Professional Development


Tapping Virtuality To Attract and Train 21st Century Teachers

When Pamela Whitehouse heard about Teach WV, West Virginia's plan to attract new K-12 teachers and update professional development approaches, the WVU instructional technologist wanted to get involved. She and her team are building spaces in virtual worlds where teachers can experiment with new ways of engaging students.

Michigan District Ramps Up Whiteboard Training

Michigan's Wayne-Westland Community Schools is implementing new training for its teachers on the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom.

The image and the "Open Source Software" logo with the broken circle and upward-pointing arrow are copyright ©2010 by David Nagel. All rights reserved. This image is licensed to 1105 Media Inc. for use on articles written or edited by David Nagel and may not be used for other purposes without permission.

4 More Tips for Open Source in K-12

How can education technology pros help ensure the success of their open source deployments?

The image and the "Open Source Software" logo with the broken circle and upward-pointing arrow are copyright ©2010 by David Nagel. All rights reserved. This image is licensed to 1105 Media Inc. for use on articles written or edited by David Nagel and may not be used for other purposes without permission.

4 Tips for Adopting Open Source Software in K-12

The cost savings of open source software aren't too bad. But without a focus on what's needed and what will be accepted in any given situation, an OSS implementation might be doomed to failure. We've compiled tips from a dozen expert sources to help K-12 IT directors improve the odds of success for their open source initiatives.

Prepping Teachers for a 1:1 Laptop Initiative

In 2008, children in Birmingham, AL, received XO computers through a government program designed to help bridge the digital divide for inner-city schoolchildren. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project put the low-cost, wireless devices into the hands of 15,000 students in first through sixth grades, making it the largest 1:1 distribution in the United States.

PBS TeacherLine Moves to Moodle for Course Management

Online professional development program PBS TeacherLine has made the conversion to the popular open source learning management system (LMS) Moodle. The organization said it made the move in order to make its program easier for schools to customize in offering it to their educators.

Charter School Leadership Training Offered Online

Starting in fall 2010 the University of Arizona is offering a new online program to train charter school administrators. The Tucson-based institution introduced the "Charter School Leadership Certificate" in its Educational Leadership Program, which is part of the College of Education.

How To Get Started with Open Source in K-12

Open source has proved attractive for K-12 school districts for any number of reasons, from upfront cost savings to freedom from cumbersome restrictions to the quality of the software itself. But how does a school or district get started with it? Three K-12 IT directors shared their experiences with THE Journal--the good and the bad, as well as the lessons they've learned in the process.

Making the Most of a 1:1 Laptop Initiative

Grand Prairie Independent School District in Texas is using a digital learning platform and integrating professional development to get the most out of its 1:1 laptop investment.

Arizona Universities Team To Help Teachers Learn New Tech

The University of Arizona and Arizona State University are teaming up to help middle and high school teachers learn how to use new technologies in the classroom.

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