Support Professional Development
and Communities of Practice

"We have high expectations of our staff. We don't want you to work here unless you are comfortable with and able to use technology."
— Dr. Chip Kimball, Superintendent, Lake Washington School District, Redmond, WA

To be an effective technology leader, it is critical for you to understand that all educators, including administrators, need sustained, job-embedded opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills, collaborate with their peers and build collective wisdom.

Even your best educators need professional development to learn about, practice and reflect on your district's current priorities – as well as 21st century skills, different pedagogical strategies and effective integration of technology into every aspect of education.

Professional learning communities and communities of practice also offer teachers and administrators opportunities to develop and sustain a culture of learning and support. Teams of educators with similar responsibilities or expertise, such as content-area or grade-level teachers, can collaborate on learning activities, examinations of student work and assessment results, joint lesson planning and problem solving in a spirit of continuous improvement and experimentation. Over time, these groups can build a shared vision and capacity for instructional excellence and improved student achievement.

Technology should be infused into professional development and communities of practices, both as a way to develop technology proficiency and other knowledge and skills and as a powerful delivery mechanism.

Many educators, like any other adults, do not become comfortable or proficient with technology without some direct instruction, supported by adult learning modalities, and practice. For districts to expect educators to use new technologies effectively, they need to provide them with models and support early adopters who can then work with others in their schools. Technology-savvy educators or technology coordinators can serve as expert leaders in their buildings.

Technology should be an integral part of professional development. Districts can use their Web sites to post content, such as standards- and research-based resources, multimedia learning objects, video clips of effective teaching practices and podcasts from experts. They can join forces with other districts, with their states or with area colleges and universities, or with commercial educational providers to create or take advantage of online professional development, ranging from short Webinars on specific topics to full-credit courses. And they can use modern technologies – such as videoconferencing, Web conferencing, chat programs, instant messaging, voice threads, online document sharing and collaboration tools – that enable people to work together without necessarily getting together in the same room.