By Mary Worrell

Money is always an issue for schools - there's never enough - and during this recession pennies are being counted even more closely. Professional development is often one of the first things to go during budget cuts, but extra money is available if you just know where to look. And the funds aren't just for public institutions.

One avenue is through Title II Part D funds, also known as the Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001, for which private schools are also eligible. The goals of the act are clear - to improve academic achievement through the use of technology, as well as:

One of the act's purposes is to enhance ongoing professional development. If you're interested in joining a PLP cohort next year, these funds would apply. Visit the Department of Education for more information about these funds.

Everyone is looking to get a piece of the economic stimulus package, known formally as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). According to the National Staff Development Council, "the U.S. Department of Education is emphasizing improvements in teacher effectiveness and equitable distribution of qualified teachers as well as providing support for the nation's lowest performing schools." This means the stimulus dollars have the potential to impact the "reach and quality of professional learning for all educators," according to the NSDC.

The Special Edition of TQ Research and Policy Update published in March discussed the challenges of finding quality and beneficial professional development opportunities for teachers. The update outlined the characteristics of quality states should consider when analyzing professional development opportunities, saying the development should be:

The report went on to say, "States should work to analyze the policies and requirements in place for professional development and the processes by which they determine what professional development to offer and whether it has the characteristics listed above."

The work we are doing through Powerful Learning Practice meets these requirements and its standards are closely aligned with NSDC standards. If you are looking for a strategic way to spend your PD dollars, this may be a way that not only meets the National Staff Development Council's criteria for best practice, but is also grounded in Teacher Quality research and results in transformational change. 

We are recruiting schools to join cohorts for our 2009-2010 year. The deadline of August 1st to form or join a cohort is fast-approaching. We have independent and public cohorts in the works in the following areas for the next year: Philadelphia, Minnesota/Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario, Australia, Houston and Colorado.

If you're interested in joining a cohort, the first step is to attend an information session. We have a number of important, virtual information sessions taking place in Elluminate in the coming weeks. If you are interested in attending a session, please contact PLP Program Admin Mary Worrell (mary@plpnetwork.com). 

For more information, contact us and visit our Web site.

PLP's exclusive Web 2.0 Visioning Bootcamp for Educational Leaders only has a few spots left. The event is being held next month in Philadelphia July 15-17 and is an intensive, small-group, three-day workshop for school leaders who want to understand how 21st Century technologies are challenging curriculum and pedagogy and providing economical new ways for learning.

Read more about the boot camp and apply to attend here.

Powerful Learning Practice is proud to announce the newest addition to its team. Robin Ellis, a former cohort community leader and PLP Fellow, is joining PLP full-time to serve as its Director of Community Development. She will use her vast expertise and enthusiasm for online learning to enrich the PLP family.

As Director of Community Development Robin will oversee community leaders, assist in recruitment and organization of new cohorts, and work with the design and implementation of future PLP developments. 

Robin Ellis previously worked as Instructional Technology Specialist in the Quakertown Community School District in Quakertown, PA. She was the Classroom for the Future coach, facilitating staff development for teachers who chose to participate in a statewide initiative focused on moving classroom practices toward 21st century learning environments. She designed and facilitated professional development opportunities for district faculty and is also a co-facilitator of OpenPD, an online professional development opportunity available to anyone interested in learning about Web 2.0 tools and their use in education. She blogs at Connecting Through Conversations.

Powerful Learning Practice is pleased to announce that participants in our PLP cohorts will now be eligible to earn graduate credit for their experience through the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In addition, the PLP curriculum will be the cornerstone for an online Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction degree from the School of Education under the title "Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century".

The university will award four graduate credits for the year-long cohort work. Coursework for the Masters degree includes electives in research, assessment, and technology integration as well as advanced participation in Year 2 PLP.

More information about this great development within PLP will be available on our Web site soon.

By Clarence Fisher

I've never seen so many staff members talking so much. When technology first rolled around there were a great many concerns (actually, there still are many people who are concerned) about it getting in the way of actual face-to-face interactions. In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia cohort, we've seen the opposite happening; many schools are beginning to grow wings and venture out into their own conversations. As the time spent on projects grows into a frenzy, the time spent incubating inside of the cohort has been well spent and many lessons have been learned.

A major part of the PLP process is of course that schools commit to a closing project of some type. Many of the projects in our cohort are focused on increasing the communication that happens inside of a building. In large high schools, with dozens of departments and hundreds of teachers, having a wiki or a Ning of your own is one simple, yet positive and effective way to increase the ability of staff to talk to each other, work through problems and plan for the future.

