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Establishing a Continuous Professional Learning Culture

Cristen Simone

Grand Canyon University

EAD 513: Shaping School Culture

Dr. Jarret Sharp

April 14, 2021

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Technology System

Shared learning and information about professional development should be shared among

staff through Google Drive. Google Drive provides an easy way to upload information in

appropriate folders to be seen by individual groups or by the staff as a whole. The leadership

team can upload information when necessary and assign it by grade level or to everyone.

Furthermore, surveys and google docs can be created for staff to collaborate or share ideas about

different topics. For example, if the professional development topic is to find ways to improve

virtual learning then teachers can share their best practices. Staff can also share areas of concern

or where support might be needed. There is an option for the staff names to remain private, so

they feel more comfortable to share input. It is important for leaders to receive this feedback and

to know where help is needed. It is also a great way for teachers to collaborate and help others

who are struggling.

Learning topics will be evaluated by the administration team prior to being shared with

staff and others. The team will work together to place information in an appropriate folder to

make it convenient to find. Every folder will be given access to all staff through Google Drive.

The folders will be labeled based off of topic. For example, each grade level will have a folder

and it will be filled with information pertaining to their team and grade. It will provide everyone

with information related to professional development, meetings, or shared ideas. This will give

teachers a space to reflect back to when needed.

Information will be applied and implemented into professional practice depending on the

information. Some folders will be from professional development days or from meetings where

the information was already reviewed with staff. Any folder or document that is uploaded will

not be shared until the material was reviewed with staff. Standard 4 states that an effective
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leader will promote the effective use of technology in the service of teaching and learning

(NPBEA, 2015). Teachers and staff can collaborate through these folders and share resources.

Teachers will be given opportunities to share reflective feedback through private surveys.

The feedback will be collected and discussed as a whole without exposing one particular person.

Furthermore, google docs can be sent out to staff for everyone to see and share ideas on different

strategies or best practices. This will allow staff and administration to collaborate ways to

improve practices.

Sharing information, implementing concepts, and monitoring professional outcomes

should be acted on instantly. In order to benefit the students and support teachers, a leader must

also monitor staff. Standard 1 states that an effective leader in collaboration with members of the

school and the community and using relevant data, develop and promote a vision for the school

on the successful learning and development of each child and on instructional and organizational

practices that promote such success (NPBEA, 2015). Staff must be kept up to date with

information and be able to collaborate ideas together. A leader needs to monitor these changes

and help when needed.

Rationale

Google Drive will be chosen as a way to use technology to share information. My

current school has been using this system for many years. It has worked for our building and

staff. It is great because it is organized by folders and topics. This system will make it easy for

teachers to find important school documents, information, and it is a way to provide feedback.

Many other districts agree on the importance of incorporating technology to share ideas within

the staff.
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Professional development, webinars, and sharing information through the use of

technology can benefit staff (Kaldor, T., & Donohue, C., 2018). Teachers are required to use

technology within their classrooms and it is best to use the same approach with the teachers

(Kaldor, T., & Donohue, C., 2018). It is important as a leader to plan how you will share this

information to staff. A leader must stay organized when sharing information. A Planning Cycle

for Integrating Digital Technology Into Literacy Instruction was designed to help leaders stay

organized (Thoma, J., et al., 2017). The leader must think of these following steps:

 Instructional Goal

 Instructional Approach

 Tool Selection

 Contribution to Instruction

 Constraints

 Instruction

This plan is a great tool to use when I implement using Google Drive as a system to organize

information to staff. My main goal is to give teachers a space where information is easily

accessible and beneficial to their practice. I can choose which tools and resources are necessary

to put into the folders to share. Lastly, teachers can use what they received or learned to help aid

their instruction during class.

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Resources

Kaldor, T., & Donohue, C. (2018). Tech Enabled Educators: Engagement and Empowerment

through Professional Development. Exchange (19460406), 240, 36–40.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author.

Thoma, J., Hutchison, A., Johnson, D., Johnson, K., & Stromer, E. (2017). Planning for

Technology Integration in a Professional Learning Community. Reading Teacher, 71(2), 167–

175. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/trtr.1604