IB Online Professional Development e-Newsletter - July 2012

IB Online Professional Development eNewsletter

July 2012

A new look for IB online workshops Welcome to the July edition of our enewsletter. We are now pleased to be able to give you a preview of our new workshop design, which is just one part of a significant upgrade to our online platform coming this September.

Individual IB programmes will now be themed by their official colour scheme and we've added a wide range of images to reflect the diversity of participants around the world who take part in our workshops.

In addition to the new look, you should find it easier to navigate around your workshop and the site as a whole. We've also developed some new features, including one which allows you to create a portfolio of all your contributions during your workshop to add to your professional development portfolio. Finally, we are in the process of adding more multimedia into our workshops, such as audio and video, to make your learning experience more engaging.

Something which won’t change, though, is the ability to collaborate and network with colleagues from IB schools around the globe—we know from your feedback that this is what you value the most.

If you are enrolled in an IB online workshop that begins on or after 12 September, you will be able to experience all these changes for yourself. Register now at http://www.ibo.org/events. We hope you like the changes and would value your feedback at ibid@ibo.org.

Webinars added to our professional development range Later this year we will be piloting a new form of online professional development in the form of webinars. Webinars are live online presentations that you can access on your computer. You can ask questions in the session and network with other participants, much like at a conference or training event—but without leaving your desk! Webinars will give us an opportunity to cover some aspects of our workshop topics in more depth and be more responsive to your needs.

Each webinar will run for 40 minutes. We already have eight that you can register for now. Find out more at http://www.ibo.org/programmes/pd/webinars/.

Presenter Julian Metcalf Graeme Donnan and Celina Garza David Dasari Brian Neises Phil Spurr Gayle Gordon Simon Vanderkelen Andrea Naylor and Isabel Jones

Webinar Supporting IB students with their UCAS application to UK universities IB academic honesty and the Diploma Programme Bringing the Scientific Method alive in the PYP classroom The MEASURE of maths (PYP) Dealing with the challenging behaviour of colleagues Developing access and inclusion for all students in an IB programme (PYP) Writing and supporting your language policy (PYP & DP) Internationalism through children's literature (PYP)

Date Saturday 29 September Saturday 13 October Saturday 27 October Saturday 3 November Sunday 4 November Sunday 11 November Saturday 17 November Sunday 25 November

More online workshops in French and Spanish You’ve told us that you want to see more of our online workshops available in French and Spanish, and we listened. From this October, we’ll be expanding our range significantly. The new workshops are: Diploma - Langue A: Littérature - Langue A: Langue et Littérature - Langue Ab Initio - Mathématiques NM - Matemáticas NM - Études mathématiques - Estudios Matemáticos - Mathématiques NS - Matemáticas NS MYP - Sciences humaines du PPCS - Humanidades del PAI - Langue B du PPCS - Lengua B del PAI PYP - Introduction au modèle du programme d’études - Introducción al modelo curricular - Introducción al PEP - Cómo hacer realidad el PEP - La planificación en equipo - Introducción a las normas de implementación de los programas del IB Page 2

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All of these workshops begin on 31 October. Register now at http://www.ibo.org/events.

New Category 1 online workshops in English Category 1 workshops are targeted at new IB and non-IB teachers, administrators and coordinators interested in learning about the mission and philosophy of the IB within the context of a specific IB subject. The new Diploma workshops available for the first time in September are: -

Computer Science Coordination Mathematics HL Mathematics SL Mathematical Studies

All of these workshops are available to start on either 12 September or 31 October. Register now at http://www.ibo.org/events.

Changes in the Online Professional Development team Analourdes Herrera has recently taken up a new post as Online PD Development Manager. She will be managing the development of all new workshops and other types of online PD. Ana has been part of the team for some time as an Online Workshops Coordinator, responsible for the training and recruitment of online facilitators, and she also brings a wealth of experience about online pedagogy and design.

She is excited about taking on this new role: “Working at the IB and with the IB Online PD team has been an enriching professional experience. It is a pleasure to work with such talented and committed people who are driven by the mission and philosophy of an international organization. I look forward to introducing new, innovative and quality-driven professional development products and services to serve IB schools.”

Testimonial: A teacher’s view of online workshops To close this edition, we have an interview with Dan Landi from the International School of Hout Bay in Cape Town, South Africa. Dan is an experienced teacher and has taken part in online learning for several years. He has completed two IB online workshops—Creativity, action service (CAS) in November 2011 and Geography in March of this year—and agreed to share his experiences.

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What prompted you to take the workshops and what were your expectations?

I was prompted by a belief that PD adds value to teaching and salary negotiation, making you better informed about the most current development. Initially I was unsure about the IB but after joining the International School of Hout Bay I became enthusiastic. There is limited budget for other forms of training, but I would still take online workshops regardless. I was familiar with Moodle, so I was looking for new ways to use it.

I expected to learn how to apply concepts of the subject, learn through experience, and share resources and best practice with other educators.

What was the most challenging aspect of the workshops?

Timing—I started the workshop at a sensitive time: settling into a new country, a new school, a new syllabus, with kids in challenging circumstances.

What was your greatest gain from the workshops and how have you applied this in your classroom?

I felt inspired during the workshops by the practical applicability. For example, CAS online provided a structure and framework that was usable and workable to apply to student learning. I gained ideas for how to implement CAS and a variety of CAS activities, eg: Posing a strong guiding question: How do you develop philanthropic attitudes? It is most important to instill a sense of responsibility—start early with the foundations of CAS and the sense of community and duty, so that CAS is part of the student’s character and is not just another DP subject. The aim should be to have the subject woven into the students' daily lives in a way that is practical, realistic and useful. CAS should become a more integrated project that expands beyond the reach of the mundane and moves into expanding personalities and a contribution to community.

What advice would you have for a colleague who is about to take an IB online workshop?

Be sure to create and commit a sufficient amount of time—it is more time consuming than you expect. It is a learning experience, not a read/click exercise.

Have a set goal in mind (not just getting through the content): to destroy preconceived notions or build on previous knowledge (ie focusing your learning and having a personal accomplishment set). The workshops allow for flexible individualized goals that are meaningful.

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© International Baccalaureate Organization 2012