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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

"Yes, there are mounds of curricula they must master in a wide breadth of subjects, but education does not begin and end with a textbook or test. Other skills must be honed, too, not the least of which is how to get along with their peers and work well with others. This is not something that can be cultivated through rote memorization or with strategically placed posters. Students must be engaged and cooperation must be practiced, and often. The following team-building games can promote cooperation and communication, help establish a positive classroom environment and - most importantly - provide a fun, much-needed reprieve from routine."

"But in order to see results like those in Singapore, a cultural change must take place in the classroom, points out Norris. It's not enough just to introduce technology into the learning environment and expect results, she says; you must change everything, from devices to curriculum to pedagogy. "You must give them curricula with the technology activities baked in," she asserts, "so students don't have to keep going back and forth from their paper and pencil textbooks to their technology activities." "

"The journey of building and maintaining a makerspace in our school is never-ending. Less than one year ago, we opened the doors of our Learning Lab Makerspace to our students, who have since experienced creating, tinkering and play. While still in its infancy, our Learning Lab has gone through a major transformation into the makerspace and yet has still continued to change based on our students' interests and needs. We have built the maker mindset from the ground up in our school, with teachers finding new ways to use the space to empower students to solve problems and with students finding their creative side as they tinker and explore. The space has grown in materials and ideas and even our parents are intrigued by what happens in there, bringing donations of supplies so that our students can continue to make. Even though our makerspace has seen its changes, there are materials that have become staples. Some of our must-haves are consumables, where students create ideas and projects in the art station. Other must-haves are not consumables, but are always in use. Here is our top ten list of elementary makerspace must-have materials."

""Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other," John Kennedy intended to say in Dallas on November 22, 1963. These words are as relevant to us today in Albemarle County as they were when John Kennedy asked America to relearn the world - through efforts such as the Peace Corps - and relearn the universe - through the then seemingly improbable "moon shot." If our students are to be successful in today's increasingly complex and demanding global environment, we must be constantly learning and we must be modeling learning. To do that we must help our educators develop the learning and leadership skills which help our children learn to become leaders."

"As schools change leadership must as well. With society becoming more and more reliant on technology it is incumbent upon leaders to harness the power of digital technologies in order to create school cultures that are transparent, relevant, meaningful, engaging, and inspiring. In order to set the stage for increasing achievement and to establish a greater sense of community pride for the work being done in our schools, we must begin to change the way we lead. To do this, leaders must understand the origins of fear and misconceptions that often surround the use of technology such as social media and mobile devices."

"Traditionally as students come back to school, it is important to establish a positive classroom culture. Today, more and more districts are following the lead of places like New York City where schools are empowered to support students in the responsible use of cell phones and social media. That means that not only must we support the establishment of a positive classroom and school culture, but we must also ensure our students are engaging positively and responsibly as digital citizens.  While students are all familiar with the "social" aspect of social media, teachers have an important new role. That is to help students consider the "power" of social media for academic and career success. If our students want to run for office, run a business, or change the way things are run where you live, work, or play they must be savvy in the use of social media. "

Top Eleven Things All Teachers Must Know About Technology (or: I promised Dean Groom I wouldn't write a top ten list; so this one goes up to eleven.) The Top Eleven Things All Teachers Must Know About Technology

"In a perfect world, all of our students would come to school every day well rested, well fed, clean, healthy, happy, feeling good about themselves and ready to learn. But some of the time, and perhaps for a significant segment of our students, that is not the reality. So yes, schools need to be clear on their priorities and make tough choices in supporting students while making sure their basic and psychological needs are met before we can aspire to assist them with their self-fulfillment needs. It's a delicate dance schools must do in supporting students with their varying needs; a balancing act of sorts that comes with great consequence. What complicates this even further is the reality of the very dynamic, digital world our students are growing up in. With a shifting world, comes shifting needs. And along with shifting needs comes a shifting role that schools must take on in order to best prepare students moving forward. We must revisit the graphic above to explore and best support students with their changing needs in our DIGITAL WORLD. In some cases, students get these emerging needs related to our shifting world met at home, but for others, this is not the case for a variety of reasons."

