Summary
Providing professional
development (PD) to all of the teachers in a district has been a problem for
many years due to the cost and time. In recent years studies have also
shown that receiving continuous PD is more valuable compared to one-time
workshops. There are many benefits that come from PD- resources, skills,
knowledge, and experiences. Many teachers receive PD from their PLCs,
since they are comfortable with sharing new thoughts and ideas. When
trying these new ideas in their classrooms, teachers often times feel more
confident and empowered since it comes from a familiar place. Now, school
personnel are realizing learning communities can be expanded outside of each
school.
Since districts cannot
afford an individual coach per each set of teachers, these creators are
thinking that it may be beneficial having a virtual coach within an online
setting to meet the PD needs of the teachers. This was the beginning of
the research which started with a survey to see what teachers would benefit
most from a virtual coach. After the survey and analysis, it seems like
the number one reason for a virtual coach would be for resource sharing. Individuals
are looking for resources from news, sharing free lessons and other resources,
and technical support especially since education is changing so quickly.
The article also discussed creating a profile to easily find the best materials
that are suited for each teacher’s needs. This research has been
insightful to virtual reality coaches, but also technology coaches as
well. To end, more studies need to be conducted and analyzed to bring
this PD to (reality).
Reflection
Overall, virtual PD is a great
idea. There are an endless number of resources and social sites available
on the web for teachers. But if something more personalized and more
streamlined can be created, I can see more teachers using a tool like
this. Some teachers don’t use social sites or resources sharing tools as
PD, so offering a personal coach will help ease some of these fears for
teachers who often do not participate on the web for PD.Reference
Sugar, W., & Tryon, P. (2014). Development of a Virtual Technology Coach to Support Technology Integration for K-12 Educators. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 58(3), 54-62. doi:10.1007/s11528-014-0752-7
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