Presented at ATIA 2010, much of the session was audience participation.

1. Created using Wordle.net
Alternative
Professional
Development
Christopher R. Bugaj, MA CCC-SLP

2. Talking Points
• What’s the difference between “PD” and
“Training”?
• What content are we doing during PD?
• What are the problems with traditional “Butt-
In-Chair” PD?
• What are some solutions to these problems?
• A word about “Follow-up Activities”.
• A word about PLNs & community building.

3. What's the Difference Between
"PD" and "Training"?
• PD:
• Ongoing process
• Often, but not always, mandatory
• Provided to larger audiences
• May contain more theory
• Training:
• May be provided to student and/or teacher
• May contain more “hands-on” interaction
• Provided to a smaller number of individuals
• Content is typically on one specific tool or idea

4. What content are we DOING during PD?
• Differentiated Instruction for all teachers, including
general education
• 21st Century skills
• College prep.
• AT overview of policies and procedures for IEP teams
• How to consider AT in every IEP
Note: These are responses from the audience at ATIA 2010

5. What are the problems with
traditional “Butt-In-Chair” PD?
• IDEAS ARE DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT DUE TO TIME
• NO FOLLOW-UP
• LOSING AUDIENCE FOCUS
• PASSIVE – TOO SCRIPTED
• COST
• LACK OF INTEREST / MOTIVATION
Note: These are responses from the audience at ATIA 2010

6. Note: These are responses from the audience at ATIA 2
What are some solutions
to these problems?
• SMALL CHUNKS OF TIME
• ONE TO ONE TRAINING (MODELING)
• FOLLOW UP
• PEER TO PEER SUPPORT (LEARNING COMMUNITY)
• “WALLERS” – STEP BY STEP GUIDES TO COMPLETE
TASKS
• TRAIN THE TRAINER MODEL
• ABILITY TO WEAR JEANS! SMALL INCENTIVES
• CREDIT TOWARDS LICENSE RENEWAL

7. Uh, don't forget to mention these you knucklehead!
• Strategy-A-Day Calendar
• Creation & Distribution
• AT Tonight DVDs
• Creation & Distribution
• Results
• AT Tonight Volume 1: ~300
• AT Tonight Volume 2: ~250

8. Desktop Calendar & Survey Results

9. PODCAST WORKSHOPS
 Burn podcasts onto CDs to play
in the car!
 Try it with the A.T.TIPSCAST.
 Four volumes completed.
 Download the question
booklets.
 Distribute to educators.
 Over 5 hours of content!
www.attipcast.wordpress.com
www.tinyurl.com/attipscast

10. Calendar, DVDs, and podcasts
address some problems, but not all
ADDRESSED UNADDRESSED
• Uses available time  Only Awareness Level
• Watch short videos on TV Training (although, over
during commercials with
DVD time, there is possibility
• Listen to podcasts during for implementation)
commute
 Still need follow-up
• Read one calendar slide a
day  Still “sit n’ get” style
• No technology expertise  Not “hands-on””
required
• Everyone knows how to use
a CD and DVD player

11. Follow-up Activities
• Recognized as a need but haven’t actually implemented it yet.
• The Ideas:
• After viewing a DVD and answering the questions in the booklet, get
together to discuss what was experienced, either web-based (online
forums) or in person
• Create a product from what was heard on a podcast or saw on the
DVD and then share that somehow (wiki, existing online resource
depending on the topic)

12. Training by
Community Building
• When training on a specific tool that is not available to
general educators (for example, a specific AAC device)
form communities of teachers who are working with
students who are using these devices.
• Example: 5 teachers (along with related services) in the county
are working with students who are using a SpringBoard Lite
(Augmentative Communication Device). Quarterly meetings to
bring these minds together to share strategies, data collection
techniques, and resources may decrease likelihood of
abandonment, decrease time spend recreating same resources,
and increase student achievement/integration.

13. What's a PLN?
• Personal Learning Network (Environment)-
• Educators making connections with other educators
• Foster and build this within educators
• What tools do we use to make up our own PLNs?
• Sorry- we ran out of time to do this one as a group- but here are
a few that I would have guessed would have been mentioned:
• Twitter • Youtube/Teachertube/Schooltube
• Facebook/LinkedIn/Plurk • Ning/Classroom 2.0
• Moodle/Blackboard/Angel • Virtual Worlds (ie Second Life)
• Podcasts • Others?

14. One Last Thing
The Practical (and
Fun!) Guide to
Assistive Technology
in Public Schools:
Building or Improving Your
District’s AT Team
www.iste.org/chewat

15. Contact Information

16. Thank You!
Thank you for attending this session! Watch for us in
Chicago this October!
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