Planning, Building, Presenting & Evaluating a Staff Development Program for Technology

Leigh Zeitz
Coordinating Technology in Educational Settings

The Question is . . . What is Staff Development?

What do YOU think?

Staff Development is . . .
An organized process in which employees are actively engaged in

acquiring, upgrading or abandoning

knowledge, attitudes & skills

Elements of a Tech Staff Development Plan

Integration of emerging technologies Planned, ongoing, & comprehensive approach
Involve the leaders

Elements of a Tech Staff Development Plan

Technology-based learning environments Part of a Tech Plan

Iowa

Professional Development Model

Student learning at the center of school improvement and staff development

Operating Principles: Focus on Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Participative Decision Making (School & District) Leadership Simultaneity

Collecting / Analyzing Student Data Program Evaluation (Summative)

Goal Setting & Student Learning

Ongoing Data Collection (Formative Evaluation)

Selecting Content

Collaboration / Implementation

Designing Process for Professional Development Training / Learning Opportunities

Contents of a Staff Dev Plan

Your Technology Staff Development Plan must be dictated . . . by your staffs needs and by your institutions technology plan.

Staff Needs
Assessment Instrument

Tech Needs Assessment Questionnaire

Analyze in spreadsheet
Schoolwide By department

Student Needs
Process writing
Digital portfolios Cross-curricular thematic

experiences Intercultural experiences Keyboarding Fulfill subject standards

Your Technology Staff Development Plan Depends Upon:

Present hardware

Networking Software Peopleware Additional Resources

Tech budget District Staff development Staff Improvement funds

Planning the Program

What to cover in staff dev
Perform gap analysis Results-driven staff development.

Who to include
Don't limit it to the teachers Include all stakeholders

Who are the stakeholders?

Teachers
Office Staff Administrators Support Staff Board Members

Community Members

Often Staff Dev is Limited

But, what are the factors that limit a successful staff development program?

Limiting Factors
Resources
Location of workshop Materials & equipment Materials available to attendees upon return to daily life

Limiting Factors
Time
Length During school hours? Free time given to attendees for planning to use newly-acquired skills

Limiting Factors
Planning
Good planning = Good staff dev.

Money isn't THE problem

Medium for acquiring resources, time and planning

Policy MUST be Decided 1st!

Mandatory vs

Voluntary Compensation vs. No-Compensation During School Hours vs. Outside School Hours

Mandatory vs Voluntary
Mandatory Sometimes necessary Good to use as introduction Provides common baseline of knowledge

Mandatory vs Voluntary
Voluntary
Better attitude about it Not everyone is involved Highly motivated

Compensation vs. No-Compensation

Compensation Identifies high level of importance placed by admin Professionalism

Types of Compensation
Money
Federal/state funds Credit

Credit towards advancement

Free Computers/Technology

During vs. Outside School Hours

During school hours
Monetary compensation - not an issue Faculty in-service days Early release days Technology Super Subs

During vs. Outside School Hours

Not during school hours
Out-of-hide time Only highly-motivated teachers attend (unless mandatory)

Workshops
When

Before - After School Early Release Days Stipends for Summer Workshops

Presenting a Technology Staff Development Program

Workshops are

Not
Enough!!!

Workshop Components
Theory
Demonstration Practice Feedback Coaching

Effects on Attendees
Knowledge Level
Skill Level Transfer of Workshop Learning

to the Classroom

Joyce and Showers (1995)

No Transfer of workshop learning to the classroom unless theory and practice was accompanied by feedback and/or coaching!

Strategies for Staff Development

Redefine the Learner
Teachers of Teachers Learning Through Other Media

Learning through Other Media

Videotape Audiotape Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) Paper-Based Modules On-Line

Evaluation
Each Workshop
Whole Staff Dev Program Changes in Staff Skills

Changes in Classroom

Teaching Practice Improvements in Students Skills.

Evaluate Each Workshop

Effectiveness of Instructor
Workshop format Activities and Materials used

Applicability of material covered

Instrument for additional input
What additional information needed?

Evaluate the Complete Staff Development Program

Attendance
Which workshops have appeal Who attended? Specific groups like specific topics?

Workshop Evaluations
Satisfied with instruction? What works? What doesnt?

Evaluate the Complete Staff Development Program

Word of Mouth
Word on the Street? Is it valued? Develop an informal network Use secretaries and other staff members

Evaluate the Change in the Staffs Skills

Real test of success Look for application and actual

changes Survey staff after 2 months:

Do you use the skill Often?, Sometimes, Rarely?

If they use it, you were successful!

Look for Changes in Teaching Practice

Look for relative change -

Not Absolute Consider a Developmentally Appropriate Approach to Learning Technology

Improve Students Skills

Only recently looking at student

improvement to evaluate staff development. Ironic - only reason to do staff development is to improve the learning environment for students.

Improve Students Skills

Involves a great deal of time. Look at Standards and

Benchmarks. Requires
Rethinking learning process Restructuring learning environment Educators who want to change . . .

Summation
Staff Development requires: Needs Assessment Planning Policy Decisions Administrative Support Careful Scheduling Multiple Forms of Media Evaluation and Revision

Any Questions?