Professional Learning Services Achieve your professional goals with customized professional learning. 2014/15 CATALOG Technical Training Online Courses Hybrid Courses Other Professional Learning Services Specialty Learning Packages 888.853.2761 www.itslearning.net
Contents Professional Learning Services Overview...3 Technical Training System Administrator Training (W1)...4 School Administrator Training (W2)...4 Online Courses itslearning Basics and Beyond (01)...4 itslearning Advanced Features (02)...4 Hybrid Courses Train-the-Trainer Part 1 (H1)...6 Train-the-Trainer Part 2 (H2)...6 itslearning Refresher Course (H3)...6 Specialty Packages School Leadership Package (P1)...7 Instructional Design and Delivery (P2)...7 Customizable Package (P3)...8 Other Services Digital Curriculum Migration (S1)...10 Coaching and Mentoring (S2)...10 Professional Consulting (S3)...10 www.itslearning.net 2
Professional Learning Services Overview Training and Support: We provide training and support so that district personnel, parents, students and any additional users may effectively operate the itslearning platform. Our professional development approach is built around the following process: 1. PLAN: itslearning will assess the district s unique (instructional) needs, determine long-term goals, and develop an execution plan to reinforce buy-in throughout the organization. 2. DESIGN: We work with you to define the instructional model of the organization and how itslearning will be utilized. Determine which tools and content best meet instructional objectives and develop an implementation plan. 3. IMPLEMENT: We combine technical and pedagogical elements to form a professional development plan and conduct training for leaders and teachers. 4. SUPPORT: We provide tools, techniques, and ongoing training to support instruction. As educators, we know that technology integration is not enough to transform schools. Instead, an entire learning environment is needed in which students, teachers, administrators, and parents can easily communicate and collaborate with each other, share secure information around the clock, and, ultimately, lead their own learning beyond classroom walls. What does it take to implement itslearning successfully? 1. Unified Experience All staff, parents, students, and administrators understand how to login and utilize the platform to maximize instructional benefits. 2. Support Building a team of experts who help teachers so that the focus remains on instruction and not managing the technology. While technology of any kind is a tool used by educators, it is not a replacement for the influence that people have on student achievement. To truly transform education in the digital age, instructional leadership and pedagogy must connect every member of the education system so that each can play a vital role in reshaping education. Our professional development is based on the following guiding principles: Participants must understand the rationale behind the use of the technology. Instructional model must drive the use of the platform not vice versa. Professional development must be ongoing and continuous, customized and personalized based on needs of the user. Leadership supports professional development through goal-setting and follow-up, helping to provide observations and feedback. We will work with you to determine following prior to training. Those responsible for platform management (system/ school admins) and those responsible for teacher training Expectations for platform usage by all users (including trainers) Accountability procedures and timeline (Who will enforce participation? What will be indicators of success and milestones for implementation?) 3. Commitment to Continuous Improvement Administration and staff must understand and be committed to the vision, as well as be willing to participant in ongoing professional development and collaboration efforts.
Technical Training System Administrator Training (W1) The system administrator(s) will determine global settings for the entire school or district. It is in this session that back-end administrative aspects are investigated. Global settings such as assessment settings, profiles, hierarchies, permissions, etc. are also established for the site. Audience: LMS Administrators Duration: 3 hours Delivery Method: Webinar Prerequisite: Investigation of pre-course materials Price: Per Hour School Administrator Training (W2) Local support personnel will learn how to manage assigned functions such as course and community administration, policy administration and updating school dashboards. The content for this session is determined by the functionality given to this role by the system administrator. Audience: Local support personnel (on-site experts) Duration: 3 hours Delivery Method: Webinar Prerequisite: itslearning Basics & Beyond or Train the Trainer Price: Per Hour Online Courses itslearning Basics and Beyond (O1) This two week online course introduces users to itslearning fundamentals and provides an opportunity to build a course step-by-step. Participants will complete online modules that include video and text-based tutorials with follow-up assignments. itslearning s consultants will facilitate and assess each participant s work. Participants learn how to navigate the interface, customize courses, create assignments, use the grade book, and more. Audience: All Users Duration: 2 weeks, self-paced Delivery Method: Facilitated online Prerequisite: none Price: Per Seat itslearning Advanced Features (O2) This one week online course walks users through the advanced features of the itslearning platform. Participants will learn how to personalize instruction and increase student engagement through the use of individual learning plans, permissions and groups, assessment portfolios, eportfolios, and web-based tools. We will also investigate the recommendation engine for standards mastery and to provide personalized tasks to students. The online modules include video and text-based tutorials with follow-up assignments. itslearning s consultants will facilitate and assess each participant s work. Audience: All Users Duration: 1 week, self-paced Delivery Method: Facilitated online Prerequisite: itslearning Basics and Beyond or Train the Trainer Price: Per Seat www.itslearning.net 4
Built on Your Site Our Online and hybrid Courses are built on your own itslearning site enabling you and your staff to reuse, add and customize professional development materials according to your district s needs for redelivering to your teachers.
