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"Please, No More Professional Development! By Peter DeWitt on April 17, 2015 8:10 AM Today's guest blog is written by Kristine Fox (Ed.D), Senior Field Specialist/Research Associate at Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations (QISA). She is a former teacher and administrator who has passion for teacher learning and student voice. Kris works directly with teachers and leaders across the country to help all learners reach their fullest potential. Peter DeWitt recently outlined why "faculty meetings are a waste of time." Furthering on his idea, most professional development opportunities don't offer optimal learning experiences and the rare teacher is sitting in her classroom thinking "I can't wait until my district's next PD day." When I inform a fellow educator that I am a PD provider, I can read her thoughts - boring, painful, waste of time, useless, irrelevant - one would think my job is equal to going to the dentist (sorry to my dentist friends). According to the Quaglia Institute and Teacher Voice and Aspirations International Center's National Teacher Voice Report only 54% percent of teachers agree "Meaningful staff development exists in my school." I can't imagine any other profession being satisfied with that number when it comes to employee learning and growth. What sense does it make for the science teacher to spend a day learning about upcoming English assessments? Or, for the veteran teacher to learn for the hundredth time how to use conceptual conflict as a hook. Why does education insist everyone attend the same type of training regardless of specialization, experience, or need? As a nod to the upcoming political campaigns and the inevitable introduction of plans with lots of points, here is my 5 Point Plan for revamping professional development. 5 Point Plan Point I - Change the Term: Semantics Matter We cannot reclaim the term Professional Development for teachers. It has a long, baggage-laden history of conformity that does not

"With Pokemon Go, Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions making virtual reality the hottest thing in tech, teachers may be wondering how they can capitalize on the trend in the classroom. Imagine studying underwater ecosystems and taking the whole class scuba diving with just a smartphone and a $6 headset. The benefits of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) include increased engagement, appeal to visual learners and shared experience among students. Although the immersive experience is enhanced with a headset, the 360-degree experience is still worth exploring. Teachers can take advantage of many of the VR apps using the individual laptops, iPads or smartboards already in the classroom. While VR is changing quickly, the resources below are a good starting point."

"The Case for the Virtual Classroom"

Edusim is a free opensource 3D multi-user virtual world specifically for your classroom interactive whiteboard (Smartboard, Activeboard, Interwriter, Mimio, eBeam, or WiiBoard). Edusim is extendable allowing multiple classrooms to connect their interactive whiteboards for collaborative learning session. Read more about Edusim and turning your classroom interactive whiteboard into a low cost single walled CAVE based virtual world platform here.

"It's pretty self-explanatory to most people why kids benefit from virtual field trips: They present learning matter in a very vivid and entertaining way. And this is great.  But still, once the hardware has found its way into the classroom, it makes sense to explore possibilities beyond the mere consumption of readymade content. Namely: let students create virtual realities themselves. There are some reasons why teachers should consider experimenting with this possibility:"

"Classroom learning as we know it is undergoing change at an unprecedented rate. Technology has made its way to the classroom, increasing the engaging and interactive elements that many students are benefitting from. Students today are already familiar with various technologies, which is why computerized tools and apps make sense in a classroom setting. One study among marketing students has shown that the introduction of technology makes 87% of students more likely to attend class and 72% of them more likely to participate. Augmented and virtual reality are seeing more prominent utilization in classroom and educational settings. The format and even the location of the learning process could be transformed through AR in the years to come. Keeping in mind that 71% of people aged 16 to 24 in the US have a smartphone, AR could be the next big thing in education. Let's explore educational uses of the AR technology in detail."

"There's plenty of excitement surrounding virtual reality's applications in education. Teachers and administrators attending the ISTE 2016 Conference and Expo, for instance, flocked to the Samsung Gear VR and Google Expeditions displays to try their hand at the companies' respective VR teaching tools. Despite the interest, VR hasn't yet found a home in most schools. According to statistics cited in a recent Samsung infographic, only 2 percent of teachers use VR content in their classrooms. The data comes from a 2016 survey of more than 1,000 K-12 teachers. Survey results also indicate that educators would like to use VR to complement coursework in a variety of subjects, particularly science, history and social studies. Eight-three percent of teachers believe the technology could help improve student outcomes in those and other areas."

Class Set-Up tool is a new, easy-to-use, virtual layout tool that helps you design customized and effective classrooms to promote learning. Use this tool to rearrange and set-up mock classrooms, and map out virtual seating charts.

"The power of the iPad is especially valuable in the classroom as a tool for producing high quality creative output, enabling pupil independence, supporting collaboration and providing a classroom tool which can transform teaching and learning completely. The free app RECCE is a virtual mapping facility which can be used as a powerful starting point for many pupil projects in a range of subject areas."

