Teacher Training

Florida DOE Provides Professional Development Content to Teachers Statewide

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 01/27/10

The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) has inked a new deal with the School Improvement Network (SINet) that will allow educators throughout the state 24/7 access to extensive professional development resources through the company's PD 360 library.

Funded by the FLDOE Office of Technology Learning & Innovation as part of its Digital Educator program for training educators to integrate technology into their curricula, the agreement ensures that all Florida teachers have access whenever they need it to a comprehensive selection of professional development content and tools, as well as PD 360's integrated follow-up tools, activities, tracking, collaboration, community discussion forums, file sharing, and, most recently, social networking with other teachers using the vast system in order to discuss the content and best practices for its application.

"I have found that School Improvement Network's PD 360 is an outstanding professional learning tool for educators," said Kate Kemker, director of the Office of Technology Learning and Innovation. "PD 360 provides educators both the flexibility and convenience of an online resource, while providing the highest quality professional learning materials. [It] will allow us to better integrate technology into our curriculum by providing Florida educators with comprehensive technology training."

Among the professional development topics covered by PD 360 using expert-authored content are: assessment, scheduling, classroom management, coaching/mentoring, English-language learners (ELL), instructional strategies, student motivation, special education, team teaching, and educational leadership.