The document discusses a professional development session on the learning management system Moodle that was conducted synchronously and on-site for teachers at a school, with the goals of introducing them to Moodle, demonstrating how it can be used in the classroom, and planning for individual follow-up sessions to help teachers implement Moodle in their own teaching. Research on effective professional development informed the design of the session and theories of adult learning principles were applied.

1. Professional Development
Experience
Danielle C. Lamotte
EDTL 506
Fall 2012

2. Design
• PD Model: Site-based
– Initially I was going to conduct Asynchronous Self-
Directed Study
– Changed it to: Synchronous Site-based. Why?
• The teachers that signed up for the PD session were all
new to the school (with the exception of one). Some
had seen Moodle, but had not actually created a
Moodle site and utilized it in their classroom.
• By conducting this form of PD, teachers were able to
see the tools used in Moodle and how it could benefit
them as teachers, as well as impact their classrooms.
• Follow up would be conducted via One-On-One
coaching, allowing for individualized sessions

3. Research
• In the March 2002 edition of Educational Leadership, James Stigler
offered his input on how the concept of effective professional
development is changing. He said “Today, people believe that
professional development should be targeted and directly related to
teachers’ practice. It should be site-based and long-term. It should
be ongoing-part of a teacher’s workweek, not something that’s
tacked on. And it should be curriculum-based, to the extent possible,
so that it helps teachers help their students master the curriculum at
the higher level.”
• Top 10 Reasons for Site-Based Staff Development
– http://www.projectcriss.com/pdf_files/2_3_S05_TEN.PDF

4. Theories of Adult Learning
• Adult learners need to see that the professional
development learning and their day-to-day activities are
related and relevant.
– While exploring my Moodle site as a student, teachers
were able to see how user-friendly it is for students and
parents. From a teacher’s standpoint, they were able
to see how user-friendly it is in creating assignments,
uploading documents, materials, videos, etc.
• Adult learners need direct, concrete experiences in which
they apply the learning in real work.
– Teachers were shown how to create assignments and
upload documents to a Moodle site

5. • FOLLOW-UP:
• Adults need to receive feedback on how they are doing and the
results of their efforts. Opportunities must be built into professional
development activities that allow the learner to practice the learning
and receive structured, helpful feedback.
• Once teachers have created their sites, they will either have to
allow guest access or enroll me as a user, so that I can check out
their sites and give them feedback.
• Transfer of learning for adults is not automatic and must be
facilitated. Coaching and other kinds of follow-up support are
needed to help adult learners transfer learning into daily practice so
that it is sustained.
– Individual (One-On-One) sessions will be held on an as-needed
basis, and teachers will have to request these sessions at least a
week in advance via email. I will also be able to facilitate the
transfer of learning through the feedback I give when I visit the
teachers’ sites and give them input.

6. Topic
• The results from my needs assessment indicated
that Interactive Games and Moodle were the
two top topics that teachers wanted to learn
more about in order to enhance their students’
learning environment and maximize their
teaching potential.

7. • I chose Moodle as my PD topic because of the…
– Audience
• Teachers that signed up were either new or hadn’t used Moodle at all
– Potential
• Interactive games, the other preferred topic, could essentially be
uploaded to teachers’ personal Moodle sites
• Built-in tools in Moodle, such as quizzes and the ability for students to
upload assignments were just a few features that would benefit both
teachers and students. Other tools, for example Google Docs, could be
used with Moodle to enhance the classroom experience.
– Impact
• From first-hand experience, Moodle has definitely been beneficial to
myself, my students and parents. Having a place for students and
parents to get the information they need for my class reduced paper
usage and communication conflicts. It increased student accountability
and interaction.

8. Delivery
• My PD session was conducted after school (3:00-
4:30 PM) in the IBCA (Introduction to Business
Computer Applications) lab on Thursday
November 29, 2012.
• Teachers were introduced to Moodle and given a
brief overview of what it actually is.

9. • Teachers initially explored my Moodle page as a “student”.
• They were then guided through components of Moodle
– Enrolling users
– Calendar
– Assignments
– Quizzes
• I introduced a few Web 2.0 tools that I use in conjunction with
Moodle, such as
– Google Docs
– PhotoPeach

10. Sign In Sheet

11. Reflection
• Teachers were open to this “new” tool
• Sparked greater interest…they all signed up
for a Moodle site for their respective classes!
• In the works: Site building and Mini-sessions
• Changes…
– Have teachers’ sites already created and
ready to manipulate