Professional Development Planning and Evaluation

Professional Development Planning

At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, my district developed a technology plan to improve the use of technology within the district. Several aspects had to be taken into consideration in developing the technology plan: where would the funding to integrate technology come from; which tools should be implemented first; and what type of staff development opportunities are needed in order for our district employees to be able to implement the technology in their classrooms?
The district has placed a strong emphasis on the integration of technology and professional development opportunities to allow this to happen. Both district staff and administrators complete a "needs assessment" on a yearly basis that allows the district to plan staff development based on the needs of teachers.
In my week 3 report, it was stated that the students are using technology offered to them but not to its fullest potential. The student interviews confirm that students know basic technology skills. They are using the tools for which they were meant to be used, but are not allowed to venture beyond the basics.
In planning professional development opportunities, I would use all the data collected from students, teachers, community members, and district personnel to develop professional development that directly meets the needs of the students and staff - especially the needs current with today's technology trends.
If a student cannot relate and directly associate technology with real-world application, a disservice is being done. In order for students to be serviced correctly, my staff and the staff of the entire district must become comfortable and fluent in the use of current technology. My plan would require each teacher to obtain 25 hours of professional development each school year, of which 12 hours must be directly related to implementing current technology in the classroom.
To ensure the professional development opportunities are meeting the needs of district staff, employees would be required to complete an evaluation after attending a training to enable workshop facilitators to continue to improve their presentations. In order for the opportunities to be beneficial to the staff, an ongoing assessment of needs and continual monitoring of trends must occur.

Evaluation Planning

It is crucial for evaluations to be administered after professional development has occurred. This element of assessment is vital to administrators to determine if the professional development served the intended purpose. There are many different types of evaluations that can be administered. Some of the possibilities include:

• Written evaluations of professional development
• Teacher classroom logs
• Computer lab schedules - are they being utilized
• Lesson plans directly related to technology integration
• STAR Charts
• Documented increase in use by students
• Professional development records for teachers (yearly record of trainings)
• Feedback from all stakeholders - verbal/written
• Quantitative and qualitative data collection
• Ongoing monitoring by campus and district personnel
• Increased professional development opportunities for teachers and staff
• Quarterly evaluation of campus, district, and state mandates

It is important to use a variety of evaluations in order to get a clear picture of the use of technology on a campus.