Seeking Out Professional Development

As an educator, I feel it is my responsibility to seek out professional development that will keep me well informed and ready to move to the next level. I actively seek out opportunities to challenge myself and stretch beyond my comfort zone. Good educators often reflect on what they are doing and how they can improve. I often ask myself, “What skills do I need to be able to fulfill my job responsibilities and those in the future?” After identifying these skills I aggressively pursue training and professional development opportunities to improve them. I seek out networking opportunities with other professionals with similar needs, goals, and interests. I often participate in online webcast sessions where I meet and discuss educational technology issues and best practices.

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I am a blogger. I read and comment on blogs weekly. Blogging allows me to read other’s ideas on innovative teaching practices and gives me a venue to share and get feedback on my own ideas. I twitter on a daily basis. With twitter, I have learned so much from so many. I search for twitters in instructional technology so that my network reflects my passion for teaching and integrating technology. Interesting web sites, emerging technologies, new software and friendly reminders are posted by twitters 24/7 for all in their network to see. Twitters answer the question, “What are you doing?” in 144 characters or less. My network includes other educators who seek to find ways to encourage and motivate teachers in integrating the latest technology to produce students who will be successful in the 21st century and beyond. I create wikis as the instructional format for my staff development for others. It allows me to upload documents and files that participants might need as well as creates an online document they can interact with as well. I subscribe to many podcasts that I listen to as I drive to and from trainings. Podcasts are a great way to listen to previously recorded trainings that you couldn’t attend.

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With the emergence of Web 2.0 tools, I can continue to be a learner, facilitator, collaborator, and a team player with educators all over the world. This is an exciting time for all of us in education. The ability of our students reaching well beyond the borders of a classroom is so evident in the many global projects happening as we speak. To me it’s not a choice to seek out my own professional development, it is my responsibility. As I like to say, I don’t want to be left behind.