Conversations #45 August 23, 2009

This week Lisa and Maria were joined by Scott Carter to discuss such the topic of professional development. The discussion began with the question - How do you grow as a professional?

Chat Log

11:26:48  lisa parisi: Hello Guest
11:27:05  guest478: hi lisa
11:28:06  lisa parisi: Hi Peggy
11:28:17  PeggyG: Good morning everyone
11:28:28  MariaK: hello all - lisa talking about her trip
11:28:33  MariaK: I know that area well
11:28:48  PeggyG: Sedona is such a beautiful place!!
11:29:10  PeggyG: oh oh...
11:30:00  lisa parisi: Can anyone hear us in ETTA?
11:30:45  guest478: you guys sound great
11:30:55  guest478: bob.
11:30:58  scarter: I cant hear
11:31:08  PeggyG: I'm hearing you fine on iTunes-ETTA
11:31:08  bobsprankle: hi all
11:31:18  lisa parisi: If you can hear us Lori, you have joined the conversation.  If you would like to contribute, you can either add to the text or give us your skype name and we can skype you into the call
11:31:56  lisa parisi: @scarter...we are on ETTA...click one of the icons under the words EdTechTalkA on the right side bar
11:32:31  lorianneh: ahh you are using skype!
11:32:37  bobsprankle: waves :)
11:32:53  PeggyG: too funny! with the delay in audio we read your post 30 secs before we heard you say it :-)
11:32:56  guest478: at least ETW always starts on time
11:33:00  guest478: oh wait. it never does.
11:33:05  bobsprankle: lag is funny
11:33:39  guest478: please forward new instructions to [email protected]
11:34:00  lisa parisi: Guest...is it your birthday today?
11:34:09  guest478: no.
11:34:13  guest478: wrong guess
11:34:16  guest478: but close
11:34:17  lisa parisi: Wrong guess. :(
11:34:31  lisa parisi: Are you initials DC?
11:34:31  guest478: think 'lesser elf'
11:34:51  bobcaro: good morning to all from dry dry Corpus Christi TX
11:35:16  PeggyG: greetings from Phoenix AZ where we finally got some rain this week--one night :-)
11:35:29  scarter: Welcome from Kingman Kansas
11:36:22  PeggyG: it was so exciting to get to meet with Lisa f2f on her vacation :-) we talked non stop!!
11:37:16  lisa parisi: Peggy, answer skype
11:37:20  bobsprankle: cash for clunker fridge! awesome!
11:37:32  PeggyG: I don't have my headset on--just a minute...  
11:38:30  bobsprankle: how about cash for clunker curriculums!
11:38:43  MariaK: I think that would be great
11:39:10  MariaK: we have few
11:39:22  PeggyG: creative idea bobsprankle!! :-)
11:40:42  PeggyG: how do you have to document your personal staff development--self designed hours?? LisaP...
11:42:09  PeggyG: can your staff development be online hours or do they need to be things offered by your district?
11:44:05  PeggyG: I love the idea of "My Learning Plan"--great to be able to take charge of your own personal learning :-)
11:44:49  PeggyG: Taking charge of your personal learning is going to be the year-long theme for our AzTEA conferences this year :-)
11:45:08  bobsprankle: that's great... counting your own hours
11:45:15  PeggyG: wow Lisa!! that's really fantastic that you can count online hours!! very forward thinking!
11:45:52  PeggyG: how difficult was it to get your district to accept online hours? any tips??
11:46:17  PeggyG: are we listening to guest478??
11:46:28  lisa parisi: I think so Peggy.
11:46:42  MariaK: not difficult for me - has to fit my 3 year plan
11:46:53  guest478: i am guest478 :)
11:47:08  lorianneh: I thought the hours had to be filled by 'approved' classes sort of like CEU's from ASHA. The provider has to submit a curriculum and ASHA decides if participants can get CEU"s or not
11:47:40  PeggyG: that makes so much sense--1 hour to participate in an online show and 1 hour for blog post!!
11:47:59  lisa parisi: Hello Jerry
11:48:12  Jerry Swiatek: Hi Lisa
11:48:33  lisa parisi: Are you getting audio, Jerry?
11:48:40  Jerry Swiatek: I am not
11:49:05  lisa parisi: Click on an icon underneath the EdTechTalkA words on the right sidebar.
11:49:25  PeggyG: do any of you have written descriptions that include personal online learning that you could share links for?
11:49:46  PeggyG: it isn't accepted practice in our AZ schools :-(
11:51:06  PeggyG: even when teachers participate in district-offered PD there's no assurance that they have learned something!
