Professional+Development

by Brian Johnson

This video describes how the 21st Century learner incorporates technology in their daily lives and how this impacts their learning. The video also touches on the educator's knowledge, or lack there, of technology incorporation into the classroom. This leads into an important issue when sustaining educational reform, which is professional development.

media type="youtube" key="_A-ZVCjfWf8" height="315" width="420" align="center"

Professional development, as defined by Wikipedia, "refers to skills and knowledge attained for both [|personal development] and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and [|informal learning] opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage. There are a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching, [|communities of practice], lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance" ("Professional development," 2011, "Definition," para. 1.)

As learners are/become increasingly dependent on technology in their daily lives, the educational environment must also mirror these changes. As such, it becomes imperative that educators utilize professional development to hone and maintain their technological knowledge and skills. It is difficult to imagine an occupation in 2025 that will not utilize technology in some fashion. Therefore it is necessary for education to introduce and incorporate technology into the learning environment. This is the only way education will truly prepare our students to step into careers in the real world. Educators must be proficient in use the technology themselves, and be able to effectively incorporate its use in the learning environment.

In a recent survey of education professionals, conducted by K. Walsh of Emerging EdTech, results indicate educators recognize the importance of professional development. "The standout response was “Professional Development focused on using technology (2011)”. Along the same lines, “More exposure to technology for the classroom" (Ibid.) was the second most popular response. I think this says so much about what teachers are experiencing with education technology – tools and equipment are great, but please help us learn how to use them productively! This is significant, in that, educational professionals understand the need for professional development and training in the area of technology. The key will be for administrator to provide the opportunities to participate in that development though educational classes, workshops, mentoring and other professional development venues.

Next: Ethical Issues