What happens to educators when they leave the classroom and move up the ranks of school administration?  Is there some sort of “amnesia ray” that is beamed into their minds to erase all that they have learned about pedagogy?  Why do we teach educators using methods that would be woefully inadequate for students?

from Chloe Dietz (flickr)

I asked myself these rhetorical questions this week as I was “trained” in the use of our district’s new professional development component.  Blaming the high cost of hiring trainers and providing substitute teachers, our very large school district has purchased licenses for a new web-based PD product.  The entire website is based around teachers viewing video clips and then reflecting what they have learned from them.  Many of the clips are simply digitized versions of decades-old instructional videos that weren’t all that helpful in their original, analog, form.

Right now, this service is being presented as a supplement to existing face-to-face workshop opportunities, but how long will it be before this is the model for all future professional development?  I cringe at the thought that the advent of easy internet video streaming and pressing financial woes might inflict this type of boring, passive, meaningless education on professional educators.  But, that’s just the beginning…

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It’s that time of the year when we all look to the future to try to make our selves better, and the past to reflect on our accomplishments.  It’s also that annoying time when everyone writes about their top 10 something or another.

So, I figured “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”.  I looked through my Instapaper archive, my Evernote saves, and my Google Reader shared items to find the blog posts that inspired me this past this year.  I settled on nine because… well, it takes less time than ten.  Oh, and because it’s the end of 2009.
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Some of the most popular posts ever on Scripted Spontaneity over the years have been the ones that mention substitute teachers.  In particular, last year I received a lot of feedback after listing my four favorite traits in a sub; this after a solid nine weeks with substitutes filling half the spots on my team.  The comments on that post really pushed my thinking in new directions, and that is why I am writing about it again today.

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I value interaction with my peers as an opportunity for professional growth, collaboration, and maintenance of my mental health.  Historically, these functions were accomplished by means of team, school, district, state, and national professional organizations.  I see the role of these traditional groups becoming more and more obsolete as Personal Learning Networks emerge as a powerful and efficient way to communicate.
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I was intrigued to read a recent post by Jay Mathews on his Washington Post education blog about some DC-area teachers who are not making use of a web-based system designed to let them easily post homework online.  Based on the comments that follow the post, the purpose of the system seems to be in question.  Is it for parents of students (especially those who qualify for special education services) to help them keep track of assignments, or is it to be used with students who are absent and need to get caught up?
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