11:51:44  PeggyG: I'm really interested in those "other 11 hours" too!!
11:52:53  lisa parisi: Welcome Nancy and NR
11:53:05  bobcaro: I would like my district to require teachers to share their opinions of individual staff development activities in some sort of online format.
11:53:13  PeggyG: it really has to be more than seat time/hours to be valuable learning experiences
11:53:29  nancykeane: Hi Lisa!
11:53:51  bobcaro: Ex: "I went to the state teacher's conf on math, and this is the session I attended..."
11:54:29  nancykeane: Is there sound?  I don't have any!
11:54:50  PeggyG: click on one of the audio choices for ETT-A
11:54:54  lisa parisi: Yes Nancy.  Sound is in ETTA
11:54:59  lisa parisi: Right sidebar
11:55:09  scarter: scarter7768 is my my skype id. Can I hear that way
11:55:22  bobcaro: http://edtechtalk.com/listen
11:55:27  lisa parisi: I will pull you in
11:55:50  nancykeane: I don't have the sidebar I'm used to seeing. 
11:55:56  PeggyG: the choices are so important for learners
11:56:27  PeggyG: @nancykeane--which browser are you using? can you try a different one?
11:57:03  nancykeane: Thanks for the link bobcaro.  I'm in.
11:57:08  PeggyG: hi loonyhiker!! travels finished for now??
11:57:39  loonyhiker: @peggyg for at least a month :) college football starts
11:57:59  PeggyG: love your priorities loonyhiker!!
11:58:20  loonyhiker: sorry i'm late
11:58:29  lisa parisi: Glad to have you loonyhiker
11:58:53  loonyhiker: brb  my screen is messed up and can't find the stream
11:58:56  PeggyG: our state requires recertification hours too but they aren't very flexible on what can be counted
11:58:58  bobsprankle: wow... never have to be recertified in NH, maria?
11:59:36  nancykeane: NH does require recertification
12:00:14  bobcaro: You just have to listen to the right Bozo's
12:00:34  PeggyG: we offer certificates with recertification hours for our local PD but each district decides whether they will accept/approve them
12:00:56  bobsprankle: we have to recert every 5 years in ME
12:01:06  loonyhiker: every 5 yrs in SC too
12:01:35  PeggyG: no permanent recertification in AZ--everyone (even administrators) must submit recertification hours to renew their certificates
12:01:37  loonyhiker: i can't find the stream on this page - not sure what i'm doing wrong. may have to reboot my computer
12:02:16  bobcaro: http://edtechtalk.com/stream1.asx
12:03:32  PeggyG: great that you could join the conversation guest478!! you always ask such great questions!! :-)
12:05:35  bobsprankle: I don't either... teachers should continue to document the prof. dev
12:05:42  PeggyG: I agree LisaP! I don't think there should be permanent certification--learning can't stop!!
12:06:42  lorianneh: I think tenure is part of other problem. Teachers who have tenure sometimes don't care about improving their skills. They attend the PDP classes, but don't plan on using the information
12:06:43  bobcaro: My district's Instructional Tech trainers know way less than I do. Most Instructional Tech campus people skip their presentations.
12:07:14  bobcaro: Last week we spent 2 hours on this thing they found called Google Doc Forms
12:07:49  bobcaro: ...sarcasm...
12:07:51  nancykeane: Just checked my hours. I have logged over 500 hours in the last 2.5 years.
12:08:00  PeggyG: @bobcaro--Google Doc Forms are wonderful!! did you learn something new??
12:08:01  lisa parisi: Wow Bob
12:08:24  bobcaro: No - sorry about the missing sarcasm - most of us have been using it since it wa introduced a yera ago
12:09:05  PeggyG: then it was the delivery of the PD that was an issue--if everyone already knew about Google Forms they could have been contributing to extend their learning
12:09:36  lisa parisi: I've had staff development like that Peggy.  Find out what your audience already knows
12:09:41  lisa parisi: Hi Ginger!
12:09:42  bobcaro: The mistake is not requiring the trainers to stay on top of their area
12:09:59  PeggyG: or choose different trainers??
12:10:00  GingerTPLC: Hello! Sorry I'm late.
12:10:09  lisa parisi: Glad you are here.
12:10:22  fernando: hola
12:10:35  bobcaro: They are all former elementary school librarians, since that's where the tech was located 15 years ago
12:10:59  PeggyG: great point MariaK!!
