by Justin Marquis, Online Universities
There are several factors that make MOOCs a perfect option for ongoing teacher PD. First, they are free, and schools are so strapped for funding that free anything is quite possibly the only option in many cases. In most states teachers are required to add to their learning annually in order to maintain certification. MOOCs provide an easy way to continually find updated content. MOOCs are generally flexible enough in their scheduling to fit in with teacher’s busy lives. Finally, the availability of the free content and resources found in some MOOCs could provide teachers with additional resources for teaching in their classrooms. While this plan places the entire burden for PD on teachers, without consideration for release time, it does reflect the way that the system currently works and the lack of real value that we place on teachers’ time and efforts. While that is unfair, it does reflect the reality in which we live and provides a real solution to an important problem.
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