ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I've listened to teachers in Ireland wonder if they might enhance their professional skills by immersing in conversations among their peers online. I'm one of several college lecturers who think that's desireable.
I recorded an educast (Educasting 08 below) with Fred Boss from the PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers) in which we discuss some of the issues related to awarding Continuous Professional Development (CPD) credit for specific activities accomplished online. As we know, this question resonates around Ireland, especially among newly qualified teachers. Behind the scenes, I'm exploring CPD collaboratively, within frameworks administered by the Institutes of Techology in Ireland. I know we already teach third level modules where cyberculture, social media, and virtual classrooms feature strongly. Perhaps we can link together academic modules in a way that results in candidates earning a Special Purpose Award at Level 8 or a Masters Degree at Level 9.
If you're interested in this initiative, please leave your comment on my blog or on the Educasting Channel on Audioboo.
Bernie Goldbach follows #edchatie conversations.