A Reflective Look at Online Professional Development — 12:30 PM (Doug)

Executive Summary
Excellent overview of current standards in online professional development as well as research proving the efficacy of distance learning.

Details
Facilitator: Michael Murray, Assistant Director of Technology, Southern Regional Education Board
· Regional effort to bring together best practices among ESAs and districts from states from Tennessee to Delaware
· Standards available through Multi-State Online Professional Development MOPD) consortium:
o Learning communities
o Resources
o Evaluation
o Design
o Collaboration
o Quality Teaching
o Leadership
o Data
o Research
o Learning
o Equity

Barbara Treacy, EdTech Leaders Online
· Goal of building capacity to use online learning to meet local goals
- Online Instructor: Semester-long course that prepares instructors
- Online Course Developer
- Online community to provide support to fellow facilitators
- Participating organizations include state departments of education, school districts, regional consortia, and professional development providers

E-Learning for Educators
· Multiple programs and initiatives across many states and cities: Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Delaware, Oregon, Boston, Milwaukee
· Measurement
- Boston College 5-year study
- 2,297 teacher participants
- 98% rate quality of good to excellent
· Harvard Graduate School of Education Study
- Chris Dede, author
- http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~uk/otpd/
· Future Directions
- Further analysis of existing research
- Research on engagement: How to get teachers to commit to platform
- Balance between evaluation and research: analysis as well as data capture and reporting
· Opportunity to mainstream online professional development at the National Staff Development Council