing, however, is not easily accomplished…”

The book goes on to give ideas and strategies for building reflective practices at the individual, team, and building level. I’m hopeful that by incorporating reflection along with many of the aspects of Understanding by Design, we’ll come up with a plan that will build the practice of thoughtful technology use within the curriculum. How do we find the time to build reflective practices into the already full day?

I’m working to design a plan that incorporates these three ideas, but I’d be interested in hearing what others have discovered and created as models of technology professional development. Share when you have a minute.

I’ve moved. I’ve started a new job. I’m (almost) settled into my new routines. And yet.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared on this space.  The longer I wait for “the time” or “a good idea” to reveal itself, the harder it becomes to just get back into the rhythm of reflecting and writing and sharing.

That cycle of reflecting on an idea, writing about it, and sharing our thoughts to invite discussion lies at the heart of learning and growth. Good teachers know this.  It’s important to remember that this process has to be nurtured and practiced often in order to become something students do instinctively.   It’s also something that’s important to model through our own public voice.  Students pay attention to how we interact with information. They pay attention to how we interact with one another. They can learn much by seeing how we learn.

For me, blogging has been a way to honor the cycle of learning publicly and to become part of a global community of learners. I’ve missed that lately.

I’ve spent way too much time trying to figure out how to begin my own learning cycle again. And so, I’ve decided that the best way to get started again is to just get started again.

Here goes.

Creative Commons photo from Chris Lopez via Flickr