Teacher professional development and change

Oh what an interesting time last week. Wednesday and Thursday we had a speaker come in to lead small workshops on co-teaching and related topic. Dr. Hines is a great speaker and has a lot of perspective that a teacher in rural southern NJ does not have. So much of what she said she sees in education at the federal level and the place education is going in other states aligns with my idea of transmedia approaches in education.

She mentioned the concept of gaming in education and also discussed Florida's new virtual high school – you can go K-12 totally online – and there is a huge waiting list for this program. A lot of the change in culture, technology and approach regarding students came up. There are definitely two camps to education theory (ok there are more, but still)....

I was a little saddened to hear many of the responses to what she was talking about. And I know that for 95% of those that attended, it will be status quo come today.

Friday we had out teacher in-service – and again I squirmed listening to the conversations. First was a review of the new standards. It was mentioned just lat week the Governor's board approved the math and English standards (except Texas, which do not get me started, and Alaska) - www.corestandards.org/. Many teachers were tuned in and many tuned out.

In our new state standards – I am finding almost direct references to concepts a transmedia project can address – I am entering some of those here and when I share my unit materials, I've aligned things even more rigorously. And of course NJ is updating their standards as well - www.njcccs.org/

Well, we had a session on school culture, and that descended into griping chaos. We are very lucky in this district and yet… this is why change in education will be very slow or nonexistent, yet, it is coming.


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here are a few - again - just a few - and these are just for the high school - I could cite more


8.1.12.A.3 Participate in online courses, learning communities, social networks, or virtual worlds and recognize them as resources for lifelong learning.


The use of digital tools and media-rich resources enhances creativity and the construction of knowledge.

8.1.8.B.1 Synthesize and publish information about a local or global issue or event on a collaborative, web-based service (also known as a shared hosted service).


8.1.12.B.1 Design and pilot a digital learning game to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to one or more content areas or a real world situation.


8.1.12.C.1 Develop an innovative solution to a complex, local or global problem or issue in collaboration with peers and experts, and present ideas for feedback in an online community.



Digital tools facilitate local and global communication and collaboration in designing products and systems.

8.2.8.E.1 Work in collaboration with peers and experts in the field to develop a product using the design process, data analysis, and trends, and maintain a digital log with annotated sketches to record the development cycle.


8.2.12.E.1 Use the design process to devise a technological product or system that addresses a global issue, and provide documentation through drawings, data, and materials, taking the relevant cultural perspectives into account throughout the design and development process.


The designed world is the product of a design process that provides the means to convert resources into products and systems.


8.2.8.G.1 Explain why human-designed systems, products, and environments need to be constantly monitored, maintained, and improved.
8.2.8.G.2 Explain the interdependence of a subsystem that operates as part of a system.
8.2.12.G.1 Analyze the interactions among various technologies and collaborate to create a product or system demonstrating their interactivity.


The ability to recognize a problem and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to solve the problem is a lifelong skill that develops over time.
9.1.12.A.1 Apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies during structured learning experiences.
9.1.12.A.2 Participate in online strategy and planning sessions for course-based, school-based, or outside projects.
Critical thinking and problem solving in the 21st century are enhanced by the ability to work in cross-cultural teams in face-to-face and virtual environments. 9.1.12.A.3 Assess how a variety of problem-solving strategies are being used to address solutions to global problems by participating in online discussions with peers from other countries.
9.1.12.A.4 Justify problem-solving strategies used in the development of a particular innovative product or practice in the United States and in another country.


9.1.12.B.1 Present resources and data in a format that effectively communicates the meaning of the data and its implications for solving problems, using multiple perspectives.


Digital media are 21st-century tools used for local and global communication.

9.1.12.E.1 Create messages for different purposes and audiences with sensitivity to cultural, gender, and age diversity, using various digital media outlets.
9.1.12.E.2 Generate digital media campaigns in support of or opposing a current political, social, or economic issue.