Corporate leaders aren't the only ones who need to consider how to adjust to the new world the 4th Industrial Revolution is ushering in. Educators, schools, government officials, and parents must re-think education and how to prepare the next generation to take advantage of the plethora of opportunities and overcome the challenges enabled by ever-increasing technological change. Here are some of the changes happening because of the 4th Industrial Revolution and eight things every school must do to prepare for the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Buy Etsy Account Introduction Having an Etsy account allows you to purchase and sell handmade things, antique items, and creative materials on the Etsy website. To shop on Etsy, you need to be logged into your Etsy account. Using your email address, Facebook account, or Google account, you may create an Etsy account. Why You Should Buy Etsy Accounts ? The American e-commerce site Etsy specializes on distinctive factory-made products as well as handcrafted or antique goods and supplies. According to reports, Etsy is the "world's largest handmade marketplace" and "a crafts bazaar." Etsy accounts are quite beneficial for a variety of reasons. Here are a few examples: Vintage and handmade goods frequently have higher quality than mass-produced goods. Buying from Etsy helps independent artisans and small companies. Buy Etsy Account Unlike other online shopping portals or traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, Etsy provides a distinctive range of goods. Buy Etsy Account Compared to shopping at big-box retailers, Etsy is often more ecologically friendly. Compared to the costs of identical goods from upscale retailers, Etsy prices are frequently more affordable. Access to Etsy's useful mobile app, which simplifies purchasing on the move, is included with all accounts. Finding and keeping track of your favorite stores and products is simple when you have an Etsy account.

What do you need to sell on Etsy? You must register for an Etsy account and submit some basic information about yourself in order to sell on the website. For your Etsy shop, you must provide a working email address, make a password, and decide on a username. Additionally, you must accept Etsy's terms and conditions. Buy Etsy Account You must set up your shop after creating your Etsy account. After deciding on a store name, you may begin adding listings. You must select a category, provide images and a description of your item, establish a price, and pick how you want to send your item when making a listing. Additionally, you must decide whether you want your listing to be available to everyone or only to Etsy users that are logged in.

"Ask a student what the capital of Burkina Faso is and most will give you a blank stare. Most would be lucky to even tell you the continent the country is a part of. With these 8 must-have apps for geography, not only will students learn the capital of Burkina Faso (it's Ouagadougou by the way), but they will learn a lot of geographical facts, as well as information that will help them navigate and better understand the world."

"Today, we bring you 20 of the best and must-have educational apps for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. These apps can be utilized for different levels of classes. Not only these apps educate the students effectively, but students also take keen interest in learning with help of mobile devices and apps. Nearly all of these apps have been recommended by teachers and educators. Come, let us have a look at these educational apps."

"Apple has recently published a PDF guide for parents on the importance of Apple ID and how it could be used to improve kids overall learning. I have just finished reading it and I must say that you definitely need to download it if your students and kids are going to use iOS products in their learning. Though the app is for parents but it also applies to teachers using iPad with their students."

"ll the conversations about technology and education lead to 1:1, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives. Each concept has its benefits and challenges, which creates a spirited debate among educators. Add to this debate the ever expanding list of educational apps, programs and services being developed for teachers, students, parents and administrators, and you begin to feel the urgency to innovate in your school. Before you take the plunge consider these five essential questions:"

"Today while I was lounging in Victoria Park, I took my iPad and started thumbing around through the apps I have. I was really surprised to find out that I have many apps installed but only some are being used on a regular basis. So it dawned on me to compile a list of some "must have" apps that teachers should have access to. All of these apps are great for organizational tasks such as : task management, bookmarking, note-taking...and media storage. "

"Have you ever listened to a 5 year old tell about their work? Try listening to 25 of them. Daily. They have so much they want to tell and explain that I don't have enough ears to listen to it all. Their work is so detailed and there are like 40 bajillion things they absolutely must tell, and if you interrupt them even once, they must. start. over."

"The iPad is not going to replace teachers or 'fix' education. There is a cost implication that must be taken into account and only an educator will know if it is right for their students. Indeed the cost-benefit analysis for an establishment must take into account a host of factors when considering iPad use in the classroom. However, if there are iPads in the classroom, there are a number of applications that can enhance learning and assist the educator in developing student skills. In fact, the iPad allows educators to build on existing styles and increase flexibility in their classroom whilst personalising learning."

"Get into the holiday spirit the Destination Imagination way-with a little creativity! For this year's Great Graham Cracker Challenge, we want you to design and create a graham cracker structure inspired by your favorite book. Your structure must incorporate at least two special features. Special features must be physical things that are attached to or associated with your graham cracker structure (e.g., extra floors, a magical cape, etc.)."

"One undeniable fact about teaching is that teachers not only need to be masters of content within their subject area, but they must also be masters of education as a subject. Another undeniable fact is that neither of those subject areas looks the same as when any teacher first mastered them. One effect of the integration of technology into our society is that change in almost everything is happening at a pace never before experienced by mankind. As much as some people may yearn for the simpler times of the past, life will continue to move forward as the natural order of society requires. The influence of additional information on any subject often affects how we deal with that subject. Once we had more information on the effects of smoking, smoking habits of millions of people changed. Once we learned what we now understand about the benefits of physical activity, several sports related industries were spawned. Once we learned what we now know of communication, music and print industries disappeared while being replaced with better in many ways."