peer and professor

Guided Response: . In your responses, ask a question about the 21st Century Professional Development framework with regard to professional learning communities and offer an additional resource for consideration that supports an alternative viewpoint. Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you, including the instructor. Responding to the replies given to you will further the conversation and provide additional opportunities for you to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real- world experiences with this topic.

Peer 1

Final submission from team: Three Is Better Than One

Discuss how you could incorporate and implement the use of technology to create a blended professional learning community across districts within your state to share knowledge with fellow faculty on how a deeper understanding of subject matter can actually enhance problem solving, critical thinking, and other 21st-century skills.

Incorporating and implementing the use of technology to create a blended professional learning community (PLC) are key components to sharing knowledge with educators on all levels that will promote problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, and 21st century skills. As educators in the world of education, professional development courses, mentoring, training sessions, educational workshops, and team teaching with action research are crucial elements of success in incorporating and implementing the use of technology. For example, meetings are conducted daily in some public schools whereas others are weekly, biweekly, etc. These meetings take place for a single purpose which is to create a much better and more consistent curriculum.

Technology can be incorporated and implemented into the creation of a blended professional learning community through virtual presentations, digital learning for educators and conference calls to name a few. Technology plays such an outstanding role in today’s world of education as well as our daily lives that we are forced to utilize the convenience of it. PLCs are designed to enhance the quality in our educators by “bridging the gap between education theory, policy, and practice” (Department of Basic Education, 2015). Research shows that the more we know about PLC, the better outcome we will have for our children who are growing up in the world of technology. Collaboration is a key component in success when it comes to building the most effective curriculum for our children. To reach this objective, we must invite advocates for the children and educators: specialists, therapists, instructors, inspirational speakers, pathologists, physicians, administrators, community leaders, and families. With the strength of such village to educate our children, our goals are sure to be met to incorporate and implement an effective professional learning community with the use of technology.

Discuss how creating a professional learning community can increase the ways teachers seize opportunities for integrating 21st-century skills, tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice - and help them identify what activities they can replace or de-emphasize.

Having access to a professional learning community is a gateway for educators to learn from one another, share their expertise, ideas, collaborate, and receive professional development to ensure that they are aligned with the current teaching practices, which ultimately benefits the students' learning. The great aspect of being an educator in the 21st century is that it allows for educators to communicate through technology, not just emails but through the use of digital calls through apps such as zoom or Google. Utilizing this technology allows for teachers to be consistent in their communication with each other and even participate in online professional development. “Professional development provides teachers with opportunities to make changes in their practice in the curriculum, instruction, and the assessment of learning” (Zhang, Liu, & Wang, 2017).

As an Educator it is important to include working with the use of technology. Student success is the key to the education world in which we live. Collaboration in the school system is essential to a productive learning environment. The 21st century learning environment allows educators to communicate through various means. Technology and education are important as the world changes, educators must be adaptable and innovative in response to change. Seizing the opportunities of integrating 21st century skills, tools, and teaching strategies in the method of teaching is beneficial. Professional learning communities are proactive in insuring that if things change, they change to meet the needs of the students. As stated above, ZOOM has been an effective tool in many locations serving as the main source of communication during this pandemic. The telephone is one of the most advanced technology product on the market, I remember having a cell phone that looked like a box now the cell phone is the one of the most used tools used. You can text, call receive, send emails, take pictures, measure, listen to music, it is a clock, and an alarm. You can make and receive telephone calls, it can very beneficial to the learning environment.

Innovative means of teaching has been beneficial during this coronavirus pandemic. “Professional Learning Community (PLC) is an ongoing process; Educators have to work together in continual cycles of collective inquiry and action research the goal is to achieve better outcomes for the students that are served. “New technology forces the 21st century learner to process and apply information in a very different way and at a very different pace from any other time in history, thus leading to the emergence of connectivism, (Zain, I. M. (2018)”

References

Department of Basic Education. (2015). Professional Learning Communities- A Guideline for South African Schools. Retrieved from  https://southafrica.vvob.org/sites/southafrica/files/professional_learning_communities_a_guideline_for_south_african_schools_0_0.pdf (Links to an external site.)

Zain, I. M. (2018). The Collaborative Instructional Design System: An Innovative Instructional Design Tool for 21st Century Learning. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 19(4), 11–36.

Zhang, S., Liu, Q., & Wang, Q. (2017). A study of peer coaching in teachers’ online professional

Peer 2

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2

Wynetta & Daniell

Discuss how you could incorporate and implement the use of technology to create a blended professional learning community across districts with your state to share knowledge with fellow faculty on how a deeper understanding of subject matter can actually enhance problem solving, critical thinking and other 21st century skills. 

