ICTPD- professional development or just training?
For those who signed up to my twitter you’ll know I’ve been thinking about ICTPD. Well here is my full thought…..
There is a huge difference been ‘training’ and professional development. Even so many years through the ICTPD model in
New Zealand there seems mch confusion about the two terms and they remain in the minds of most as synonymous. But that is not strictly true. Sure there is some overlap, and some need for both aspects but when training (as in the ‘how to’ aspect of ICT) is called professional development it often. In my experience anyway squeezes out the true PD ( as in the ‘considering classroom pedagogy’) 
It is often argued ‘upskilling teachers will mean they will begin to use this technology with their classes’ – this maybe true but will it have the maximum desired outcome? I think not- A class’s use of technology after such training of the teacher will remain ‘low level’ – skills oriented level. Where as the desired outcome should be a ‘higher level use of ICT for learning’.
Having said that if the focus is purely professional development – the teacher is more likely to be reliant on the ICT literate students to problem solve the applications. Which may be fine for classes of older students but with juniors their use of ICT will naturally involve explicit ‘skills’ teaching.
My thought is that the facilitators of ICTPD clusters must take a serious look at what they are providing. Perhaps it needs to be more balanced. Perhaps the balance that needs to be redressed is on a school by school, teacher by teacher basis? But having said that there still needs to be a professional development element that goes beyond up-skilling and into the heart of classroom practise.
So I would like to leave it there for now.
What is the most effective ICT professional development you’ve ever had?
How do you, in your school, go beyond upskilling/ just in time training?
What does the ‘changing pedagogy’ really look like in New Zealand schools? Or around the world for that matter?
And is there a natural desire with ICT for professional development or is ICTPD seen a ‘you must!” storm cloud of negativity?
