HPL 790 Digital Environments Symposium Project

Part I
I.A. Name
Christen (DItri) Glover
I.B Context
Principal of Liberty Elementary School
I.C Audience
The audience for whom I am designing this professional development plan is the staff of
Liberty Elementary School. This would include teachers from grades 2nd through 5th as well as
Special Education teachers (Behavior Disorder Teachers, ELL Teachers, Severe and Profound
Teachers, General Special Education Teachers).
I.D Description of Your Project-based Professional Development Plan
This plan has been developed to show these teachers the true potential that technology
has to offer for teaching and learning when it comes to the importance of communication
(NEW). When technology is properly used in the classroom it will help students get their hands
on the skills they need to survive in a highly technological knowledge-based society. Effective
technology integration along with proper communication skills must happen across the
curriculum in ways that deepen and enhance the learning process (NEW). It must support active
engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to realworld practices. This project-based professional development project will facilitate and inspire
learning experiences for teachers to engage students and improve communication learning
through the use of technology (NEW). The teachers at Liberty Elementary will begin to enrich
their professional practice, use their knowledge to facilitate experiences that innovate both faceto-face and virtual learning environments. Through this professional development teachers will
learn how to engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving problems as well as
promote student reflection using collaborative tools. This opportunity for teachers will also help
them design, develop, and evaluate learning experiences and assessments to maximize content
learning identified in the standards. They will also be able to work on customizing and
personalizing learning activities to address students diverse learning styles and abilities using
tools and resources. Lastly, through this project-based professional development, teachers will
evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice that will contribute to the
effectiveness of their teaching profession. All of these learning opportunities will enrich the
communication in and out of the classroom (NEW).
I.E Technologies
One way to have constant communication with students and parents would be through the
use of a personal teacher webpage. This webpage can include upcoming events, announcements,
assignments, etc. This is a place where parents and students can go when looking of important
information pertaining to their classroom. The website that the teachers will use is Weebly.
During this professional development, teachers will be able to begin setting up their personal
page. They will also have time to explore the features of this site and find ways for students to
create their own personal pages throughout the year to show off their work and talents.

Being able to communicate with others from the comfort of your own classroom is an
important feature of this professional development. Through the use of web cameras and Skype,
teachers will be able to develop relationships with other teachers within the school district
through the use of Skype. Teachers will be able to discuss and collaborate on ideas that are
working for them in the classroom. They will become familiar with their web cameras and
develop ways in which students can reach out to their community and beyond using this form of
technology.
Lastly, the teachers will be given time to set up a Twitter account. Now that we are in the
times of constant communication, teachers will be able to post important information that parent
and students may need to know. Creating this account there will always be an open line of
communication if there are questions or concerns that need to be addressed. Teachers can also
use this form of social media to allow students to reach out to other students, teachers, and
resources that may be needed for them to reach their full potential in the classroom.
I.F Framework for Digital Pedagogy
The introduction to my professional development would most closely align with
monological form of teaching. This would be seen in the first three slides of my PowerPoint
presentation where I can clearly articulate how we are going to unlock the true potential of
communication through the use of technology in our school (NEW). This would most closely
align with this pedagogical framework because I will be able to clearly define the learning
objectives that are to be worked with during this time of learning. Along with my instruction of
how this professional development will go, I will also ensure the learners at this time of what
outcomes we are looking to be defined at the end of our learning.
Parts 1 and 2 of this Professional Development where the teachers are given the
opportunity to explore the technological tools would most closely align with a dialogical form of
teaching. This would follow this form of teaching because the teachers will be able to choose to
work with the parts of these tools that they find most relevant in their classroom and then use
these parts of technology to learn more about how to incorporate these tools in part 3 of this PD.
The teachers learning outcomes can be seen when the teachers show what they have learned
through communication with me and their colleagues.
Part 3 of this Professional Development where the teachers explore the use of WebQuests
for their classroom would most closely align with a polyphonic form of interaction. During this
time, we can discuss the possibilities of integrating WebQuests into the current teachings. We can
evaluate where the teachers are within the curriculum lines and then find ways to incorporate and
build in this form of technology in the classroom.
Part II.
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Part III.
Reflection on Learning
Eric Sheninger said it best, The true value of technology rests on how to it is used to
support learning and create experiences that students find meaningful and relevant. Technology
has the power to engage students, unleash their creativity, and allow them to apply what they
have learned to demonstrate conceptual mastery. Throughout the process of creating my projectbased professional development plan I wanted to make sure I could find a way for the teachers at
Liberty Elementary to reach their full potential in the classroom with the help of technology. In
Module 2 of this course, Leading with Technology, I was able to clearly see that my vision
needed to be clearly seen so the change that was needed for our school could take place. If my
teachers could see the value of technology then I know that the students would be able to find
their true potential with the endless opportunities technology could provide.
I choose to focus my professional development plan on bettering communication with the
help of technology because this is one aspect of being an HPL leader that I want to make more
present in my learning and experience. Improving communication in the classroom with students
would also lead to better communication among coworkers, district members, as well as other
teachers outside of our learning environment.
Communication is not just about talking it is also about listening. Through this
professional development plan, my teachers will be able to begin creating and shaping the HPL
environment that I have been passionately talking about. Teachers will be able to share their
ideas through the tools that they are taught throughout this project. I know that the technology
possibilities are endless at Liberty Elementary. I have access to so much but I know that my
teachers just dont know where to begin with all of it. With this plan, it will open the doors for
more communication among each other and will then create an environment in which our
students are open, successful, and motivated.