"As a school librarian, I always thought of the notion of collection as expansive. Collections might include any of the experiences we discover, as well as any of the people we meet who might enhance learning for our communities. Among those experiences are virtual field trips. Opportunities now abound for connections to curriculum and student interests. And easier strategies for video conferencing, combined with new types of interactions, make virtual field trips even more affordable and engaging. You don't risk weather conditions or losing any wandering kiddos who can't find their way back to the bus. You can ignore issues of distance relating to both space and time. And these escapes from daily classroom routine can result in very sticky learning."

"Virtual reality is one of the hottest edtech trends. Not only are students allowed the opportunity to emerge themselves into a subject but can travel the world from their desk chairs. While not readily available in every classroom, programs such as Google Cardboard aim to make VR headsets cheap and accessible. The majority of students in the USA own a cell phone, and with many of these educational apps available on both iOs and the iTunes-enabled devices, they are becoming more accessible to more students. Educationally, these VR apps allow students to visualize concepts that were confined to the pictures in a textbook. Below are 20 Virtual Reality Apps that are changing education."

"Virtual and Augmented Reality apps are starting to hit the market in force. While most of the buzz for these technologies has been for immersive gaming, many companies are getting involved in realizing the potential that Augmented and Virtual Reality may have as educational tools. The fraction of projected VR and AR market value taken up by education may seem small, but considering how large whole market is, this "small fraction" still represents Billions of Dollars. This article will discuss 22 virtual and augmented reality apps for education that are already available, in beta, or still in the testing process. Some of the apps are aimed at parents and preschool teachers, while most are for primary school teachers. Others will interest anybody, including higher education students, and even non-students."

"Have you made digital vessels on your iPad? Yes, you can create clay vases on iPad! 'Let's Create Pottery HD' is a wonderful tool to support teaching and learning in your classroom. Firstly, let me assure you that using the iPad in a creative workflow in my classroom is not about 'getting rid of clay'. Art teachers know how valuable those 'hands-on making' experiences can be for our students as they grapple with this challenging medium and the multi-step process of building a large-scale object from the ground up. The Pottery app has immense value in the classroom for other reasons."

"How can you place learning goals front and center in a tech-rich classroom? Let the phrase "tasks before apps" be your reminder to focus on technology's purpose for learning, even when bright and shiny digital tools grab your attention. As a teacher in a one-to-one iPad classroom, I strove to make the most of the tablets in my students' hands. From screencasting and moviemaking to reading activities and skill practice, these devices elevated and energized my students' learning experiences. Digital platforms can give children access to learning experiences that meet their individual needs, such as when a student uses the free Microsoft Learning Tool Immersive Reader to hear a passage read aloud. Digital tools can open up the world to students, such as virtual-reality videos from the New York Times that showcase a place they may never have the chance to visit. In my current role as a professional development facilitator, I spend time in other teachers' classrooms in schools across the country. The phrase "tasks before apps" was born out of my coaching conversations and presentations to educators. It is a reminder that, even as we consider how technology helps students do new and amazing things with their learning, we must always place learning goals at the forefront. Here are four strategies to make the most of technology and embrace a "tasks before apps" mindset this school year."

Edusim is a free opensource 3D multi-user virtual world specifically for your classroom interactive whiteboard. Edusim is extendable allowing multiple classrooms to connect their interactive whiteboards for collaborative learning session.

"Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have never been more accessible for teachers and students. Of course, the technology isn't perfect yet, and the content offerings can be hit or miss. But, considering how many students carry smartphones, and with cardboard-style VR viewers starting at about $15, it's easier than ever to give kids immersive VR and AR experiences in class."

"Virtual Reality is about to find it's way into schools and classrooms with a new layer of interactivity from ThingLink! ThingLink VR will allow educators to create an affordable interactive learning environment to immerse students in learning experiences like never before. ThingLink is evolving from image and video annotation to 360 content, which gives educators a larger canvas to create virtual learning experiences. "

Online classes may be a relatively young instructional practice for K-12 schools, but experts already generally agree on one point: Research shows that virtual schooling can be as good as, or better than, classes taught in person in brick-and-mortar schools.

"It's hard to believe that just six years ago Minecraft was virtually unheard of. It was little more than a hobby project for creator and designer Markus Persson. Fast forward to 2016 and Minecraft has completely changed the way we perceive videogames. Starting as a novelty in a handful of innovative classrooms, Minecraft is now a foundation of curriculums around the world. From math to art to geography and even quantum mechanics, Minecraft and imaginative educators are turning bland subjects into incredible immersive learning experiences."

"The image-heavy social media platform Pinterest isn't just for making pretty digital tack boards filled with DIY projects and delicious food recipes. Pinterest is a great educational tool for teachers, homeschool parents, and other educators around the world. And the best thing is, it's free! With links to virtually millions of ideas, Pinterest offers a wealth of great information and learning ideas that can be applied to almost any educational environment. Everything is keyword searchable and Pinterest "pins" can be commented on and liked, similar to Facebook. Here we feature 9 great Pinterest classroom ideas that will engage and entertain both teachers and students alike."