Module 12 Reflection

This week's material on professional development was salient. Teacher professional development is very peculiar on its own, and becomes increasingly more complex when it involves educational technology. Unfortunately, it is sometimes communicated to teachers ineffectively because presenters show what the technology can do, but often not really getting to the core of "how" to effectively and efficiently facilitate its use in diverse school contexts. Teachers that attend professional development beyond their school districts may learn innovative strategies for using technology, but may be on their own when it comes to execution in their classrooms. Professional development should take into account diverse school contexts and skill levels. Technology integration can be overwhelming and unfamiliar territory and the goal is not to turn individuals off from using/learning to use technology, but  rather to inspire and encourage its use and learning. I have learned that leadership development plans are also going to look different across various school district and even schools. It's important to know colleagues and be willing to meet them where they are and help them grow and expand their skill set when it comes to technology. As I completed my LDP, I found that am very much a pragmatic empiricist.

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