Thing 28: Online Learning & DIY PD

This track was an easy one for me since professional development is my thing! This year alone I completed over 302 hours of professional development and I can honestly say I enjoyed almost every last bit of it. I did whatever I could and chose to not focus on just one thing but to broaden my horizons and take whatever classes I could and learn whatever I could. It was a mix of online 45 hour classes, classes and workshops that my district or surrounding districts offered, and conferences that helped to obtain so many hours for the year. Some of my favorite classes were the online webinars where I was able to participate from the comfort of my own home and didn’t have to worry about traveling somewhere far from my home. With all that I have done I have thought about, and considered teaching some professional development classes one day and helping others just like my instructors did for me. I am always sharing with my colleagues everything that I have learned so why not go even beyond that and try to reach as many people as possible. My district is awesome about allowing me to take all of these classes and not only do I receive credit for my 100 CTLE hours but I also get credit towards step increases. I loved reading about the webinars, eCourses, and podcasts and will definitely be looking into more of them for next year!