For too long teachers have had to suffer training type workshops where the expert either made them feel inadequate or overloaded them with new information most often resulting in no transfer to current classroom practices. The Ideas Into Action professional development model is a design for learning that involves teachers constructing knowledge about teaching practice and how they can extend their own knowledge about their teaching by participation in an Internet curriculum-based project.

Internet curriculum-based projects can be found on the oz-TeacherNet.

http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/index.html

The types of activities that are involved in these telecommunications projects are many and varied from Teleconversations to Virtual Field Trips to the Global Classroom Model. (Williams,1998) Travel Buddies and Book Raps are two of the Internet curriculum-based projects that are popular with teachers.

http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/projects/book-rap/index.html

The Montage Showcase shows examples of these and comments from teachers.(Lees,1998) http://www.bc.org.au/montage/montshow

The Ideas Into Action Professional Development Model gives teachers some 'just in time' training and professional development (McKenzie, 1998) so that they can turn these ideas into action by participating with their class in an Internet or telecommunications curriculum-based project. Teachers can take control of their own professional development when they are preparing and actually participating in this project. (See Education Queensland,Education Views, 1998 or visit Hillview's Page for an account.)

JIGSAW METAPHOR

This professional development model is best explained using a jigsaw metaphor. It consists of these jigsaw bits: a face to face professional development, an awareness of Telecommunications or Internet Curriculum-based Projects, an intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to get started, he structured plan, versatility of the internet project and its link to the curriculum, the safeness of the project itself, support and online help.

How and when all these jigsaw bits fit together is dependent on the teacher turning these ideas into action in the classroom and engaging in their own professional development by participating in an Internet curriculum-based project.

Face to Face Professional Development

The face to face professional development day incorporating at least 1/3 of the time as 'hands on' training on computers (Stokes,1998) provides teachers with an awareness of the uses and variety of telecommunications projects, curriculum and class management issues and the necessary 'just in time' hands on training bits on how to get started with the Internet project. Teacher stories are told and artefacts of past Internet Curriculum-based Projects are handed around for teachers to see and read. This gives teachers more motivation to start while the training bits show teachers how to use a web browser to find web based resources on the Internet including emailing and joining email lists. This is all done in a very supportive environment where teachers can discuss issues and freely ask questions.

The Three Circles Model (Williams and McKeown,1996;Williams,1998) is used with teachers so they can work out their logistical, curriculum and professional development issues and possible solutions particular to their case. As McKenzie (1998) points out that emotions can block the acceptance of information technology it is emphasised how important it is to find support, especially technical support and how email teacher lists can also help. At the end of the sessions there is an opportunity to reflect on all aspects of the professional development day and their future directions.

Motivation to Get Started

From the teacher's perspective the jig saw bit of motivation to do an Internet curriculum-based project is very important. This motivation is due to a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic pressures.

Intrinsic pressures could result due to a variety of reasons. The teacher could see that the Internet project has a connection to curriculum which would increase motivation for students, add variety to classroom work and become part of their program. There could be a real desire to know more about Internet projects. Wanting to tinker with technology and use it in the classroom could be seen as necessary on the part of the teacher . There could also be indirect pressures from teaching peers who are successfully using Internet projects to keep abreast. Teachers may want to develop their students' computer skills. They also might want to develop their own learning technology competencies.

Extrinsic pressures could also result due to a variety of reasons. Pressure can be exerted from school administration to use computers. There is government and education department pressure to use computers because of the large amount of public money being spent on getting the Internet into schools and this has been voted for by the community. In Queensland, Education Queensland has stated that by 2001 all teachers are to reach Level 1 Learning Technology Competencies.(Education Queensland,1997) This has raised anxieties in some teachers about how they are going to achieve this.

There is general school community pressure to use computers. Parents expect their students to be using computers. There can be pressure for individual teachers to use the computer technology from particular computer literate parents. Students can often have superior skills to their teachers. This can create a situation where the teacher wants to develop their own skills or where the teacher wants to involve these students in a project where they are using their computer talents.

