Kindle books for professional development

I read a lot about professional development. What is wrong with the way it is done? Why educators don’t find it to be of much personal value. Etc.

Here is an idea that came to me based on the opportunity for educator personalization, cost-effectiveness, and depth of information. This plan would not cover all areas of need, but I believe it would be beneficial in reaction to many of the complaints I have heard. To be honest, I think I read about some school somewhere doing something like this. I am afraid at the time I did not pay much attention and failed to identify the source. Most of the ideas here are my own.

I propose that administrators offer educators funding to read Kindle books this summer. The number I have in mind would be 10, but 5 would also be beneficial. Based on my own heavy use of Kindle books, I estimate the cost would be $120 to $150 per educator. As a comparison, I estimate a trip to the ISTE conference in Chicago this summer would cost me $2000 0r so and I doubt I would get as much out of the conference as reading 10 appropriate books.

I would match the funding for Kindle books with the expectation that each educator author multiple tweets related to each book read. These tweets might be tagged with a school identifier (#myschool). This would offer some limited information to other educators who might find a useful book to add to their own request list. I suppose the tweets would also verify that the reader had spent time with the purchased books. The Kindle app offers a nice feature that allows the tweeting of a short segment of text underlined from the book and whatever additional personal comment can be included in the tweet. Clicking on the link in the tweet produces an image, the underlined segment, and a link to the Amazon store allowing access to the book. (see below).

I suppose if you really want to go cheap, you could lend a completed Kindle book to a colleague.

The more I think about this idea the more I think it would offer an opportunity for ebook publishers (ibooks, kindle books). Perhaps there could be some bulk plan made available to schools willing to meet a certain level of use – say 25, 5 book packages at $40 each. I have no idea such an idea might reach the ear of an Amazon or Apple executive.

Technology facilitator certification

In most states, administrators, teachers, librarians, nurses, and counselors are required to meet specific certification requirements to work in their positions. This is not true (at least in the states I am familiar with) for technology professionals supporting the instructional mission of educators. I am interested in you sharing your explanation and analysis of this situation. Are there specific recommendations you feel would be appropriate?

This is the first discussion question for those enrolled in my grad instructional design and technology course. Sometimes I ask questions because I have no answer myself and I think that an explanation should exist. Sometimes I think that those who make the rules keep thinking the role of technology instructional support will be absorbed into general training and professional development. I have been waiting twenty years or so and this has not happened.

Grad education for educators

Last night I met with the students in the grad course I teach. While I am retired, I still have the opportunity to teach some graduate courses and I look forward to this opportunity. In this context (preparing for this class and having the initial meeting in which the approach and the goals of the class were presented), this morning I happened to come across this post on graduate education for educators. If you have an interest in graduate level professional development, the post is well thought out and worth your examination.

I am not certain how the approach I take would be evaluated by the writer of the post I encourage you to examine. I am certainly willing to offer my syllabus for examination. I am very possibly an example of the "old guard" according to the expectations explained in this post. It is very possible that some of the vocabulary used by this writer limits my understanding. We academics all use terminology unique to our own perspectives and terms used as part of daily communication by others may be vague to others. The phrase "critical digital pedagogy" has no concrete meaning to me. I may actually take this perspective in the course I am teaching and I may not. I really don't know.

Here is what I can say about my perspective. I understand that various perspectives can be brought to bear in examining instructional practices. My approach is based in the cognitive understanding of human learning and the research available on the effectiveness of different learning experiences. I am aware that many other factors are influential. There are political influences. There are historical influences. There are sociological influences. There are philosophical influences. There is also the reality that graduate education offers opportunities to examine the experiences of learners from all of these perspectives. I am certain that all perspectives have something to offer. I am also certain that my attempt to address the potential interplay of all of these perspectives would limit student focus on any given perspective.

I used to think that technology was neutral and that it was important for educators to understand that how students applied the tool should be the focus. I think my perspective has changed a bit. I understand that tools have affordances (things that the tool allows to be accomplished with great ease) and existing predominant applications. It is the combination of affordance, predispositions and an understand of how learning happens that I try to emphasize.