Comments on: Viral Professional Development in High Schools http://robwall.ca/2008/05/21/viral-professional-development-in-high-schools/ Visitivity in the possimpible Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:52:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Mr W http://robwall.ca/2008/05/21/viral-professional-development-in-high-schools/#comment-295 Mr W Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:51:12 +0000 http://robwall.ca/2008/05/21/viral-professional-development-in-high-schools/#comment-295 Really interested to see your thoughts here. Two things you might like to consider: 1) "It's the teach, not the tech" that makes the real difference! Ewan Macintosh has long espoused the difference, and I can but agree... 2) You should consider trying the TeachMeet model for CPD. It's very viral, great fun, and it works! Find out more at the <a href="http://www.teachmeet.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">TeachMeet wiki</a>! Cheers from Scotland! Really interested to see your thoughts here. Two things you might like to consider:

1) “It’s the teach, not the tech” that makes the real difference! Ewan Macintosh has long espoused the difference, and I can but agree…
2) You should consider trying the TeachMeet model for CPD. It’s very viral, great fun, and it works! Find out more at the TeachMeet wiki!

Cheers from Scotland!

]]> By: Shaun Loeppky http://robwall.ca/2008/05/21/viral-professional-development-in-high-schools/#comment-294 Shaun Loeppky Wed, 28 May 2008 03:49:27 +0000 http://robwall.ca/2008/05/21/viral-professional-development-in-high-schools/#comment-294 We are so quick to implement PD in the same standard format in any institution...introduce a concept, lecture, show examples (great powerpoint!), and pat ourselves on the back for some small group interaction. Wake up and smell the evaluation forms! OUT OF CONTEXT, OUT OF MIND! Only later as we begin to work through new materials or processes that enhance our practice do we long for those peers to network with! Who has not been on the phone with subject/grade alike teachers from other schools asking for input or advice (especially for us, the small schools!)? I agree with you Rob. On the phone=saw... Encourage a network with today's social tools= table saw! VPD makes sense and addresses that most difficult of all concepts....change. It is that unrealistic need for immediacy that drives PD back to the lecturing large groups. However, I would argue that admin needs to understand VPD and it's relation to effective change and the need for time, otherwise we might find that bandsaw has lost it's cord. We are so quick to implement PD in the same standard format in any institution…introduce a concept, lecture, show examples (great powerpoint!), and pat ourselves on the back for some small group interaction. Wake up and smell the evaluation forms! OUT OF CONTEXT, OUT OF MIND! Only later as we begin to work through new materials or processes that enhance our practice do we long for those peers to network with! Who has not been on the phone with subject/grade alike teachers from other schools asking for input or advice (especially for us, the small schools!)? I agree with you Rob. On the phone=saw… Encourage a network with today’s social tools= table saw!
VPD makes sense and addresses that most difficult of all concepts….change. It is that unrealistic need for immediacy that drives PD back to the lecturing large groups.
However, I would argue that admin needs to understand VPD and it’s relation to effective change and the need for time, otherwise we might find that bandsaw has lost it’s cord.

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