3.+Benchmark+Project

=Proposed Topic for Professional Development Workshop and online followup:=

Our school is transitioning to Google Apps for Education next year. There are many staff members that feel comfortable using at least one or two of the suite of applications that Google offers. On the extreme ends of the spectrum, there are staff who have never used Google Apps at all and those who use them on a daily basis (but who probably still have not explored the full range of Google offerings or fully contemplated their use for student learning).

I am thinking about developing a PD that would introduce some of the basics of the Google Apps that would illustrate transitions points... tasks and uses that are common through other current means that could be accomplished through Google Apps, focusing on some individual use and some collaborative use ideas. As this is our second email service change in three years, I know this will cause distress for some of my colleagues (even as they are happy to "get rid of" the old system). To this end, I will try to keep in mind these ideas when developing and facilitating the PD: //The design of activities also had to address the four sources of information that influence teacher self-efficacy (Bandura,1986). First, teachers had to observe ePortfolios in action. Second, teachers had to enact teaching with ePortfolios. Third, teachers had to be convinced about the merits of ePortfolios. The fourth source of information concerns affective states. For example, the stress of learning new ICT skills and changing familiar practices may cause teachers to avoid implementing ePortfolios. These sources of information can be referred to simply as **seeing, doing, hearing, and caring**//. Pierson, Melissa; Borthwick, Arlene (2010-11-10). Transforming Classroom Practice: Professional Development Strategies in Educational Technology (Kindle Locations 1432-1436). International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Kindle Edition.

What I would like to do with the website would be to provide continuous learning by highlighting other Apps and ideas for use, inviting suggestions and requests for future highlights and instructions and allowing for sharing and illustration of uses found by staff members, both for administrative use and student use.

I'm looking at the CBAMS model to structure both the PD and the website... The face-to-face PD would focus on the first level of use and stage of concern. The website can continue addressing level one while providing opportunities for those working more in levels 2 and 3.

PART I: Please complete each portion by the end of Week 3:
 * Select an identified faculty professional development need
 * Explore strategies that facilitate adult and continuous learning
 * Investigate one or more themes related to the integration of technology for effective student learning
 * Involve faculty members at critical milestones in the development and use of the website:
 * Planning
 * Testing
 * Implementation
 * Evaluation
 * Recommendations for improvement

PART II: Students should create a planning document which includes the following elements:


 * An //introduction// that provides an overview of the web site and its purpose
 * Description of the target learners and their needs
 * Description of subject matter or content
 * A listing of the expected prerequisites for successful use of the curriculum
 * A list of specific learning objectives
 * An instructional plan (describing how the web site will be used by the faculty members), including a list of the equipment and materials necessary
 * A plan for assessment of learning and for evaluation of the web site
 * A discussion of how the web site will include adult learning theory
 * Contact information for the author, and acknowledgements of sources utilized in building the web site

PART III: Students will create a professional development web site. The site should:


 * URL of your site:
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Include at least 10 pages (one of which will be the planning document, called “Guide to this Web Site”)
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apply quality web page design criteria including a consistent “look and feel” based on an underlying page template
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Include consistent and functional navigation structures
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Include text, tables, databases, graphics, and multimedia, as appropriate
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Address social, ethical, and legal issues, as appropriate
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Refer to associated state and federal guidelines for technology integration
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Provide examples of how the skills and/or knowledge faculty members acquire from this experience can be applied to instructional practice
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Identify, as appropriate, opportunities for faculty to further pursue this area of professional development
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Include a bibliography of professional literature (web- and print-based) relevant to the topic
 * <span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Include a feedback form so that users of the web site can provide feedback to the developer

<span style="color: #413993; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students will demonstrate and discuss their final projects in class, allowing class members an opportunity to access and use the final web site product. The instructor will be provided with digital copy of all students’ work.