Our school division had a professional development day focusing on Building and Sustaining PLCs with Dr. Anthony Muhammed. As he spoke, my unfocused mind drifted to the world of PLNs - noticing the similarities - both in the structure and the purpose!
DuFour defines PLCs as "a group of educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for the students they serve." Likewise, PLNs are a collection of experts or resources that are shared and available to assist in locating information, verifying facts or just conversing with on a personal level in order to achieve greater understanding or establish meaningful relationships with those who share similar interests. It is a supportive group of people that assist in personal and professional growth and development.
Incorporating technology in school takes into consideration many of the points Muhammed mentioned such as the building of a supportive culture (or community). We must be willing to embrace technology and act as positive spokespersons if we are to get others on board and make meaningful, lasting changes. Sharing our successes with colleagues and students and supporting them during their learning phase is important if we want to establish a culture that supports technology. Getting staff to buy-in and try new technologies is perhaps the most difficult step in making change - but well worth the effort upon viewing the finished result. Just as the previous students from this class came to realize the benefits of some of the applications and tools available and continued using them, so will the staff once they understand the capabilities and their simplicity of use. It is much like the Smart Boards - all that is needed is some support and time - and once the interest builds - teachers will take over with self-directed learning. Many teachers who swore up and down that they didn't want them, now would never do without them!
Dr. Muhammed also categorized school culture as consisting of Believers, Tweeners, Survivors, and Fundamentalists. Again, my mind wandered to this class . . . when it comes to technology, where do we lie and how do we get people to where we want them to be? Believers have high expectations and are willing to embrace change. They want to try new things. Tweeners are still finding their place in the system - they don't want to rock the boat but will go with the flow. Survivors are barely afloat. They are hardly one step ahead - and sometimes even one step back! Fundamentalists love to leave things as is. They are rigid and narrow in understanding and often refuse to change, challenge or alter the current paradigm. When it comes to technology, I am a drowning survivor, striving to become a believer!
Hmm . . . upon reflection, I am thinking I need to work on 'focusing'. It seems as though I spent more time inside my own head than paying attention to what was being said. Sorry Dr. M - but thanks for making me think!!
"If schools are to be transformed into learning communities, educators must be prepared first of all to acknowledge that the traditional guiding model of education is no longer relevant in a post-industrial, knowledge-based society. Second, they must embrace ideas and assumptions that are radically different than those that have guided schools in the past." (Dufour & Eaker)
A robot teacher -- what next?
