Professional Development Collaboratory Wiki: Extended Summary

Definition of Professional Development

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Definition of a Professional Development Collaboratory

A professional development collaboratory may share fundamental characteristics of other collaboratories including, but not necessarily limited to: organized, rule-governed processes for socialization, instrument (tools) and data-sharing, contextualization, and collaboration--either consequent or subsequent to a collaboratory's (collective) organization, but certainly consequent to its governance if indeed governance is taken for granted. Such a collaboratory stretches the concept of laboratory to embrace endeavours other than "geographically distributed scientific research" (Wikpedia, Collaboratory, Summary, ¶2; 2008.08.25) in order to promote activities and interactions, conceivably experimental, yet conducive to evolutionary and sustainable professional behaviours.

How do we find out about Pro-D opportunities?

• Listings in trusted online communities (ETUG, SCoPE, WikiEducator, CIDER)
  
• Direct recommendations from colleagues
• Identify a gap in own learning, then seek out pro-d
  
• Google searches for specific topics, activities, resources
• Follow leads from individuals in our networks (using a variety of tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Tags, Ning, shared calendars)
• Lurking close by those who are passionate about teaching and learning
  
• Advertising on home institution websites
• Mailing lists
• Websites
• Compilations created by others
  
• Event services/tools, such as The Conference Calendar, Facebook Events, Upcoming, Google shared calendar
• Online libraries
  

How do we manage the information?

• Netvibes to bring in RSS feeds, calenar events, social networking channels, bookmark tags, etc. -- one stop shopping overview of PD developments in a given area
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Exemplary Pro-D Websites

• SCoPE
• WIMBA (commercial site with Distinguished Lecturer sessions)
  

Guiding Principles

• Keep it clean and simple so that it's easy to find information.
  
• We need indicators of quality/ reputation
• Origin of pro-d events not important
• Fees are appropriate if it looks like the gains are there
• Consider that not everybody has time for F2F events at home institutions
• Taking pro-d at other institutions has advantages
• Best recommendations are from people who have experienced PD themselves
• Build on what already exists - don't duplicate
  

Essential Elements

• quick, easy access to information
  
• personalize/customize
  

• WGBH Forum Network