Hybrid Courses Train-the-Trainer Part 1 (H1) Participants will experience blended learning by completing the pre-course work online (as in the flipped model). This course will be built in your itslearning platform so that it can be customized and utilized for redelivery by your staff. During the face-to-face session, participants will alternate between individual work, small-group work and whole-group discussions with the following objectives: Determine the why behind platform usage, identify important pedagogical considerations and discuss the effective use of the platform based around your instructional vision. Develop a shared understanding and identify concrete indicators of what meaningful teaching and learning will look like through the platform. Review pre-course work and clarify and questions and misconceptions. Investigate online course creation to support effective personalized teaching and learning. Audience: Teacher trainers, power users, on-site school experts, technology specialists Duration: 6 hours* Delivery Method: Facilitated online* and Face-to-Face *Prerequisite: itslearning Basics and Beyond must be completed prior to the face-to-face session Train-the-Trainer Part 2 (H2) This course prepares participants for the use of advanced features in the itslearning platform. Participants will work with our consultants to build content that will personalize instruction and increase student engagement. Participants will investigate and establish best practices around the use of individual learning plans, permissions and groups, assessment portfolios, eportfolios, and web-based tools. Participants will also explore the recommendation engine for standards mastery and to provide personalized tasks to students. Audience: Teacher trainers, power users, on-site school experts, technology specialists Duration: 6 hours Delivery Method: Face-to-Face Prerequisite: itslearning Train-the-Trainer Part 1 itslearning Refresher Course (H3) This course is for any existing users who need a refresher. Our professional learning consultants will work with district and school administrators to determine the needs of your staff and develop a personalized plan get your users up to speed and optimize teaching and learning within the itslearning platform. This customizable two-week course will consist of synchronous and asynchronous online modules. Audience: All users Duration: 6 hours Delivery Method: Face-to-Face Prerequisite: itslearning initial training www.itslearning.net 6
Specialty Packages School Leadership Package (P1) This one-day session is for school and district administrators (principals, vice-principals, curriculum coaches, etc.) We recognize that it is important for leadership to develop and reinforce structures that identify, protect and celebrate instructional practices that are conducive to powerful personalized and blended learning. In this training we look at how to utilize the platform for district and school productivity and accountability. Leaders will learn how to recognize the effective application of technology and utilize the platform to boost teacher and student achievement. Participants will: Build professional learning communities Create online/blended professional development modules Share resources and communicate with staff and parents Mentor teachers and create online professional learning plans Use eportfolios and blogs as a means of teacher assessment Access user reports and assess teacher effectiveness and platform usage Mentor students and create individual learning plans (or IEPs) Audience: School or district leaders (principals, vice-principals, counselors, coaches, etc.) Duration: 6 hours* Delivery Method: Face-to-Face *Prerequisite: itslearning Basics and Beyond must be completed prior to the face-to-face session Instructional Design and Delivery (P2) In this one-day session, participants will identify best practices for instructional design and delivery in personalized and blended learning environments. This session is designed for users who will be developing course content and instructional materials (instructional designers, curriculum coaches, and/or teachers.) Participants will: Identify pedagogical considerations for today s learning environments Apply course design principles to maximize higher-order thinking skills Tackle technical features specific to course design and template sharing from a district or school level Incorporate strategies that maximize student engagement, collaboration, and creativity Utilize the platform to create personal learning pathways and differentiate Audience: Teacher trainers, power users, on-site school experts, technology specialists Duration: 6 hours Delivery Method: Face-to-Face Prerequisite: itslearning Train-the-Trainer Part 1 www.itslearning.net 7
Specialty Packages, Cont. Customizable Package (P3) At itslearning, we will collaborate with you to create a customized professional development session that addresses your specific objectives and overall vision. Our consultants will work with you to design a unique, relevant and comprehensive package to meet your needs. Example workshops might include: Universal Design for Learning Strategies for your Path towards Personalization Making Assessments Move the Learning Forward Audience, Duration, Delivery Method: Customized to fit your needs www.itslearning.net 8
Searchable & Reusable PD Resources Itslearning s multimedia rich pages and printable how to s created by our professional development experts are shared resources in the itslearning Community Library. This will allow your training and support staff to quickly build PD courses without having to recreate basic materials but will also allow you to add your own materials in the mix so that the courses meet your district s individual needs.
Other Services Digital Curriculum Migration (S1) Our professional consultants will migrate content from your current system into your new itslearning platform. Content will be formatted appropriately allowing teachers to maximize instructional time with students. Coaching and Mentoring (S2) Audience: N/A Duration: N/A Delivery Method: N/A Price: Hourly Following initial training on the platform, our professional consultants will provide ongoing coaching, mentoring and support to assist teachers as they move from traditional teaching methods toward a personalized instructional approach. Our team will work with school level staff to guide them through the process of creating engaging learning experiences and personalized instruction for students via the itslearning platform. Professional Consulting (S3) Our professional consultants will work with your school or district to plan, design, develop, or meet any other specific needs. www.itslearning.net 10
Video Repository Itslearning uses Vimeo as a video repository for all of our tutorials and recorded professional development offerings. These videos can be embedded into courses or communities allowing your staff to access them from your own itslearning site or given as an assignment for blended learning. As our staff updates materials, your site will be automatically updated as well.