Some schools are going beyond concentrating on their staff members. John W. Hallahan is planning for ways they can use a Ning to create a community for incoming freshmen and their parents. Other schools in the diocese are using Skype to connect students in different buildings in different parts of the city. Others are going further, setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts for different classes to use.

The tool is not important. What is vital is that communication has emerged as a powerful force in our cohort. Communication across the diocese, among people in different schools and in the administration. Communication among students and parents, and also in reaching out to others. This is at the core of all that we do. 

 By Mary Worrell

The teams from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia cohort gathered to celebrate at a culminating event last month and share their projects.

Nancy Caramanico, director of technology for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Schools, said having full participation from all of the district’s high schools enhanced the experience for all the teams involved.

“We have 20 high schools in our system and I was looking for something that would be able to impact the schools,” she said. The district formed their own cohort and invited six people from each school, including teachers, administrators and high school technicians.”We were interested in professional development that harnesses both innovative technology and sound and rigorous pedagogy.

“It was a perfect blend of important parts of the puzzle,” she said. “Having every school involved allowed them to collaborate and connect with one another and share resources and best practices on a broad scale.”

Read more here. 

By Mary Worrell

The ADVIS Cohort celebrated the end of its year-long PLP experience with a culminating, face-to-face meeting hosted by Springside School in Philadelphia earlier this month. The morning of the event was organized much like a science fair with teams presenting their projects at different tables and started with an hour of project exhibition.

For many ADVIS cohort team members, this is only the second time they’ve met face-to-face since beginning the PLP process a year ago. But the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different.

“The difference in the energy level and tone in the room relative to the first face-to-face was incredible,” said Stacey Kley, director of professional development for ADVIS. “They got to know each other online and it was like old friends getting together.”

Read more here.

By Lani Ritter Hall

Often most comfortable dealing with final products—Now, collaborating within their professional learning teams, Illinois/Ohio PLPers enthusiastically approached their projects – projects that would scale the tenets of 21^st century learning to their faculties and their districts – to find that it was suddenly all about process with an additional request for transparency as they designed and developed. Quite a stretch for some not yet totally comfortable with the shifts characterized by 21^st century learning, teams ventured out of their comfort zones and allowed anyone with interest the privilege of a window into their thinking, their approach, their logic --contributing to collective wisdom. And in making their process- rarely linear, not perfect, sometimes changing direction-- transparent, they have left a trail where there was no path-- for others to follow or adapt, and also opened the door for those visiting their process to add value and assist them --enabling a 21^st century global practice to evolve and grow more quickly.

Views into the processes reveal significant, deep, meaningful discussions of goals, rationale and visions that help move these teams to essential questions that frame what promises to be exemplary projects. One Avoca, Illinois team focuses on merits of student blogging:

“gls: I like this project because it is one that can grow with us over time. It is easy to start small, but yet also has amazing potential. I agree with Susan that it is a project for all staff and students at all levels. I think it would be more importantly embraced by the students and the families at Avoca! Let's bring our students into 21st century learning and sharing!
KJ: I agree that it has definite immediate application to everyone without having to struggle too hard or add to workload. Plus, it would have the most impact on the students, who would be equipped to apply the concepts outside of the classroom, as well.” –source

that helped them generate these key questions:

How can we cultivate dynamic/reciprocal educational interactions between students, between students and teachers, and between students, teachers, and the global community?
How can we increase student connectedness in our school district? -source

The Bedford, Ohio team, envisioning a professional development focus on 21^st century collaboration, highlights various aspects and shares in their discussions:

Our project aims to bring together an online PLC that revolves around best-practice sharing in a cost-effective way. Over the course of the year, we also aim to build awareness of 21st century skills such as collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

We have discussed rolling this out gradually over the course of the year, starting with introducing the online platform (TBD) as a means for teachers to share their reactions to professional development sessions they attend, then introducing the online platform as a way to collaborate about classroom practice on a more ongoing basis. Then, as collaboration within the district builds, we can introduce the idea of building a broader personal learning network of co-learners both within and beyond the district. - source

The Sunset Ridge, Illinois team committed to “cultivating, nurturing and growing the minds of 21st century learners” seek a strategy that will include staff, parents and students, arrive at this significant essential question to frame a project that meets the needs of their colleagues:

How can a book study become a knowledge-building activity that impacts the way we communicate, collaborate and learn? -source

And in Forest Hills, Ohio the elementary team, passionate about collaboration, shares these initial feelings:

CSH-We want to find ways for our staff to connect, share and collaborate with each other.  Connections with other staff members and with people outside of our district… Share ideas, resources, thoughts regarding teaching.  Collaborate on district and worldwide projects. 

