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"I Don't Know What I Don't Know" and "I Don't Know What I Need to Know" #SAVMP

Professional development can be a sticky issue at times. Many teachers and administrators want to enhance their best practices, but there a plethora of obstacles that tend to get in the way. Time is a major one that many people concern themselves with. On occasion something special/interesting crosses my path (e.g. I just got back from the Google Summit in Montreal #gafesummit) and all I want to do is continue the Google training... But when? The second major obstacle is the professional development itself. If I manage to obtain a few sacred hours or a day or two(if i am really lucky), my expectations of the training are high. I want to walk away with a new idea/thought that I can use to further my growth and the growth of others around me.

With time and relevance setting the mood,  I try to place myself in my teachers shoes. I wonder, 'Why would/should teachers journey with me down the professional development path?' Today I am trying to enhance myself as a digital citizen. My vision is  to be a part of "a community of contagious innovators". This means that I have no choice, but to try to find time and to ensure that the professional development provided is as meaningful as possible.

Currently I am collaborating with a team of teachers from my school to pilot a 1:1 program. We have concerns about the devices (wifi access), their uses, and potential theft. That being said, recently a teacher I work with was sharing his frustrations concerning our pilot project. While venting he made a few profound statements that I kept in the forefront of my mind. The one that stood out the most was: "I don't know what I need to know!" I quickly retorted that nobody does, and that it is a day-by-day process that we will stumble though together. He politely nodded to my response, but I realized that it was not a good answer. He deserved a more solid and supportive answer.

Where could we go from there? How can we figure out what we need to know? After much deliberation I came up with a few thoughts:

1) I need to provide more time from my team to meet and discuss issues, ideas, and concerns.
2) My team, and I need to attend more professional development workshops or have more guests that can present us with ideas that we use inn our school/classrooms. Time is also needed to plan, practice, and present what we have learnt.
3) Technical support needs to be present when we try to attempt something new.

As an educator, how do you see this playing out in a practical manner?


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