Professional+Development+&+Support


 * VII. Professional Development & Support: **

One of the hardest aspects of introducing a successful new initiative in schools, is providing appropriate support for the staff so that they will feel inspired to implement the initiative. Not only does BrainPOP have so many resources to offer students, but it also provides tremendous support for teachers when it comes to the area of professional development. When introducing an initiative such as BrainPOP, it is important that teachers are made aware of all that the program has to offer. Although teachers can discover a lot that BrainPOP has to offer just by navigating around the website, the purpose of this initiative is to help with differentiating instruction, enhancing student engagement, as well as improving student achievement.


 * __ Proposed Professional Development Plan: __**
 * I believe that the best route to take is to have one person from each department (possibly those who are on the “technology initiative team”) in the building to be the lead teacher for BrainPOP integration. The “lead” teachers will be responsible for holding small meetings, every other month starting in November, where the ideas of integrating BrainPOP into lessons are continually being shared as well as what is working and what is not working with the integration of BrainPOP. They will also serve as the “go to person” for their particular department so that if anyone has questions, concerns, or ideas concerning BrainPOP they have a resource person readily available to them. In addition to having a lead person from each team, the entire building will participate in general workshops introducing and promoting the effectiveness of BrainPOP. Below is a tentative schedule that I would propose for a school wide professional development plan. All meetings school wide would occur every other month at faculty meetings. **
 * All professional development activities are provided by BrainPOP.com **


 * Tentative Schedule: **


 * August 24, 2011: Getting Started With BrainPOP **
 * BrainPOP Introduction Video **


 * September 21, 2011: Standards Search Tool **


 * October 19, 2011: Video Tutorial **


 * November 16, 2011: Small Group Meeting (Discussion: What do you like or dislike about BrainPOP?) **


 * December 21, 2011: Into to Webinar feature (Webinar 1 during this month on date provided by BrainPOP) **


 * January 18, 2012: Small Group Meeting (Discussion: What features of BrainPOP have you used and how have they worked for you?) **


 * February 22, 2012: Webinar 2 (During the month on date provided by BrainPOP) **


 * March 21, 2012: Small Group Meeting (Do you feel that BrainPOP has been proven to be effective in your classroom? Why or why not?) **


 * April 18, 2012: Webinar 3 (During the month on date provided by BrainPOP) **


 * May 16, 2012: Final Evaluation (All staff will complete a survey on their opinion of the effectiveness of BrainPOP in their classroom. This will be used to help determine the effectiveness of the initiative.) **


 * June 8, 2012: Summary of Effectiveness **


 * *The following links are to resources that can be used during professional development sessions: **


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 * __ Short Term Goals: __**
 * ** All teachers will be introduced to BrainPOP prior to the first day of school. **
 * ** Teachers will be given a general overview of what BrainPOP has to offer. **
 * ** Teachers will be required to meet monthly to discuss the effectiveness of BrainPOP in their classrooms. **
 * __ Long Term Goals: __**
 * ** At the conclusion of the school year all teachers will be expected to have integrated BrainPOP into their classroom instruction. **
 * ** BrainPOP will have proven to improve student engagement and student achievement in the learning process. **

__Links: __ Technology Initiative Table of Contents Next Page (Maintenance Procedures & Recycling Timeline)