by Fran Simon, M.Ed.
Chief Engagement Officer, Engagement Strategies, LLC.
Producer of Early Childhood Investigations
It probably comes as no surprise to you that I think webinars are great! But, let’s be honest, nothing will ever replace ongoing, professional development presented in person. Webinars offer great promise when used as part of what I call an ideal “healthy professional development diet” that include formal training, on the job coaching, mentoring, readings, reflections, self-assessments, or other extensions, conferences, networking, peer-to-peer experiences, and online learning.
Because onsite training and conferences are expensive, and often requires travel, webinars and other online learning experiences like video and asynchronous e-learning can play an important part in a well-rounded PD plan. Of course, every organization is as different as the individuals who comprise the staff, so every Healthy PD diet will vary, depending on resources, time available for PD, philosophy, learning needs and styles, and other factors. The big idea here is to look carefully at the needs of the staff in your program as a group and individually to determine what ideal means in your context. In other words, my diagram on the right is a template, not an exact formula to be replicated. Are you with me?
H0w we see Early Childhood Investigations webinars within the context of a Healthy PD Diet
Our objective with Early Childhood Investigations webinars is to offer opportunities for you and your staff members to experience presentations by experts who you would only be otherwise able to experience if you had the luxury of time and money.
We know that the best model for professional development includes a variety of modalities offered as long term, ongoing formal and informal experiences. So, we plan our webinars to expand educators’ palates to new ideas, information and resources designed to pique interests. The goal is to provide an array of important topics presented by the foremost authorities in each area of exploration. This virtual learning smorgasbord provides nibbles that whet appetites for more in-depth experiences. Every webinar offers additional resources, extensions, a Reflections Form, and of practical information that can be applied immediately in order to set the table for a veritable career-long feast.
Embracing the concept of a healthy professional development diet helps educators work around the pitfalls and take advantage of the primary benefit of webinars: Spanning time and distance. Here are just a few tips that educators can use to make the most out of webinars:
- Build upon strengths and bolster areas that need growth: Select the webinars that will be most applicable to you, each learner and your staff as a whole.
- Participate in the webinar along with staff members.
- Encourage (or require) the participants (or yourself) to:
- complete the polls, ask questions, and share ideas through the Questions Pane.
- complete the Reflections Form we offer in every webinar or otherwise offer reflections on the webinar.
- share the concepts learned in webinars formally at staff meetings, or informally with peers.
- apply what has been learned in their work and document and/or report the results.
- use the additional resources and links suggested in the webinars to explore the topic in deeper detail.
- revisit the webinar by watching the recordings and reviewing the slides and handouts.
- build career lattices with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from University of Oklahoma.
- add certificates of attendance from the webinars to their PD portfolios and/or State Workforce Registries.
- pursue more information about the topic.
- connect with peers or mentors who are interested in the topic. Use social media or in-person networking groups.
- Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and follow our blog.)
It’s easy to multi-task while participating in webinars, but I find it is most meaningful when I devote the time allotted solely to the webinar. I gain a much deeper understanding of the material, I’m more engaged in the webinar, and I have a greater awareness of how best to implement..
Hi Celina: Great point! A lot of people find that commenting and participating in the backchannel is distracting, while others are enriched by the participation. It’s a good thing that the questions pane is positioned where it can easily be ignored. And, of course, it’s true that you might miss something important. Good thing we record every session! You can watch the recordings if you miss something. I guess the important thing to remember is that we all have different learning styles, so there are options for everyone. I’m just happy you make use of the webinars! Thanks for your comment!
Fran, I love your “balanced diet” theory–it also reminds me that, just as with food, there are certain types and categories that are important to each of us individually. There may be types we don’t or can’t ‘eat’ because they just are good for us or aren’t good in this moment–that doesn’t make them bad for other people.
I also really love your reflective handout–I see it is copyrighted, however, would it be okay to print it and provide it, say at a staff meeting, to a group of educators who have watched one of the recordings together?
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Lisa! You are welcome to use the form with your staff! That’s why I created it! The copyright is there simply to prohibit other people from claiming the form as their original work. Thanks for commenting and participating in our webinars!
The webinars are somewhat of a refresher. They save time and in some iway t’s like a video book. The recordings are great to share at staff/parent mtgs. Let’s not get the clock hours.
Hi Minto, I’m glad you’ve found new uses for the webinars!Thanks for sharing.
Hey Fran, thanks for the great opportunity to learn from the webinars without the expense. I am from a small country and funds are not readily available for training, and when training does become available the heads are the persons to be given the opportunity. I have learnt so much from your team of presenters and yourself, you guys are so patient and are sooo very good at what you do it is amazing.
I now have so much information to share with early childhood practitioners in my country because of the webinars. I really would like you and the members of your resource team to visit my country soon. Thirsty for fresh up to date information.
Hi Ingrid! Thanks for attending the webinars and thank you for the kind words! What a great way to start the day!
Fran – I love the diet concept. I could see you turning it into something really interactive. If you’re interested in brainstorming interactive implications, I’ll be in Denver next week at Registry conference. Would be great to catch up too.
Michelle! I love the idea of developing an interactive tool for developing PD diets. It would be sorta like a health app, but for professional development! Yes, I hoped readers would understand that the concept would apply to them as well as people they supervise. I will see you in Denver. Let’s plan to meet. I will ping you on FB! Thanks for commenting!
Fran, I really appreciate what you have been able to accomplish with Early Childhood Webinars. The topics are timely, the conversation and dialogue enriching and I look forward to the ongoing opportunity to add to my PD diet. Thank you.
Hi Sherilynn, Thanks for the kind words. We’re happy to know our community is benefiting from the webinars. It’s gratifying to know our “village” of presenters and sponsors are helping educators move the needle on quality. Thanks for being a part of the drive for continuous quality improvement and thanks for your support!