Diving Into Problem-based Learning PD

For my culminating project in the Seattle Pacific University M.A. Education Digital Leadership program, I chose to align district needs with the creation of 1 credit cross-disciplinary technology course.  This work showcases my application of adult learning theory, professional development principles, and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) student, teacher, and coach standards. To…

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EDTC 6106 Module 5: What is Essential in Professional Development?

As I prepared for my blog post this week, the word ‘essential’ kept running through my mind.  What does e-s-s-e-n-t-i-a-l mean?   How is it used in our world today?  How does its real world use relate to school professional development?  I think we would all agree about what is considered an essential when we travel […]

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EDTC 6106 Module 4: What Makes Effective Leadership?

This week, I chose to focus on the question, What are the elements of effective collaborative leadership regarding technology?  While researching this, I quickly came to understand that the question applies to both business and education.  A number of sources, in both genres, referenced a technology committee as a common element in establishing and maintaining […]

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EDTC 6106 Module 3: Get Started, Get Better

“In education, research has shown that teaching quality and school leadership are the most important factors in raising student achievement. For teachers and school and district leaders to be as effective as possible, they continually expand their knowledge and skills to implement the best educational practices” Mizell, p. 7.   To realize this goal, educators …

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EDTC 6106 Module 2: Breaking Down Adult Learning – Whole+Part+Whole

For the past two weeks I’ve been exploring the role adult learning principles should play in planning educational technology professional development for teachers.  This work caused me to reflect on my own professional development session design – asking myself, what principles do I consistently apply and which ones should I employ more? Knowles’ Six Principles of Adult Learning […]

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EDTC 6106 Module 1: A Case for High Anxiety – Tech & Substitute Teachers

Recently, I had the chance to view a 1977 Mel Brook’s movie called High Anxiety.  In that movie, Dr. Richard Thorndyke (Mel Brooks) receives repeated therapy for his fear of heights.  However, none of these sessions take him through any real authentic and meaningful steps for countering the fear.  He continues to have episodes of […]

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EDTC 6105 Module 5: Pack the Essentials

When you go on a trip, you intentionally pack certain items to take along.  Doing this helps you feel comfortable and prepared to get the most out of the trip.  Travel sites abound with tips of what to take, what to leave at home, and how to solve the most common dilemmas.  This fall, I’ve […]

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Module 4 EDTC 6105 A Nice Merge: A Smart Card, SAMR, Checklist & 21st Century Skills

As I said in an earlier blog post this fall, the vision for the curriculum or technology coach must align with the district’s instructional vision.  In the same stead, shouldn’t the vision of 21st Century instruction by teachers align with the district vision? I thought about this as I pondered our week’s question, “What skills, […]

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Module 3 EDTC 6105 Fostering a Future Ready District

The triggering question for this module was, “How do we define 21st century learning, and how can we use the definition in our coaching work?”  When I think of 21st century learning, I think of the ending of the year 2000 and the Y2K worry of whether technology would survive the transition to January 1, […]

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Module 2 EDTC 6105 Peer Coaching: Consider This

In my last blog post I emphasized the need for a district vision for the work of the coach. This week, I’m going to examine another crucial piece that will lead to success, well-developed communication and collaboration skills. In Peer Coaching: Unlocking the Power of Collaboration, Les Foltos (2013) states, “I have asked asked hundreds […]

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