Saturday, November 12, 2011

Technology for Professional Development

Professional Development/Networking: What are the latest trends and opportunities for using educational technology to improve professional development and networking in education? How can you use Ed Tech to improve your professional development and networking?

How is educational technology improving professional development and networking? One thing that I keep seeing happen is webcasts. Wonderful speakers, experts in various areas of education, become available to all of us as they broadcast over the internet. Often the webcasts are interactive, so that participants can converse with the speaker and among each other, thus amplifying the learning. Through this, I can learn from people that I may never have the opportunity to see in person.

Technology also brings me electronic samples of books that I am interested in using in my course. I can read and listen to the ancilliary materials before I commit myself to a purchase.

Skype is another valuable tool for face-to-face teaching, learning, and networking. I can connect with teachers all over the world, sharing ideas and seeing what they are doing in their classrooms.