Power Up Professional Learning: Strategies and Tools to Empower K-12 Educators

Purpose & objective

The purpose of the "Power Up Professional Learning" session is to demonstrate and inspire educational technology coaches to reflect on the current state of professional learning in their schools and consider the impact it has on teaching and learning. This presentation will provide ideas, resources, research, and templates for transforming PL and how blended learning strategies and technology tools can combine to create truly student-centered learning environments.

As an educational technology coordinator in a small, rural district, it is often a challenge to encourage educators to embrace effective technology integration due to a hesitation to try new innovations and a reluctance to change the role of teacher to facilitator. Considering this challenge, I researched and pursued new ways of delivering personalized professional learning to our educators to demonstrate and model the use of blended learning, a focus in our district strategic plan, with the support of technology tools. Rather than simply showing teachers how a technology tool works, I transformed monthly professional learning sessions into authentic learning experiences highlighting blended learning strategies and technology tools that can be used in classrooms to provide students with more choice, engagement, and ownership of learning goals. With the empowering experiences provided through professional learning, our educators have embraced the tools and strategies and are more willing to incorporate these resources and tools within their instructional plans. They are provided with the opportunity to see from a student’s perspective how to interact with both the blended learning resources and the technology tools.

Through an interactive, collaborative session, I will engage participants in learning more about using specific blended learning strategies to present professional learning AND demonstrate a variety of educational technology tools that work with the blended learning resources. The following is an example of digital instructional materials and the technology tools I have used to power up professional learning. Participants will gain hands-on experience by actively engaging in the following activities:

Choice board exploration highlighting Microsoft Flip

Station rotation activity highlighting Wakelet

Playlist activity focusing on creativity with Canva

This session will provide participants with engaging resources they can create and use when delivering professional learning to educators in their districts. Participants will leave with new ideas that will inspire them to “power up” professional learning in their schools and districts.

Outline

Introduction and personal background - 5 minutes

Why blended learning? - 10 minutes
I will provide a brief overview of blended learning research and foundations and discuss why it has become a focused instructional strategy in our district. Participants will engage with a PearDeck activity to gauge understanding of blended learning principles.

Overview and design of professional learning based on blended learning strategies – 30 minutes
During this portion of the presentation, participants will not only get an overview of the blended learning strategies used with teachers to power up professional learning, but they will also participate in at least two blended learning activities that incorporate technology tools. Participants will be placed in the role of students as they take part in a mini-professional learning session that highlights the way I deliver professional learning to our educators:

Participants will collaborate as part of a station rotation activity (blended learning strategy) with hands-on learning with Wakelet (ed tech tool)

Participants will explore a choice board (blended learning strategy) and will contribute to a group video reflection on Microsoft Flip (ed tech tool)

Participants will discover how a playlist (blended learning strategy) can be used as a strategy in the classroom; in addition, participants will have an opportunity to work together on a collaborative Canva (ed tech tool) activity.

Templates, Resources, and Wrap-Up – 15 minutes
In the final segment of the session, I will share templates for creating a variety of instructional materials like choice boards, station rotation signs, hyperdocs and more. Participants will also have an opportunity to share one takeaway on our collaborative Padlet board.

Supporting research

Websites:
Blended Learning Universe: https://www.blendedlearning.org/
Dr. Catlin Tucker's website/blog: https://catlintucker.com/
Eric Sheninger's website/blog: https://esheninger.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-pedagogy-of-blended-learning.html
Modern Classroom Project: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/

Books:
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Corwin.
Novak, K., & Tucker, C. (2021). UDL and blended learning: Thriving in flexible learning landscapes. IMpress.