What is Professional Development and Why Does it Matter?
Professional development is the term for continuing higher education in a certain field. For teachers, professional development is especially important in making sure they are meeting students needs in an effective way and can help educators learn from their teaching and reflections.
What are some examples of Professional Development for teachers?
- students see better learning outcomes
- teachers learn better ways to teach
- teachers can develop better organization and planning skills
- teachers continue their education
- students receive more personal feedback
Digital Badges are a great way to include technology and professional development together. Badges allow you to earn a “reward” or certificate for showing a certain set of skills or knowledge on a topic. There are several platforms that allow you to earn professional development badges and catalog those!
Common Sense Education offers many free resources for professional development in teachers specifically. This site features videos and articles on digital citizenship and protecting student’s privacy online that are really helpful in introducing technology more into the classroom.
Download Common Sense Education’s Digital Learning Pledge