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Faculty Professional Development Plan:Severn River Middle SchoolDeborah MillsTowson UniversityExecutive SummaryThe vision set forth in The Maryland Educational Technology Plan for the New Millennium…2007-2012 states,Through engaging classrooms that have current technology resources available to all students and educators as a part of their daily work, every child will reach his or her potential and achieve success. Not only will technology be available in whatever formsthey take in the coming years, but rich, digital content will be available in a variety of formats. The individual learning styles and needs of every child will be addressed by using technology to differentiate instruction and provide accessible resources to all students. (Maryland State Department of Education, 2007, p.1)The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) (2007) acknowledges that, “To achieve this vision, attention must be given to providing educators with high-quality professional development that includes continued time and effort to learn, maintain and improve their technology skills and give them the ability to use those skills in their professional work” (p.1). Severn River Middle School (SRMS) strongly agrees with this assertion and so developed a plan to address the technology-based professional development needs of the faculty. The professional development plan aligns with The Maryland Educational Technology Plan for the New Millennium …2007-2012 and the mission of SRMS. The overall goals of the plan were pulled from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Educators. SRMS determined that the following three performance indicators are the areas of greatest need to help the school achieve the vision set forth by MSDE. The rationale for choosing each goal and performance indicator is provided.Standard 1: Learner“Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning” (ISTC, 2007, p. 1).Performance Indicator 1.a: “Educators set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness” (ISTC, 2007, p. 1).Rationale:Per Krueger (2017), “65 percent of children entering grade school today will end up working in jobs that don’t even exist yet” (para. 6). This statistic exists because technology is increasing and changing at an exponential rate. Thus, it is extremely important that the faculty of SRMS make every effort possible to teach students the skills needed to be successful 21st century learners. To accomplish this, the faculty themselves must be willing to take on the role of learner and continually propel themselves to further their own technological knowledge and capabilities. Professional Development (PD) sessions will provide the basis for the faculty’s on-going technology training. The PD sessions will follow the suggestions of Schrum and Levin to be “embedded, on-going and responsive…in order to be worthwhile in helping teachers change to using more student-centered teaching strategies” (Schrum & Levin, 2015, p. 43). This action step aligns with Objective 2 of the Maryland Educational Technology Plan for the New Millennium…2007-2012: “Improve staff’s knowledge and skills to integrate technology into instruction” (MSDE, 2007, p. 12). The Library Media Specialist (LMS) will take a lead role in assisting the faculty with accomplishing their technology-based professional learning goals. This role is in keeping with one of the SRMS library goals (n.d.) to, “Support the professional development and personal achievement of the staff” (para. 1). Standard 4: Collaborator“Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems” (ISTC, 2007, p. 2).Performance Indicator 4.a“Educators dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology” (ISTC, 2007, p. 2).Rationale:Due to the stagnation that is apparent at SRMS, as described in the Introduction, the school tends to have a culture of thought where, “teachers in different disciplines or grade-level teams may not believe technology has a place in their subject or grade and may be …deterred from trying to integrate new technology” (as cited in Schrum & Levin, 2015, p. 149). In order to shift this mindset, in addition to technology-focused PDs, dedicated technology collaborative planning time is crucial to SRMS’s ability to create a culture that embraces instruction geared toward 21st century learners. As Schrum and Levin (2015) observe, “It is essential that an entire school…work together to make an intended outcome actually take hold” (p. 9). Dedicating collaborative planning time to technology will give the faculty a chance to help each other discover, learn, plan, and assess the use of technology in the classroom. Standard 7: Analyst“Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals” (ISTC, 2007, p. 2).Performance Indicator 7.b:“Educators use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction” (ISTC, 2007, p. 2).Rationale:A key phrase in the performance indicator is that educators use technology “to design” a variety of assessments. Schrum and Levin (2015) pose the question, “What good is it if teachers use the same assessment they used before their students had access to technology?” (p. 10). With a focus on meeting the needs and learning styles of 21st century learners, teachers must be willing to create new assessments that move beyond paper and pencil. Additionally, “The value of data mining…should not stop at identifying weaknesses because it can be used to determine ways to better teach our students” (Schrum & Levin, 2015, p. 179). The faculty at SRMS need to focus not only on identifying weaknesses, but in using the data to drive their instruction forward. In order to accomplish this, the data and feedback must be timely. Technology can greatly reduce the time needed to get student results, and therefore, provide teachers with greater opportunities to meet the needs of their students. The wide range of technology available for assessing students also allows teachers to easily differentiate in order to tap into the various learning styles of the students.Introduction and BackgroundIn 2015, Richard Tubman became the new principal of SRMS. Having previously worked at the school as an assistant principal, Mr. Tubman understood the challenges he would face as principal. He understood that SRMS has a loyal and long-standing staff. While this provides stability to the school, it has resulted in stagnation. Many of the teachers have not moved forward with 21st century learning goals and, as a result, their teaching methods are behind the times and out-of-date. Mr. Tubman agrees with Mishra and Koehler who state, “Quality teaching requires developing nuanced understanding of the complex relationships [among] technology, content, and pedagogy, and using this understanding to develop appropriate, context-specific strategies and representations” (as cited in Schrum & Levin, 2015, p. 149). As principal, part of his vision for the school is to improve the relationship between technology and student achievement.In 2016, Mr. Tubman hired a new LMS to join him in bringing technology to the forefront of student learning. To this end, the LMS created this faculty professional development plan. It is designed to guide professional