12:11:20  PeggyG: there are so many learning opportunities available but people don't always know how/where to find them
12:12:32  bobsprankle: have to step out all. hope to come back. great show!
12:12:43  lisa parisi: Bye Bob.  Thanks for coming
12:12:43  PeggyG: a mentor model is an outstanding idea!!
12:13:12  lisa parisi: Hi Joel
12:13:13  PeggyG: can you get PD hours for being a mentor?
12:13:30  joelz: G'morning all!
12:13:42  PeggyG: hi joelz
12:13:42  lisa parisi: That's how I got my 11 self design hours last year, Peggy.  Working with others who were learning.
12:13:47  nancykeane: @PeggyG We do get PD hours for mentoring.
12:14:53  PeggyG: that's great! Leading and mentoring don't count for recert hours in AZ--have to demonstrate your own personal learning for it to count
12:15:15  PeggyG: and of course you are learning when you are mentoring!!
12:16:04  nancykeane: We don't get hours for delivering PD even though there is so much prep involved.  We have to take PD.
12:16:24  PeggyG: that's my concern nancykeane!
12:16:25  lisa parisi: We get paid if we are running the PD
12:16:34  joelz: Is it necessary for every teacher to connect with other countries?
12:17:09  GingerTPLC: Nah, we need facts too.  Too. But we can learn the facts from everywhere.
12:17:17  nancykeane: We need to put more emphasis on fingertip knowledge for us and our kids.
12:17:19  GingerTPLC: (is this Scott Carter?)
12:17:24  lisa parisi: Yes, Ginger
12:17:36  lisa parisi: Want to come into the skype call with him?
12:17:37  PeggyG: @joelz-yes, I think global understanding and related connections are a 21st century skill -- very important!
12:18:08  GingerTPLC: Not this time.
12:18:34  GingerTPLC: Scott--when you hire or have your principals hire, do they ask about global experience?  Do they make the message clear from the beginning?
12:18:37  lorianneh: Here in NY I don't see any interest in anything except teaching to the tests. I have students with special needs who need to use word processors etc for writing, and I am told I can't introduce them until after the next test is finished....
12:18:58  lorianneh: that attitude comes from administration
12:19:03  joelz: Do we need more teachers like "us"?
12:19:08  lisa parisi: We introduce tech on day one Lori.
12:19:19  lisa parisi: Yes, Joel.  Drink the koolaid.
12:19:26  GingerTPLC: Paul Bogush has a great bog post on "us" and "them." 
12:19:35  GingerTPLC: *blog post*
12:19:43  lorianneh: I do evaluations. They do not always occur on day one
12:19:57  joelz: Is it possible that other teachers down the road will be *better* and different than us?
12:20:47  PeggyG: life long learning is an attitude--do you think it can be taught?? I don't...
12:21:01  GingerTPLC: "Never Question Your Power" at blogush.edublogs.org (can't post the link)
12:21:13  loonyhiker: @Ginger that was a good one!
12:21:27  GingerTPLC: Lisa, I agree with you. It needs to be GENTLY mandated.
12:21:31  PeggyG: Scott's mandate allows for lots of choices!! but it provides direction and sets priorities!
12:21:49  GingerTPLC: And yes, let those teachers go who aren't on board.
12:22:38  PeggyG: I remember that blog post by David Warlick--he makes that point frequently in his presentations/podcasts12:22:41  nancykeane: "I'm not comfortable with math so let's not do it."
12:22:52  loonyhiker: i hate hearing "i'm too busy to do that - u must have it so easy if u have the time to play on the computer"
12:23:13  lorianneh: That is right, they do not have a 'right' but the administration supports their reluctance to use technology
12:23:25  GingerTPLC: Which mandate has sharper teeth? Testing mandate or locally supported reformation mandate?
12:24:30  GingerTPLC: Lisa, respectfully, I disagree. Good teaching is good teaching.
12:24:51  nancykeane: My kindergarten grandson was so disappointed that his class never used technology last year. Here's hoping 1st will be better.
12:24:51  GingerTPLC: But those kids MUST have those connections somewhere because those teachers are SO few and far between12:25:18  lorianneh: That is a big problem with students with special needs. We give them technology but the teacher expects the work to be done by hand on paper
12:25:26  joelz: Did you all see this quote via Wes Fryer:
12:25:27  lisa parisi: Ginger, a good babysitter makes kids happy, feel good about themselves, etc.  A good teacher shows them the world at the same time.  How can a teacher today show the world without leaving the classroom?
