BEST+FORM

=What is the best form of ICT PD for secondary teachers?=


 * Mode of //Delivery//** //(What is the best form of ICT PD for teachers? How do we do it?) (Where and when should ICT PD be delivered?)//

Gilding and Thompson (2004:10) outline four modes of delivery for professional development: face-to-face; online; other technologies or blended.

Anderson and Henderson (2004:385-386) mention that blended models combine face-to-face learning with online learning in a variety of combinations involving differing proportions of each. They also mention that face-to-face sessions (particularly one-off or short series) have negligible impact on the take-up of ICT in classroom practice but believe that a blended delivery mode is most likely to be successful for sustained learning engagements. The use of a blended mode for delivery is also consistent with many of the underpinning elements of models for successful learning and development such as preferences for small group, school-based, classroom-based learning (ACOT:18 1995; McRae et al. 2001; Jenson, Lewis and Savage 2002; Ehman, Bonk, and Yamagata-Lynch 2005:251).

Willis and Cifuentes (2005) found that skill level growth for the F2F (face-to-face) teachers was higher than for the OL (online) teachers.


 * Teaching strategies** //(How should ICT PD be constructed?)//

In discussing 'realising possibilities in an online world' MCEETYA (2006:8-9) provides clear direction for teacher as to what is the best form of integrating ICT within pedagogy:
 * 1) Creating leaning environments
 * 2) Making teaching and learning more effective and efficient
 * 3) Extending the depth and nature of learning
 * 4) Enhancing communciation and collabration, and
 * 5) Creating new education communities

MCEETYA (2006:10-11) emphasises the need for professioanl support in an online world. They summarise professional development for teachers as hinging on professional support on the basis that techers with support move from 'learning-to-use' to 'using-to-learn' and provide the charter for evaluating teacher professional learning:
 * strategic planning by jurisdictions and schools
 * recognition of prior learning
 * flexible programs, incorporating face-to-face, online and community learning
 * participant direction
 * increasing learning effectiveness and efficiency
 * engaging in the professional work of teaching and assessment
 * catering for a diverse range of learning needs
 * local delivery and support, related to the teaching environment
 * using an inclusive range of technologies and tools including games, text-messaging and other devices
 * including support staff working with teachers
 * using tools to evaluate the extent of integration of ICT in pedagogie
 * timely user and technical support.

Pagram (2000:7) suggests that teachers need programs of professional development, which provide them with experience and understanding of the use of information technology and which provides frameworks for them to interpret their personal experiences. Pagram (2000:12) says that in defining learning technology competence, systems and other stakeholders need to take a holistic view of teachers’ lives and not reduce such competencies to a list of technical skills or even pedagogical and curriculum skills that ignore the connection between the roles and circumstances of teaching. Pagram (2000:13) says that Teachers need to participate in online environments as part of their professional duties. Pagram (2000:42-43) suggests a three stage framework. 1. **Develop skills in ITC** 2. **Manage the use of a range of learning technologies in the classroom** 3. **Develop innovative practices for using technology in the classroom
 * This is a traditional approach which has not really been effective. My suggestion is that we should think of turning the frmaework on its head.

1. Develop innovative practice for using technology in the classroom
For efficieincy reasons, this should be the responsibility of the employer (the school) or systemic authority -[ why get every teacher to re-invent the wheel.

2. Manage the use of a range of learning technolgis in the classroom
The key term is MANAGE. This should be a joint responsibility between the employer an the teacher. The employer's responsibility being to provide adequate and stable infrastructure. The teacher's reponsibility being to ensure it is used.

3. Develop skills in ITC
If I. and 2. above are achieved, the ITC skills learning becomes a byproduct of the teaching and learning process.

MCEETYA (2006:4) suggest using learner-centred theories of education as the use of ICT buidls on and extends these pedagogical approaches.

MCEETYA (2006:6-7) posit siz principles as a framework for developing innovative pedagogies for learning in an online world and for evaluating their effectiveness:


 * 1) Learner focus
 * 2) Education soundness
 * 3) Progessional learning
 * 4) Diversity
 * 5) Alignment
 * 6) Collaboration

I have no reason at this stage other than to accept MCEETYA's counsel. Of the six principles I am particularly interested in Professional learning and collaboration.

It seems to me that the MCEETYA principles compliments and expands on what McRae et al. (2001:62) term the new age of teacher training of 'learning and devlopment' with the focus on teacher professional learning (rather than the older concept of professional devlopment). I am so englightened by the phrases that I propose in my next paper (when I intend to apply the research within an authentic school setting) to title the paper "Integrating ITC Across the Curriuculm with Professional Learning,"

Chau (???:9-10) mentions three initiatives: Certificate IV in e-Learning (UTS) the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) course, and the LearnScope Project, a professional development initiative within the Australian Flexible Learning Framework 2000-2004 endorsed by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA).


