Professional Learning Communities

Professional Learning Communities

One component of the 21st Century Professional Development
framework encourages sharing knowledge with fellow faculty, using
face-to-face, virtual and blended communications. When we think of
sharing knowledge, we often think of using professional learning
communities. In several of your courses, the concept of a professional
learning community (PLC) is presented and elaborated on. A professional
learning community consists of individuals with an interest in eduction.
The focus of a professional learning community can be taking measures
to ensure students learn, creating a culture of collaboration in the
school, for school improvement and more (DuFour, 2004). In this
discussion, you will deliberate about the use of professional learning
communities as they relate to the 21st Century Professional Development framework with an emphasis on technology. 

Initial Post: Think about the 21st Century Professional
Development framework and technology when working in your mock
professional learning community. Next, imagine your state legislatures
have asked the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office to advise them
regarding the creation of a blended professional learning community
across the districts within the state. As an educator who is well versed
in employing critical thinking, problem solving and 21st-century skills
in the classroom, you have been selected to participate with a group of
other teachers to inform and persuade the Analyst’s Office of why the
incorporation of technology to work collaboratively with other teachers
in the state is important. 

Work with your mock PLC group to come up with a supported argument based
on personal experiences and scholarly literature in which you:

• Discuss how you could incorporate and implement
  the use of technology to create a blended professional learning
  community across districts within your state to share knowledge with
  fellow faculty on how a deeper understanding of subject matter can
  actually enhance problem solving, critical thinking, and other 21st-century skills.
• Discuss how creating a professional learning
  community can increase the ways teachers seize opportunities for
  integrating 21st-century skills, tools and teaching strategies into
  their classroom practice — and help them identify what activities they
  can replace or de-emphasize.