12:25:49  joelz: "IF you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders... 12:26:14  joelz: Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Antoine de Saint-Exupery
12:26:27  nancykeane: Mandated pd workshops. Sometimes feel like a pariah in your own land. 12:26:29  lisa parisi: The Little Prince
12:26:34  PeggyG: mandating a specific workshop is very different than setting expectations for priorities that improve student learning12:27:00  loonyhiker: i hate mandated pd that doesn't even pertain to my subject area12:27:22  PeggyG: administrators are very important in their roles of setting expectations and modeling their own learning
12:27:46  nancykeane: Just spent 3 days in smartboard 101 training. So excited but I'm not getting a smartboard:-(
12:27:52  GingerTPLC: I think that good teaching/learning can be focused on places other than the rest of the world. Don't get me wrong; you know I'm a tech fan-girl and we're 100% integrated. But those really good teachers can exist--it's RARE and most should look to tech most of the time. But not all the time. 12:28:30  aforgrave (Andrew): @nancykeane -- while you're waiting, you can still use the Notebook software and all the existing lessons (and make your own) until you get the board ...
12:28:46  GingerTPLC: I'm just afraid that if we shove it too fast/hard, the tech takes the focus. Not the learning.
12:29:04  lisa parisi: @nancykeane My hubby bought a projector from Best Buy and uses notebook software to run his lessons. 12:29:16  GingerTPLC: lol!
12:29:17  nancykeane: @aforgrave (Andrew)  That's what I will be doing -- if I get a projector. 12:29:31  PeggyG: @GingerTPLC--such an important point--it's not the tool but it's how the tool facilitates learning
12:29:34  aforgrave (Andrew): @GingerTPLC -- if we reunderstand our definition of learning, does it change what we need to be doing as teachers?
12:29:52  GingerTPLC: @Andrew. YES! YES YES!
12:30:01  loonyhiker: @Ginger i agree :)
12:30:03  GingerTPLC: The entire thing needs revamped!!
12:30:12  MariaK: lost the skpye call

12:30:22  GingerTPLC: Home Ec is an IMPORTANT class.
12:30:42  aforgrave (Andrew): @nancykeane one of the best parts of the SMART board is the built-in projector and comptuer that is required to run it ..
12:31:05  loonyhiker: uh oh, i lost everyone on the sound
12:31:06  GingerTPLC: (ack--I lost sound)
12:31:09  PeggyG: sorry LisaP-tried to answer your skype call but couldn't...
12:31:16  aforgrave (Andrew): lost sound
12:31:19  nancykeane: I lost sound too
12:31:27  lisa parisi: sound is back..sorry call got droppped
12:31:38  GingerTPLC: Good. We're not missing anything. It's getting juicy
12:31:43  aforgrave (Andrew): sound!
12:31:46  loonyhiker: ahh, no i hear u
12:31:47  aforgrave (Andrew): Hi!
12:31:49  nancykeane: You're back!
12:31:52  PeggyG: welcome back!!
12:31:52  GingerTPLC: Happens.
12:32:05  PeggyG: what a stimulating conversation!!
12:32:14  loonyhiker: can't wait to hear the recording!
12:32:19  loonyhiker: thx y'all
12:32:30  GingerTPLC: Great stuff. It's ok.  Anyone who knows me is tired of hearing me rant! ;-)
12:32:46  GingerTPLC: I'm glad you guys are back! 
12:32:50  aforgrave (Andrew): Sound is here
12:33:04  loonyhiker: @ginger we never get tired of hearing u :)
12:33:05  PeggyG: @GingerTPLC--not tired at all--very important points so keep ranting
12:33:26  GingerTPLC: I'll be there if you want me to play!
12:33:27  lisa parisi:  http://ettconversations.blogspot.com/
12:33:44  GingerTPLC: :D Will do!!
12:33:46  PeggyG: Great Ginger! Join the call next week to continue to conversation!
12:33:51  lisa parisi: Yes Ginger...next week.
12:34:10  lisa parisi: Thank you all for coming.
12:34:12  GingerTPLC: We hired on 3 newbies this year and it's been eyeopening
12:34:18  loonyhiker: bye y'all
12:34:23  GingerTPLC: bye! 
12:34:27  aforgrave (Andrew): Thanks .
12:34:37  nancykeane: bye all. Thanks for the conversation.
12:34:46  PeggyG: thanks everyone! Thanks Scott for sharing your admin perspective! Very valuable!
12:35:44  PeggyG: See you all next week :-)
12:35:58  PeggyG: so glad to have your show back!!

12:36:02  GingerTPLC: Bye!!  Good to see you here Scott!