The document discusses how online professional development and learning communities can improve STEM education. It notes that online models foster reflective, inquiry-based approaches and empower teachers to create and share content. When teachers experience connected learning themselves, it changes their practice and allows innovative STEM programs to scale across networks. The power of online learning communities is that they allow teachers to be lifelong learners and co-learners with their students.

1. Online Learning to Improve
STEM Learning
Barbara Treacy
North Carolina New Schools Project Forum
February 21, 2012

2. Key ideas
 Online professional development and connected
learning can improve STEM education
 Online learning community models foster reflection and
inquiry based approaches
 Empowering teachers to create online content
strengthens teaching and project-based approaches
 Technology and online learning enable innovative
STEM programs to scale across networks

3. Becki’s Disconnected Science Classroom
Q: Why are there four
“extra” minutes in a day?

4. Denise’s Connected Science Classroom
Q: What lives in ponds?

5. National EdTech Plan
“Technology can help us build the
capacity of educators by enabling a shift to
a model of connected teaching. The best
way to prepare teachers for connected
teaching is to have them experience it.”
-National Educational Technology Plan, USED (2010)

6. Preparing for the Class of 2027

7. “The illiterate of the 21st
century will not be those
who cannot read and
write, but those who
cannot learn, unlearn,
and relearn.”
-Alvin Toffler (1990)

8. “Effective professional development is:
 intensive, ongoing, and
connected to practice;
 focuses on the teaching
and learning of specific
academic content;
 is connected to other
school initiatives; and
 builds strong working relationship among
teachers.”
– Linda Darling-Hammond (2009)

9. Ex.1: E-Learning for Educators
 Funded 2005 by USED to build
10 state-level online PD programs
 EDC provided facilitator training,
developer training, online courses
 25,000+ teachers completed courses
 Content sharing across states
 Learning Community model central to design
 Large-scale experimental research showed significant
impact of online PD in math/ELA on teachers & students
 Each state program aligned to local goals

10. Online Learning Community Model: Reflective and Inquiry-Based

11. Session Topics: Functions Course

12. State Program Example:
DE State Science Course
“Delaware Watersheds”
 Created by local Delaware
educators to provide
convenient, high quality
professional development
for 7th grade teachers
 Teachers experience the
assigned to teach Delaware learning activities, discuss
Watersheds, an integrated content & share tips on
Earth Science course teaching methods while
taught in member districts implementing in their
of the Delaware Science classrooms
Coalition

13. Ex. 2: Student Online STEM Courses Created
by Multi-District Consortium Teachers

14. Class Discussion

15. Online learning can:
 improve STEM education via project-based online
courses focused on content and pedagogy
 accelerate focus on deeper learning, reflection and
inquiry approaches via learning community models
 change practice by empowering STEM teachers to
share and create content
 enable teachers to be co-learners with their students
 enable scalable models across districts and beyond

16. The power of connected teaching
“If we want our students to
succeed in a global environment,
then we, as educators, must be
engaged in 21st century content,
context, tools, thinking skills, and assessment.
Thanks to online learning I am a 21st century
life-long learner!”
-JoAnn Nuzum, WV online facilitator and developer

17. Thank you!
Barbara Treacy
Btreacy@edc.org
EdTech Leaders Online
http://edtechleaders.org
Education Development Center
http://edc.org