Advocacy Position 2: Professional Development 2.0 The Capital Region Society for Technology in Education (CRSTE) promotes and supports professional development and training that meets the needs of today’s education and technical professionals. In the quickly-changing landscape of K-16 education, the map for professional development must closely match the needs of those getting the work done on the ground. Professional development offerings must be timely, targeted and quickly transferable to the needs of schools.One size does not fit all any more for staff than it does for students. To provide high-quality just-in-time professional development, CRSTE is committed to being receptive and responsive to the needs of educators and technical staff throughout the national capital region.Today’s education and technical professionals:
are stretched for resources
fill a variety of roles on the job
require support and training on the fly
learn best when training is job-embedded
will work through a number of jobs across the span of their careers
seek interaction and collaboration among peers of similar interests and skills
While there is certainly a place for a wide-range of professional development offerings across the national capital region, CRSTE advocates for training and support that extends and enriches professional skills, knowledge and understanding.Today’s professional development must be:
ongoing – serving educators beyond the initial training event
sustainable – able to be supported over time by schools
replicable – delivered in a way that can be repeated successfully in multiple venues
flexible – able to be modified to meet the unique needs of attendees
collaborative – promoting interaction and synergy among like-minded professionals
connected – modeling optimal uses of technology for instruction and productivity
engaging – applying adult learning theory and constructivist strategies
meaningful – accommodating the immediate and future needs of educators
accessible – easily available to interested educators face-to-face and online
affordable – making professional development inexpensive and reasonable
When a CRSTE event is successfully held, it will be offered to other member organizations across the region for replication to their respective audiences, and every effort will be made to extend professional development beyond the initial experience.
