Discussion+Summary

It appears glaringly obvious that when it comes to Staff Development and the Concerns Based Adoption Model it is Stage 3, or the Management stage where the change train goes off the tracks. At this point in this course this comes as no surprise as we have become accustomed to reading each others anecdotes about poor planning in our districts or the times when a positive change managed to be carried out to the end. My personal hypothesis has been proven here; that the first three stages are relatively easy to get by, making someone aware of a change plan and informing them how it works and how they are involved. With Management, the plan must be much more thought out than throwing out a bunch of numbers and presenting a PowerPoint then checking back, or not, months down the road to see how it is going. If the concerns of this stage are not taken care of change is unlike to progress past it, and when it does it will not appear in the way the change agent envisioned it.
 * Staff Development & CBAM**

As a group we have seen in our professional lives, both in the classroom and outside of it, how important it is to keep in mind pedagogy and organization when implementing change. This does not ensure change will succeed, but the lack of both usually points the change in the direction of failure. If we use a house and a general contractor as our organization and our pedagogue respectively we realize the blueprints are useless if the contractor cannot understand them. Likewise, the contractor can’t build the house with out the proper tools, foundation, or permits. Yet this is what we are asked to do all the time, to “Make it work.” And often we do, however the full potential of the change is never achieved. Let us be ever mindful of this need to incorporate both sides of this change coin, into our future endeavors.
 * Pedagogy, Organization and Change**

Discussions regarding the cartoon had two recurring themes; first, the correlation between effective staff development and effective implementation of a technology or change.Second, It was interesting how many people related to the cartoon from personal experiences. Since we all come from vastly different districts it seems that poor staff development prevails across the board in education and there is much work to be done in this area. The one word that stuck out during the discussions was 'apathy', and that pretty much sums up the cartoon well.
 * Cartoon**:

The class was split about adding a technology competency component to the definition of a highly qualified teacher. The majority agreed that we should have a component, those that disagreed expressed concerns about how technology competency would be assessed and would teachers just use technology for the sake of using technology without having improved student results. Susan Gorjup stated that her district has addressed this issue in their vision statement and on their teacher observations, this seems like a viable solution. However, one observation **not** made during the discussions were economics. How do you level the playing field when some districts have more money to spend on technology than other districts? Would the teacher who uses iPads be more highly qualified than the teacher who uses a desktop?
 * Highly Qualified Teachers, Staff Development & Technology**

Discussion centered on the belief that successful school improvement is very closely tied to a school's culture. Some were of the opinion that if you change the culture of the group, then you change and improve the individual as well. Others noted that the best school changes began with those individuals already interested in change. The influence of "leaders" in the school was also mentioned as way to change a school's culture - that their favorable opinion carries weight with other teachers, which in turn, makes others more receptive to change. Another person mentioned that an unfavorable person's actions and opinions can affect change as well, that negative opinions can influence others and derail school improvement regardless of the school's culture.
 * Changing School Culture vs Changing the Individual**

Everyone agreed that while organic change instituted by teachers would be more effective than mandated change, often times, mandated change is necessary to institute changes that occur on a much larger scale. Many believed that mandated change could be most effective when used to implement changes that affect buildings or districts and as a means to bring along any laggards. Organic change was viewed in a much more positive manner because it involved individuals choosing to change as opposed to being forced to accept changes deemed important by the administration. Regardless of whether change was mandated or organic, many felt that teachers needed to assume the mantle of becoming an agent of change, especially in regards to professional development.
 * Staff Development and Being an Agent of Change**