One of the highlights of this year's conference was the debut of the PD In Focus™ professional development platform. The new cornerstone in ASCD's comprehensive online capacity-building strategy, PD In Focus offers streaming video organized into channels and focused on critical issues related to school improvement.
"PD In Focus prepares, supports, and extends powerful professional learning for each user," says ASCD Executive Director Gene R. Carter. "This product demonstrates our association's drive to bring effective PD to educators worldwide."
PD In Focus gives school administrators the ability to make it easier for staff members to engage in meaningful professional development activities. Administrators can easily find relevant content, make assignments, and monitor progress. Continuous Web-based accessibility to a variety of video clips showing research-based teaching practices in action empowers educators to build local capacity and implement best practices in schools and districts.
- A library of video clips organized into channels that are idea driven and focused on critical issues related to school improvement. The four channels are Differentiated Instruction, English Language Learners, Best Practices in Action (e.g., critical thinking skills, motivation, and building resiliency), and Literacy Strategies.
- A search capability for finding and viewing video clips.
- Multiple implementation levels that allow for various functions of PD, including individual learning, coaching, principal-directed or district-led learning, and university distance learning.
- The ability for teachers or administrators to set up groups, make assignments, and give customized feedback to different types of groups.
- A rating system for the videos so that users can see how their peers valued the content.
- An online journal to allow users to personalize their PD experiences.
- An on-screen host to orient viewers to the site, designed to eliminate the need for training or facilitation.
- Access to ASCD resources, such as books, tools, articles, and PD Online courses.
- Opportunities to form professional learning communities around the content so that users can interact in personal and collaborative ways.
- Authoritative sources for the content, including Robert J. Marzano, Carol Ann Tomlinson, Donna Ogle, Virginia Rojas, and Pat Wolfe.
Linda Scraper, ASCD's online product director, demonstrated the product to educators throughout the conference. "'I could have used this in my classroom this week!' was the comment I heard time and again from teachers who tried out PD In Focus," says Scraper.
PD In Focus was developed as a natural outgrowth of ASCD's suite of professional development materials. The program's interface and adaptable implementation are designed to allow educators to customize their own professional development. It supports dialogue and sustains educators with online media, tools, and resources.
For a free trial offer or to download a brochure for PD In Focus, please visit www.ascd.org/pdinfocus.
2009 Annual Conference Recordings Available
If you were not able to attend the Annual Conference or don't want to forget what you learned there, you can purchase the experience. More than 100 sessions recorded live from the 2009 Annual Conference are available in MP3, iPod Audio, and audio CD formats. Buy one of the conference packages to create an audio training library. Visitwww.iplayback.com/prod_detail_list/132for more information.