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"One small change in the classroom can make a big difference. And the same is true when it comes to professional development. In the past year, the switch to visual note taking has impacted my thinking. Visual note taking, also known as sketch noting, is taking down notes and information using both words and pictures. When listening to a speaker or reading text, we naturally form mental images. In sketch noting, the note taker captures those images and creates sketches and doodles on paper or a digital device, such as a tablet."

"I spent the day working with educators who are developing their own learning portfolios, before we embark on a journey of students going through the same process. I truly believe that why digital portfolios have failed in so many places is that we are encouraging educators to teach them without learning how to do them first. This, to me, is the equivalent of someone teaching math who has never learned math. Though this process might be slower and not have students going through the process as quickly, it is the idea of going slow to move fast. The depth of this project can be much deeper if educators think of the process from the point of the view of a learner, not the teacher."

"That may partly be the result of a lack of constructive collaboration opportunities, however. For example, the study finds that less than 7 percent of the teachers had opportunities to observe other teachers. Other recent research has found that observations of other teachers can be an especially effective method of professional learning."

Designing and delivering excellent professional development for our educational leaders will require that consideration is given to the realities our educational leaders face. The following are four considerations to inform the design and

Perfect for Documenting OF/FOR/AS Learning experiences! "To earn a micro-credential, an educator can select either a single micro-credential or a stack that is aligned with his or her interests or students' needs, collect the required evidence to demonstrate competency, and submit it online for assessment. For example, if an educator wants to earn a micro-credential in Wait Time-asking a question and then waiting 5-8 seconds before following up-she would select that micro-credential, access any resources or further information she needs to develop that skill, and submit a video of herself demonstrating wait time during instruction, as well as some context and a reflection, via the micro-credential platform. An assessor will download the video, and evaluate it through the publicly available rubric. If successful, he or she will earn the micro-credential in the form of a shareable digital badge. Micro-credentials can be posted on social media, shared with administrators or colleagues, or published on profiles and resumes."

"Welcome to the brave new world of teacher "micro-credentialing," an effort to make professional development more personalized, engaging, and relevant to teachers. All in all, the two Wisconsin teachers say, it's a lot more focused and practical than the stereotypical continuing-education class."