Picking+a+Platform

Ultimately, I decided that I would like to address the need to expose teachers to a vast array of web 2.0 tools that they can use to make their lessons more appealing to their students. I know there are many teachers at my school that still lecture for the majority of their classroom instruction and they often do not allow students to explore to their own meanings or solutions. I daily see a culture of students that spend every moment they can using the hand held computer applications. Shouldn’t we try to meet the student on their playing field. Shouldn’t we show them a way to learn and explore to find information using the tools and technology at their disposal. I decided to survey to find the teachers that would be interested in learning web tools or apps that can help promote active learning in their classrooms. I targeted the teachers that are willing to try new technologies. I gave them a list of web tools to choose which ones they would be willing to learn more about. I also wanted to know how comfortable the teachers felt adding new tools to their lessons after they learn how to use them. **How are you going to deliver your survey and why?**
 * Review your thought process about your needs assessment survey for Project 3.3. What were your final decisions?**

I am going to deliver the surveys using Google forms. My school system uses gmail as their email delivery system and many teachers in my school have already been exposed to the Google form submission process. **What makes a good survey question?**

There are several characteristics of a good survey question. Here’s some of them: **What platform will you use to deliver your professional development at a distance? Why?**
 * make sure the language is not too formal
 * don’t use double negatives
 * no leading questions
 * keep the number of choices minimal
 * don’t assume that the person taking the survey completely understands the subject
 * it is important to use close-ended questions or ones with a definite answer
 * make it short
 * the first question should be the most interesting

I will use Google forms to develop my survey and deliver it to my faculty because out district mail is set up through gmail and many teachers have already experienced getting surveys from me. This method should be somewhat familiar with most of my fellow teachers. **What do you consider to be your greatest challenges in designing a PD workshop in this platform?**

Professional development has gained some negative attention over the last few years because many teachers feel that they don’t have enough time for it and there are very few incentives for taking part in professional development training. Not to mention the state of Georgia temporarily eliminated the professional development hour requirement in order to renew a teaching certificate. The next biggest challenge is time constraints. Many of my fellow teachers do not want to go to a class on their own time. They would likely go to a professional development if they know that they can get out of going to school and still get paid. Therefore, the best way to deliver PD instruction is through a curriculum web or other web delivery method.