>1) So please tell us about your program's, state's, or organization's

>work in online PD -- What's happening in online professional

>development?


I represent the Four Corners Professional Development Resource Center 
(4CRC) for the Dept of Ed's (CDE) Adult Education and Family Literacy Program.

My focus is on providing training opportunities and information to 
encourage practitioners to integrate technology into teaching and to 
learn through distance education opportunities. I run a number of 
Websites to promote that mission. You may want to check our main 
content site, http://www.coloradoadulted.org/. My last newsletter on 
that site, Tech Beat, focused on professional development and 
announced a series of blended  workshops that I'll be offering in the 
new future. To check that issue, go to 
http://www.coloradoadulted.org/techbeat/techbeatApril_May07.htm. 
Those particular workshops will offer Prof Dev points from the state 
and graduate credit for those who wish to pursue it (I have a great 
working relationship with Adams State). The workshops themselves are 
free, except for the GotoMeeting session, which requires participants 
to pay their own regular long distance fees. I've offered to send 
1-hour, pre-paid phone cards to programs that are really struggling 
financially.

4CRC offers many training opportunities for faculty throughout the 
state through blended or hybrid instruction. I often visit programs 
for a little hands-on work when they wish. We have just purchased 
Moodle for a year, which I want to use extensively for students and 
staff development. Moodle is a powerful online classroom program with 
great bells and whistles: gradebook, forums, chats, resource and 
assignment rooms, calendars and more. I'm glad to share info on that 
for anyone who wants. Moodle itself is free; however, I thought I 
would use Classroom Revolution's hosting and technical support plan 
for a year, before I try to host Moodle on my own server. Under that 
plan, I pay $800, plus any training fees I may want to add. The 
training is super expensive in my view ($400 for three hours in 
hybrid form), but I had several teachers join me (up to ten) while I 
learned how to work with the system myslef. I have found that this 
type of training money is well used, when available, and avoids hours 
and hours of troubleshooting on my part.

GotoMeeting is just one option for blended instruction. I have found 
it super easy and reliable, allowing connection through computer and 
phone. It costs around $400 a year for unlimited use. Yugma provides 
similar services for free. There are others around.

Colorado has required that all programs pursue teacher certification 
in adult ed. Those courses are offered onsite to some areas, but most 
courses are offered through Colorado Community Colleges Online 
(CCCOnline). I've taught several sessions and find the online 
offerings ideal for teachers who have trying schedules.

Adult Ed teachers are no different than K-12 teachers in that their 
days are filled with conflicting tasks of all types. They have little 
time to devote to their own prof growth. I would like to see $ to 
provide oodles of incentives for teachers who want to grow. It's too 
easy to put our own needs for professional development behind 
everything else in our lives. I know because I to it to myself all too often.

Lot more on the subject, but I'll stop here.

Leecy

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