 * Self-directed** professional development

Phelps (2004) Metacognitive approach to professional development (learning) - consisting of 'self-appriasal' and 'self-managment' (could be termed 'self-directed' learners.

Hayes ( :12) concludes that whilst integrating ICT psoes multiple problems. Some of these challenges can overcome by 1. better access to 2. functioning technology. The challenge of increasing teachers' ability to integrate ICT into their teaching practices relies upon less tangible factors such as a **collaborative culture** that supports **sustained professional diagloge** and **opportunities for professional learning**.

Steketee (2005)
 * ICT pedagogy approach
 * ...while the need to upskill studnets (teachers or learners) is important, skill alone is not enough to encourage students (teachers or learners) to confidently integrate ICT into their classroom programs ... the objective of these pedagogical units is to show students (teachers or learners) how ICT can be integarted as teaching and learning tools across the curriculum.

states that practising teachers are more likley to use technology in their clasroom only after persoanlly experieincing the power of technology as an effective tool themselves. Based on this belief, integration models (Rees 2002) have been adopted whereby ICT is embedded into specific subject area units.
 * Subject-specific approach**

It is imperative that the implementation of ICT be seen as a gradual progressive one as Lim et al. (2004) describe as an evolution within whcih the stakeholders gradually adopt an alternative perspective of teaching and learning.
 * Practice driven approach
 * subject linked agend has been successful to the extent that teachers are motivated to design ICT experiences for authentic purposes.


 * Perceptions of teaching and ICT
 * According to Sketetee Wang (2002) found that teaching with computers requires a shift from... traditional teaching practices

Rees (2002:38) unless there is a holistic three fold transformatory process through which the socio-cultural context, curriculum, and the more micro-level concerns of pedagogy are addressed, online learning would not achieve its intended objectives.

Rees (2002:43) Formative and summative assessments
 * Formative || Summative ||
 * On-line discussion Online activities Indepedendent lab-work (20%) || CBL lesson plan integration (30%) ............................................................Micro lessons (40%) ...........Mock lesson presentation (10%) ||

Lim et al. (2004:46) concludes that we need to build a learning community that is:


 * fundamentally identifiable byb their activities, practices and tools used. and that is
 * connected by intricate, socially constructed webs of belief and ways of thinking

ACOT (1995:18) those (approaches) that had the most impact did the following: Involved small-group collaborations among teachers; Took place in working classrooms; Built on teachers’ existing knowledge about curriculum and practice; Provided opportunities to experiment and reflect on new experiences; Provided ongoing support to help implement change and innovation.//

//ACOT (1995:19 Characteristics of successful staff development: Constructivist learning environment; Situated staff development; Time for reflection; Specific plans for change; Immediate and on-going follow-up support

Anderson and Henderson (2004:383) professional development of teachers in the use of information and communication technologies should be sustained over time.//

//Traditional and popular methods of PD in the form of single or short series face-to-face sessions have negligible impact on the take-up of ICT in classroom practice.//

//p.384 sustained, collaborative, situated and reflective experiences are more likely than ‘one-shot’ delivery models to generate change in practices and thinking leading to integrating ICT in more effective ways//

//p.385 Over the past 10-15 years, communities of practice (CoPs) and learning communities have become popular//

//Blended models combine face-to-face learning with online learning in a variety// //of combinations involving differing proportions of each.//

//p.386 Neither face-to-face, computer mediated communication nor blended approaches appear inherently to address this problem

Davis (1997:109) five commonly observed foci for teacher professional development: 1. Skills with particular applications; 2. Integration into existing curricula; 3. IT-related changes in curricula; 4. Changes in the teacher role and 5. Underpinning theories of education//

//Davis (1997:162) a summary seven foci: 1. Skills with particular applications; 2. Integration into existing curricula; 3. IT-related changes in curricula; 4. Changes in the teacher role 5. Changes in the manager role; 6. Underpinning theories of education and Evaluation and development of this framework// //

Ehman, Bonk and Yahagata-Lynch(2005:251) program characteristic include: (a) classroom-based curriculum projects, (b) teacher choice, (c) systematic reflection on practice, (d) reports by teachers of their work to other professionals, and (d) impact by teachers on others in their schools.// //p.256

Ehman, Bonk and Yahagata-Lynch(2005://263) A variety of TICKIT elements fostered teacher knowledge (cognitive domain), skill (psychomotor domain), confidence, motivation, and beliefs (affective domain). //