Structure of Telecommunication Curriculum-based Projects

The structure of the telecommunications curriculum-based project takes some of the work away from the teacher in that another teacher, usually a volunteer, has created the project and often is coordinating it. It usually is organised with some web resources and advertised on the Internet, has some email communication involved but linked to the curriculum. It then becomes the teacher's job to build the context for the project with their class.(Williams,1998) The projects are flexible enough to allow the teacher to mould the project to suit their curriculum goals. Book Raps are a good example of this.(McGhee,1998)

The structure of Internet projects allows learning beyond the classroom boundaries allowing students to share opinions, knowledge and work with children outside their classroom's four walls. This constructivist teaching with the Internet allows teachers to redefine literacy as being able to communicate. In other words being able to integrate reading and writing, navigate through information sources, discriminate between important and unimportant information and respond to email. The learner now actively constructs their own meaning with the teacher no longer being the expert.(El-Hindi,1998)

Safeness of Projects

There has been increasing public outcry about the unsafe or pornographic sites that children can be exposed to when on the Internet. These Internet curriculum-based projects are safe for children to be involved in and teachers can feel free from anxiety about this and relate this to parents. These projects are organised by teachers from schools in Australia or overseas for other teachers to participate in with their students.

Support

Support for novice technology users is very important. McKenzie (1998) says teachers need technical support to be successful. When some computer application doesn't work teachers in the early stages of using technology often think that they are responsible for it not working. Teachers go through stages of survival, mastery, impact and innovation in their adoption and use of technology in their teaching activities. It is in this survival stage that teachers can often struggle with technology, be assailed by technical problems, have unrealistic expectations and often have chaos in their rooms (Mandinach and Cline, 1994) Teachers need 'constant hand-holding' from teaching colleagues to support them and get them through this early stage. Online support from teacher email lists can also provide valuable support with technical problems, curriculum issues, classroom management or simply sharing a success.

SUMMARY

This model of professional development is based on knowledge construction by teachers about teaching practice leading to a deeper knowledge and understanding of their teaching by participation in an Internet curriculum-based project.

It is best explained using the jigsaw metaphor. The jigsaw bits consist of a face to face 'just in time' professional development session, an awareness of Telecommunications or Internet Curriculum-based projects, an intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to get started, the structured plan but versatility of the Internet project and its link to the curriculum, the safeness of the project itself, support and online help do fit together.

How and when they do, is dependent on the teacher turning these ideas into action and taking control of their own professional development by participating in an Internet curriculum-based project.

References

Education Queensland (1998 June) Book rap hit with P-3 Education Views vol 7 no11 Education Queensland (1997) Schooling 2001 GoPrint, Brisbane.

El-Hindi, A (1998 May) Exploring Literacy on the Internet, Beyond classroom boundaries: Constructivist teaching with the Internet The Reading Teacher vol. 51 no 8

King,R., Hill, D., Retallick,J. (1997) Exploring Professional Development in Education Social Science Press pp 1-19 Lees, S (1998 March)

Montage Newimages Montage Showcase - Building Bridges Quick QSITE March 1998 no 67.

McGhee,C (1998 June/July) Participating in a Book Rap Gifted NSW Association for Gifted & Talented Children Inc, Issue no 104

McKenzie, J. (1998 March) Secrets of Success: Professional Development that Works Fromnowon (http://fromnowon.org)

Mandinach,E., Cline,H (1994) Classroom Dynamics: Implementing a Technology-Based Learning Environment Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey.

Stokes,J (1998 June) Jamie McKenzie DownUnder Quick QSITE June 1998 no 68.

Williams, M and McKeown,L (1996 December) Definitions of the net that teachers experience. Australian Educational Computing, vol. 11, no. 2.

Williams, M (1998 June) Let's get serious about using the Internet in Computer Studies Quick QSITE June 1998 no.68.