development and faculty growth over the next three school years. It is a living document, open to revisions as technology integration in the school grows and develops.About the SchoolSevern River Middle School is located at 241 Peninsula Farm Road, Arnold, Maryland 21012. Assistant principal Charlette Manbeck provided the following demographic information of SRMS through personal communication (February 13, 2017). As of February 13, 2017, 761 students are enrolled with an instructional staff of 48. The community of SRMS is comprised of primarily Caucasian middle to upper-middle class families. Additionally, there is only a small percentage of students who require special services, such as ESOL or special education services.The current SRMS mission statement (n.d.) is:Through the guidance of a dedicated and talented staff, Severn River Middle School’s mission is to promote social, academic and behavioral success for students and most importantly, to instill a positive attitude toward life-long learning.9525409575Standard 1: LearnerEducators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.00Standard 1: LearnerEducators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.Project PlanPerformance Indicator 1.aEducators set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.Action Steps & TimelinePerson(s) ResponsibleTechnologies EmployedBenefit(s)Assessment Method(s)Create and implement faculty surveys to identify and understand strengths and weaknesses with technology usage in the classroom(To be completed fall and spring beginning 2017-ongoing)LMS (create and/or administer surveys)Faculty (take surveys)LoTi Digital-Age SurveyGoogle Forms surveyFaculty will be able to identify and understand their own strengths and weaknesses with technology usageLMS will be able to identify faculty member strengths to tap them for help with specific trainingsFall survey results to determine focus for school yearSpring survey results as post-assessment to determine areas of growthFaculty use survey results to create professional learning goals for use of technology in the classroom—one goal per marking period(September 2017-ongoing)FacultyLMSAdministrationVarious depending on individual faculty member goalsFaculty can determine their own technology focus based on the curricular demands of each marking periodLMS will be able to use results and goals to plan relevant and targeted PD for facultyArtifacts of technology usageReflection of goal and achievement of goal at end of each marking periodForm a technology committee to explore and evaluate technology and plan PDs(September 2017)LMSAt least one faculty member per content areaPadlet or similar platform to share ideas, artifacts, etc.EmailGoogle DocsTechnology Committee can explore and evaluate new technology options for the rest of the facultyCommittee members will be able to use department meetings to introduce or enhance knowledge of relevant technology optionsReflections from technology committee membersFeedback from facultyArtifacts posted to Padlet (or other shared platform)Create PDs targeted to areas of weakness and to introduce new technology options(September 2017-ongoing)LMSTechnology CommitteeAACPS Office of Instructional Technology (OIT)Various technology options such as:Google SuiteAACPS OIT Homepage101 Web 2.0 Teaching ToolsLoTi LoungeCreate faculty buy-in by providing relevant and beneficial trainingsAid faculty in meeting their professional learning goalsPD faculty feedback formsStudent artifactsStudent assessment results019049Standard 4: CollaboratorEducators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.00Standard 4: CollaboratorEducators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.Performance Indicator 4.aEducators dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.Action Steps & TimelinePerson(s) ResponsibleTechnologies EmployedBenefit(s)Assessment Method(s)Create and implement technology collaborative planning schedule with electronic notetaking template(September 2017-ongoing)AdministrationCollaborative planning lead teachersOnline notetaking template such as:One NoteGoogle Docs, etc.Allocates time for teachers to explore, plan, reflect on technology usage in the classroomReview of online notes templateStudent artifactsCollaborative planning and co-teaching between LMS and classroom teachers(September 2017-ongoing)LMSClassroom teachersVarious as determined by individual class projects and standardsClassroom teacher can rely on LMS for technology knowledge and expertise Students learn additional technology skills such as digital citizenship, citations, etc.PBL opportunitiesLMS and teacher reflection at conclusion of lessonStudent work Student assessmentsDepartments create online collaborative list of technology-infused teaching resources (Fall 2017-ongoing)Department MembersTechnology CommitteeVarious, such asPadletWikisGoogle DocsOne NoteFaculty members can refer to the list instead of having to scroll back through meeting minutes to find specific linksLinks can be organized by learning styles, content standards, cross-curricular connections, etc.Number of links added to listFrequency of use119685Standard 7: AnalystEducators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals.00Standard 7: AnalystEducators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals.Performance Indicator 7.bEducators use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction.Action Steps & TimelinePerson(s) ResponsibleTechnologies EmployedBenefit(s)Assessment Method(s)Provide Unify training to all staff(Fall 2017-ongoing)AACPS Unify trainerUnifyFaculty will be able to upload, create, administer, and get timely results on both formative and summative assessmentsUnify mimics PARCCData binder of assessment examples, results, and artifactsPDs on alternative assessment methods(Fall 2017-ongoing)LMSAACPS OITVarious, such as:Google SuiteReadWriteThinkVoiceThreadEdPuzzleProvides DI opportunities for faculty and studentsAddresses multiple learning stylesData binder of assessment examples, results, and artifactsTechnology collaborative planning time (Fall 2017-ongoing)AdministrationFacultyOnline notetaking template such as:One NoteGoogle Docs, etc.Provides dedicated time for faculty to create assignments, analyze data, and plan for upcoming lessonsReview of online notes templateStudent artifactsReferencesC. Manbeck, personal communications, February, 13 2017.International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE standards for educators. International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from , N. (2017). Preparing students for jobs that don’t exist. ISTE Conference & ExpoLeadership STEM. Retrieved from State Department of Education. (2007). The Maryland educational technology plan for the new millennium…2007-2012. Retrieved from , L. & Levin, B. B. (2015). Leading 21st century schools: Harnessing technology for engagement and achievement (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.Severn River Middle School. (n.d.) Goals of the Severn River Middle School library. Retrieved from River Middle School. (n.d.) Severn River Middle’s vision, mission, and values. Retrieved from ................
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