DW - (all of CSH comments - plus) ….Pulling in new ideas from outside sources and continuing to learn and grow in the ever changing world of technology. How do we keep the momentum going so the NING doesn't lose its luster after a period of time?  New and fresh ideas?

 LL-As far as morale we want to shift teachers thinking that this is "one more thing" but rather something that will enhance their instruction.

 KT- All of the above, also- help our staff view technology as a natural part of instruction, which should be embedded in everyday life rather than taught in isolation. -source

that evolve into these powerful essential questions: 

In what ways can we promote and facilitate the opportunities for elementary teachers to connect with each other for the purpose of jointly developing better instructional practices that best enhance and support the 21st century learner?
How do we make it easy for teachers to contribute and access the community’s knowledge and practices?
How do we develop a culture where teachers can freely interact and learn together? -source

These transparent processes --revealing passion, commitment, application of new understandings, diligent hard work—incredible precursors of projects yet to come in this cohort.

By Mary Worrell

Earlier this month teams from the Illinois-Ohio Cohort gathered at the Marie Murphy School is Wilmette, Ill. to celebrate the end of their year-long PLP experience with a project showcase.

Gail Soriano from the Avoca School District 37 said the PLP experience gave her team a chance to get to know others in the district. The Avoca district hosted two PLP teams.

"It was amazing. The thing I enjoyed the most was working with people in my district from both schools," Soriano said. "A lot of times we don't have the opportunity to work with teachers in the other building and from different grade levels. It brought our district together in a way I've never seen before - we were working toward a common goal."

Kim Zimmer, from the other Avoca District team, acknowledged the importance of the collaborative aspect of the PLP experience.

"The transformation came in the conversations we've had since - it brought together teachers that might otherwise have never crossed paths," Zimmer said.

Read more here. 

By Mary Worrell

Jennifer Clark Evans is an English teacher at Fredericksburg Academy in Virginia and a member of the PLP International Schools Cohort. She's been teaching for 12 years. As the year-long PLP experience winded down, Evans had a chance to reflect on her personal experience and what she'd learned along the way.

"PLP has been an interesting process. I felt all along I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I've been using technology in the classroom for a while," Evans said. "It really gave me a chance to get outside support and ideas and make connections outside of my little school. That was the most advantageous part for me."

Even though Evans had been using technology, including wikis and blogs, in her classroom for some time, the way she viewed incorporating it changed over the course of the year.

"Whenever I think about my lesson planning, I'm always thinking about the benefit of doing it with technology versus just paper and pencil," she said. "I'm much more careful to ensure that using the technology is an advantage. Now it's more purpose-driven and more transparent to me and the parents than before."

Evans incorporates blogging into her classroom.

"I had my students involved in the blogging and they showed me the many different advantages they got out of the blog," she said. "Students were discovering it for themselves rather than me just telling them."

Another tool Evans uses in her classroom is wikis to enhance literature circles where students work in small groups together to study a book.

"Traditionally they would prepare homework on paper and bring it to class. With the wiki they can post it online and the group can see their homework," Evans said. "It much more ensures that they do their homework - their team is counting on them. And they can see how other people do their homework and can improve."

While Evans considered herself a veteran to incorporating technology in the classroom, her view of it changed over the course of her involvement with PLP.

"It's to the point where I don't realize I'm using it in my lessons with students," she said. "It's not an add-on, it's just a part of what we do."

By Mary Worrell

Members of the PLP International Cohort's U.S. teams celebrated the end to their year-long experience together with a culminating event in Fredericksburg, VA earlier this month. Even though it was the U.S. teams celebrating and presenting their projects, teams from Australia and New Zealand attended the event via the PLPLive Ustream channel. It was 11 p.m. for the Australians and 2 a.m. for the New Zealanders, but they were still on hand to support their fellow U.S. teams. The Aussie teams will have their learning showcase event in July.

The projects presented at the event showcased the learning of participating teams over the last year. But the event was also about book-ending the PLP experience with another face-to-face event where people who had gotten to know each other online could catch up and collaborate in person.

Alex Ragone and Melanie Hutchinson said each member of the Collegiate School team in New York City got something different from the year with PLP.

"It created some really clear ideas of what we have to do and how we can get there," said Ragone, director of technology at Collegiate.

