Opportunity Comes Knocking

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Thank you fellow educators. After 25 years of Professional Development I am certainly not the same professional that walked out of Teachers College in 1987. And I should hope not. After all, there have been many changes in our profession: curriculum, teaching tools, historical events, ethical decisions, medical knowledge, and equity rights to name a few. How does one keep up? They take PD. Mostly from other teachers. As I tried to reflect back on all the 'extra' information I've accumulated, 'taken' or shared it makes me wonder about other professions. How much access do they have? Is it mandatory? Do they pay for it themselves? Does this really keep us 'in the loop'? I do know that this opportunity should not be missed.

Here's a few of the PD opportunities I have been fortunate enough to take part in. Some as participant, others as a leader.

School Level - BIPSA (Board Improvement Planning), SIPSA (School Improvement Planning), CILM (Collaborative Learning and Inquiry in Mathematics), Grade Group Planning, many years of Staff Meeting PD sessions on various topics

Board Level - CATC (Computers Across the Curriculum) Camp (where btw I learned to code in 2001) PD Place as presenter in the areas of GAFE, Dual Platform, iPads, Digital Citizenship, Google Docs, Google Websites, Learning Carousels, various CATC connection activities

ETFO - Summer Academy courses, ICT Conferences, Presenters Palette, many Equity initiatives both locally and provincially

Provincial - OTF Webinars as Presenter and participant, ECOO/BIT, as both participant and presenter many years (I learned a lot here!)

Personal - AQ Special Education Specialist, Integration of Information and Computer Technology in Instruction Part 1 and 2, Personal Learning Networks through Twitter, professional readings through Zite, magazines, blogs

Incidental Learning - some of the best conversations which were never planned, at doorways and hallways, in lounge chairs and lunch tables at conferences, on long drives and short walks

All in all, I think the mix of formal and informal is important. Very little is done alone. It can be, but the chance to debrief, question, reflect and follow-up is so important. As I look forward to a few more years of teaching I am happy with the amount of PD I pursued and the amount that came and found me. Sometimes I didn't want it all but I know that it's so important to have the opportunity. So once again, thank you.

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