//Holkner, B. 2006, ‘Standards for teachers of ICTs: Recognising professionalism’,// Australian Educational Computing//, Journal of the Australian Council for Computers in Education, Vol. 20, N 2, pp. 23-26. Holkner (2006:25) argues for a community to produce and collect examples of good practice in ICT education. This article prompted me to consider a number of issues in relation to professional learning for teachers. Are professional standards the way we assess professional learning? Are they the right or wrong way to assess professional learning? Is a competency-based approach appropriate when considering the professional learning of ICT by teachers?//

//Jenson, J., Lewis, B. and Savage, R. 2002, ‘No one way: working models for teachers' professional development.’,// Journal of Technology and Teacher Education//, v10 i4 p481(16). //key areas which albeit general, are worth repeating here: incentives, both financial and time; the importance of play and discovery; flexibility which makes allowances for all levels of competency and interest; ongoing technological and curricular support, both online and in person; onsite work, where teachers learn on the computers they will be using with their students; an activity-based emphasis--teachers don't learn "stand alone" skills, but instead use computers in relation to the activities they design and will ask their students to do; and the importance of scalability and sustainability of any program.// //

//Howland, J and Wedman J.2004, ‘A process model for faculty development: individualizing technology learning’// Journal of Technology and Teacher Education//, v12 i2 p239(25) //Successful professional development allows educators to exert control over the type and content of experiences they have (Wilson & Berne, 1998) and includes practice and follow-up support for what is being learned (Joyce & Showers, 1995). Increasingly, researchers indicate that technology should be integrated into professional development experiences (Hasselbring et al., 2000; Isaak & Ward, 2000; Pan, 2000) to ensure the effective integration of technology in teaching and learning (Reed & McNergney, 2000). Furthermore, ongoing professional development programs in technology integration--such as the one described in this study--increase preservice teachers' comfort levels and assist in changing their philosophies regarding the value of technology use in teaching and learning (Hasselbring et al., 2000; McDermott & Murray, 2000).

//Laferrière, T. 1997 (accessed 4th Mar. 2006), ‘A six-phase tentative general model of professional development’,// Proceedings of The 14th International Conference on Technology and Education, //pp. 556-558 http://www.tact.fse.ulaval.ca/model/ang/model.html //1. Developing an awareness of the network phenomena; 2. Mastering the Internet and Intranet Resources; 3. Seeing new possibilities for learning and teaching; 4. Establishing new classroom management routines; 5. Directing project-based learning and 6. Knowledge building communities

//Little, J.W. 1994 (accessed 1st Mar. 2006).// Teachers’ Professional Development in a Climate of Educational Reform//, http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/SysReforms/little3.html Four alternatives to traditional training model -// Teacher collaboratives and other networks//;// Subject matter associations//;// Collaborations targeted at school reform//;// Special institutes and centers//. Six Principles of Professional Development:// Professional development offers meaningful intellectual, social, and emotional engagement with ideas, with materials, and with colleagues both in and out of teaching//;// Professional development takes explicit account of the contexts of teaching and the experience of teachers//;// Professional development offers support for informed dissent//;// Professional development places classroom practice in the larger contexts of school practice and the educational careers of children//;// Professional development prepares teachers (as well as students and their parents) to employ the techniques and perspectives of inquiry//;// The governance of professional development ensures bureaucratic restraint and a balance between the interests of individuals and the interests of institutions//. //

//Maggs, P. 2004, 'PD that integrates ICT', Educare News, May, pp. 12-13.found:

//
 * //if students are excited most teachers prepared to have a go//
 * teachers respond to what their peers ahve been able to achieve
 * when teacher can see how a resource might be used, usually keen to try it
 * it is important to be comfortable with knowing your students will potentially know more than you do.

//No Author, 2004, ‘Professional Development Introduction’,// T.H.E. Journal//, retrieved 4th March 2006 from http://thejournal.com/articles/16832

//Effective professional development: Involves teachers in the planning and selection, but balances the needs of individual educators with the needs of the campus and district; Provides a practical, utilitarian component to all efforts; Links educators to each other to create a larger learning community; Offers ongoing support; and Provides opportunity for experimentation and reflection// //

Remember - lead with upskilling teacher administration skills to devlop confidence before expecting teacher sto integrate ICT in the classroom with students UNLESS the teacher is comfortable with the technology.

integrating ICT into your curiculum
Can you create, save and edit a computer file? Yes/No

Would you be prepared to use a computer to create course information for students if it was a simple as saving and editing a file?

Yes No If No. Why not?

How many lessons do your students need on computers to meet the requirements of the need to integrate ITC into the syllabus?

_ lesson(s) per

Dont' know but would like to find out __

Don't care as I don't intend to use computers in the classroom

In