Technology offers effective sharing which allows teachers to adapt to a more collaborative learning environment for students in the classroom. Educators can create professional learning for students, fellow colleagues, and  after school extra -curricular programs. The enhancement of these collaborations, aided by technology offers unlimited access to instructional materials and resources. Several ways to incorporate the usage of technology in order to create blended professional learning communities across school districts with your state is to share knowledge with colleagues regarding subjects such as problem solving and critical thinking for 21st century learning. I believe that providing educators with the direct access to technology is beneficial for today's learners but more than ever future learners.  Allowing professional development for our teachers will allow our students progress academically and socially. Allowing professional learning in 21st classrooms will help improve student learning in effective and significant ways. 

Discuss how creating a professional learning community can increase the ways teachers seize opportunities for integrating  21st century skills, tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice, and help them identify what activities they can replace or de-emphasize.

As an educators it's our duty and responsibility to ensure that every student who enters your classroom environment learn beyond what they are capable of doing. This can be done by providing them a positive environment in which they want to be in everyday by showing love, empathy and kindness. Looking at Professional Learning Communities allows collaboratives meeting with different professional educators to share new ideas, share different teaching techniques and knowledgeable experiences in teaching, problem solving and critical thinking.  As a twenty one year veteran enjoy sitting down with different grade level colleagues and picking their minds to become a more effective teacher for my special need students. Developing positive and professional relationships with your colleagues is critical to you surviving this stressful career and allowing your students to thrive academically and socially in 21st century classrooms. 

Reference(s)

Burnaford, G., & Brown, T. (2014).  Teaching and learning in 21st century learning environments: A reader . Retrieved from https://content.uagc.edu/

Chapter 6: Leading Change in Education

DuFour, R. (2004, May).  What is a professional learning community?  (Links to an external site.) Educational Leadership: Schools as Learning Communities 61(8), 6-11. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org

Peer 3

Group: Jennifer & Teresa,

· Discuss how you could incorporate and implement the use of technology to create a blended professional learning community across districts within your state to share knowledge with fellow faculty on how a deeper understanding of subject matter can actually enhance problem solving, critical thinking, and other 21st-century skills.

Incorporating and implementing the use of technology to create a blended professional learning community (PLC) are key components to sharing knowledge with educators on all levels that will promote problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and 21st-century skills. As educators in the world of education, professional development courses, mentoring, training sessions, educational workshops, and team teaching with action research are crucial elements of success in incorporating and implementing the use of technology. For example, meetings are conducted daily in some public schools whereas others are weekly, biweekly, etc. These meetings take place for a single purpose which is to create a much better and more consistent curriculum.

Technology can be incorporated and implemented into the creation of a blended professional learning community through virtual presentations, digital learning for educators, and conference calls to name a few. Technology plays such an outstanding role in today’s world of education as well as the daily lives that we are forced to utilize the convenience of it. PLCs are designed to enhance the quality of our educators by “bridging the gap between education theory, policy, and practice” (Department of Basic Education, 2015). Research shows that the more we know about PLC, the better outcome we will have for our children who are growing up in the world of technology. Collaboration is a key component in success when it comes to building the most effective curriculum for our children. To reach this objective, we must invite advocates for the children and educators: specialists, therapists, instructors, inspirational speakers, pathologists, physicians, administrators, community leaders, and families. With the strength of such a village to educate our children, our goals are sure to be met to incorporate and implement an effective professional learning community with the use of technology.

 

Reference

Department of Basic Education. (2015). Professional Learning Communities- A Guideline for South African Schools. https://southafrica.vvob.org/sites/southafrica/files/professional_learning_communities_a_guideline_for_south_african_schools_0_0.pdf

Professor questions

to me.

There were two different questions from the professor.

Question One:

Successful teams establish goals, and when the team begins to succeed or fail, members return to their established goals. When creating a PLC, it will be important to have established goals. How would you go about setting up goals for the PLC?  Moreover, what type of goals would you set up (communication, function, timelines, etc.)?

Warm regards.

Bobby

Question two:

According to Lencioni (2007), a lack of trust "occurs when team members are reluctant to be vulnerable with one another and are unwilling to admit their mistakes, weaknesses, or needs for help. Without a certain comfort level among team members, a foundation of trust is impossible."

How would you go about creating an environment of trust? What resources would you need to “tap into” to ensure you created an environment of trust?

Think about it from an administration and teacher perspective.

All the best,

Bobby

Reference

Lencioni, P. (2007). Conquer team dysfunction. Retrieved from  http://www.tablegroup.com/books/dysfunctions/Conquer%20Team%20Dysfunction.pdfLinks to an external site.