Educator Professional Development. The integration of technology into teaching and learning processes remain the keystone to any DocuSign Envelope ID: 22B4BD01-58D9-4AB3-AC4F-AC67D3B96B81 DocuSign Envelope ID: 16287D28-3264-44F2-80BB-D4454384C31A DocuSign Envelope ID: 4CCD5CFA-F6B1-45E1-BC0F-C2E6C9AD484C DocuSign Envelope ID: B0369851-91DB-4C5C-AB37-4DDE5FED74CC
Educator Professional Development. The integration of technology into teaching and learning processes remain the keystone to any 1:1 program. The Provider will develop and deliver professional development materials and opportunities for educators throughout the term of the Agreement to support the effective integration of the solution into teaching and learning. Bidders must address how it plans to provide professional development opportunities to educators throughout the State. The Department has recognized many challenges over the past decade of implementing Maine’s 1:1 program and providing professional development to educators including: • Heterogeneous skills and experience using technology among the educators. While the program has been in place for over a decade and the base skills and capacities of teachers may be stronger overall than other large populations in other places, there still exists a wide variability among them. • The need for greater understanding of how a 1:1 program can facilitate student-centered teaching and learning. The Department recognizes that one barrier to the high-level integration of 1:1 technology is the need for greater understanding of the ways such technology can support a student-centered approach to teaching and learning. • Many teachers have "tech skills" but lack the teaching and management skills necessary to leverage those skills. The Department recognizes that technology-use skills do not necessarily result in effective technology-empowered teaching and learning. Too often, “technology integration” is done a very basic level, leaving unrealized the potentially transformative power of a 1:1 approach. • Lack of availability of substitute teachers limits participation. For face-to-face opportunities during the school day, the Department has found that it is difficult to host large sessions with teachers in a single school or a single region because in many areas, there are not enough substitute teachers to provide coverage while the teachers are participating in the professional development opportunity. The Department has provided synchronous and asynchronous online professional development opportunities including online classes, webinars, and podcasts. While each has been viewed as effective for some, the Department also recognizes that like students, the learning styles and comfort of teachers is varied. The Provider will provide an appropriate amount of educationally relevant professional development training for teachers and other school person...