"I didn't realize how far along we'd come until the end," said Hutchinson, lower school curriculum coordinator at Collegiate. "My whole life has changed and this whole new world has opened up to me."

Read more here.

Chad Evans is a member of the PLP New Jersey Cohort and an 8th grade teacher at Strayer Middle School. He took some time last month to chat with PLP and reflect on the last year.

PLP: What has the PLP experience been like for you?

CE: PLP has been invigorating for me. I am in my eleventh year teaching and much of my personal professional development had been focused on content [history], as opposed to pedagogy. Being able to have ongoing conversations with colleagues about "the shift" has been a tremendously powerful and enriching experience. And as we work through our projects together, my ultimate hope for us is to be able to sustain those conversations in a broader context, whether it be in our own buildings or district wide. To me, the conversations are the most important piece of the puzzle because too often we as teachers just allow things to happen instead of initiating that change ourselves. The conversations will hopefully help teachers to feel empowered, and to build those collaborative environments where the focus is on learning and what is best for kids. This is not necessarily the fault of individual teachers, because the system tells us that there are other more important things, like budgets and bureaucracy, for example, that are realities of teaching, but if we can each examine our own practices and share those with our colleagues, that is a step in the right direction.

PLP: How has your practice changed since you began PLP to now?

CE: I will admit that it is difficult to make any major changes during the course of the school year, but more subtle changes have been to look at project based learning and more authentic assessments as a focus when re-writing units. There have been some issues with the district filters and networks that have gotten in the way of jumping into some web 2.0 tools.  My students and I have dabbled a lot more in that world though.  We have used wikis and podcasts and posted to YouTube. Ultimately, a major shift has been in discussing the power of technology as well as appropriate use in school versus private life. A big shift in my teaching this year has been to acknowledge that it is not enough to just let kids use this technology without having lots of great discussions about why they should use it or what complications might arise down the road from using them. The key though is the discussion part of it.

PLP: What do you do now, personally or in your practice, as a result of the last year?

CE: I've always loved playing with gadgets and technology, so the hook of web 2.0 was an easy gateway for me. What has been most surprising and pleasant though, has been the fact that PLP is not necessarily about the tools, but about doing what is best for kids and focusing on their learning. Too many of us have that bunker down mentality where we are all left alone to fend for ourselves. There are a lot of cultural reasons why this occurs in schools, but PLP has some fantastic models and ideas of how to break those habits and re-culture our schools so that teacher happiness increases along with student success.   The biggest change for me personally is the amount of professional reading I do, as well as how I find those things to read.  Twitter is my primary mode of finding great articles or websites to read. The beauty of Twitter is that it allows for a vast community to share and participate with one another.

PLP: Is there anything you've stopped doing?

CE: I've stopped blaming students so much and holding the mirror up to myself and my practice, that's for sure. I've also stopped being so quiet. I never looked at myself as a "leader,” but more of a follower. I've tried to push my colleagues’ thinking about their practices as well as challenge the status quo one teacher at a time. I am fortunate to have a principal who will engage in some wonderful conversations about "the shift" in schools. She has a similar vision and she knows that I won't stop reminding her of those things we can all be doing. And I've also stopped acting like a victim. We've had some difficulties in our district of late and the focus has definitely been on cutting budgets, personnel issues, etc.  Those are all valid concerns, but things out of my realm of control.  What I can control is what I am reading and who I am sharing it with and how WE are applying those as best practices. Too often we allow the conversations to be about things other than what is best for kids and their learning.

By Mary Worrell

Teams from the New Jersey Cohort recently highlighted their culminating project plans during a webinar meeting. One team, from Perth Amboy Middle Schools, shared that they had a project in mind and plans in the works, but suggested it lacked a true spark - something that would motivate everyone involved.

That all changed when Janet Greve, a Language Arts Teacher from McGinnis Middle School, and her students took a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. in March.

"The project found us," Greve said.

Read more here. 

By Mary Worrell

The Independent Schools Cohort celebrated the end of its PLP experience with a culminating face-to-face meeting and project showcase last month. A number of team members and leaders had a chance to reflect on the year-long experience and how they have changed, both personally and in their practices.

Stewart Crais is a PLP 21st Century Fellow and works in operations at Lausanne Collegiate School in Tennessee. The Lausanne team decided to develop a program of projects for each grade focused on teaching computer skills.

"We had a scope and sequence that was pretty detailed starting in kindergarten, but teachers didn't know exactly what they were supposed to teach in terms of computer skills," Crais said. "We landed on this idea of trying to make an easy way for teachers to understand how they're required to get those skills across to the kids."

Read more here.