E-based professional development (e-pd) for effective teaching and  (Page 7/8)

Another source is individual state departments of education. West Virginia, for example, is on the cutting edge with its 21st Century Leadership ( (External Link) )initiative, supported by a one million dollar grant. While principals spend some of their time in face-to-face workshop sessions, there is also an online component, which offers the participants the opportunity to evaluate professional development sessions, journal and communicate with others in the program, and receive information on the current research on various topics. South Carolina offers online professional development and training through its website found at (External Link) , where topics include character education, special education, community collaboration, and facilitating partnerships. Other state efforts in professional development include: Alabama’s Best Practices Program; Alaska Professional Development; the Arkansas Leadership Academy; Florida’s Online Reading-Professional Development (FOR-PD) Project; the Iowa Professional Development Model; the University of Hawaii’s Education Laboratory School; and the Washington Professional Development Initiative ( (External Link) ).

Today’s educators, both classroom teachers and building principals, are part of what Bartlett (2005) refers to as the“Net Generation”(Net Geners). They are not only technology savvy, they expect to receive information, entertainment, and even learning opportunities via some form of technology. As Bartlett asserts, the Net Geners are not only acculturated to the use of technology, they are saturated with it. From laptops to iPods to Palm Pilots to sophisticated cell phones, technology consumes our lives both at home and at work.

Most professionals in any field also value education. They may learn in different ways than those ten or twenty years ago, but they still want to learn. Convenience, after quality, is one of the main issues these adult learners look for when choosing professional development opportunities. No longer is the lecture format interesting or convenient for them; in fact, with the current Net Geners, it would not even be attractive or acceptable. Professional development that does not include at least a module of technology-based offerings will probably be less than successful considering the characteristics of current adult learners who are autonomous in their approach to learning. The Net Generation is selective about those kinds of professional development offerings where they can make the best use of their valuable and limited time. This is especially true of school principals, whose days are jammed with meetings, classroom observations, parent conferences, and problem solving. Anything less than high-quality, relevant, and convenient professional development for the 21st century educator will not be acceptable.

Summary

Today’s workforce, whether in the field of business or education requires quality, continuous, job-embedded professional development to remain current with best practices, and to continually improve skills, knowledge, and abilities. In a highly competitive world laced with a variety of technological devices and software, it becomes imperative that this training is offered in a manner that is both convenient and relevant to the worker, and that includes offering training in an e-based format. Teachers and school principals, in many cases do not have the funds or the time to spend away from their schools, and with shrinking budgets, school districts are wise to explore offering professional development in this alternative manner. Furthermore, training modules offered online can be revisited an unlimited number of times by educators so that its content and strategies become imbedded into daily practice. Planning time for teachers can become time for study, research, and further training, while principals can engage in problem-based learning and use what they learn immediately to improve their own practice.