Collaborative Professional Development

Today, I watched something fascinating unfold in our teacher collaboration space. A veteran English teacher who'd been skeptical about AI for months had her "aha" moment – not from listening to theory, but from actually experimenting with the technology alongside peers. "I've sat through so many AI presentations," she told me afterward, "but this is the first time I actually understood how it fits into my classroom reality." What made the difference? Instead of talking about AI integration, we were actively building learning experiences together. Teachers weren't passive recipients of information – they were architects of their own solutions, applying generative learning principles in real-time. The shift was palpable: A history teacher discovered how to create dynamic primary source analysis exercises A math instructor developed a system for generating personalized practice problems A writing teacher crafted a framework for using AI as a student brainstorming companion What struck me most was watching the transformation from uncertainty to confidence. These weren't just theoretical discussions – every teacher left with practical tools they'd built themselves, tested with peers, and could implement the very next day. This reinforced what I've always believed: genuine learning happens in the doing. When educators have the space to experiment, collaborate, and create with AI tools, the possibilities expand exponentially. It's not about listening to someone lecture about AI – it's about rolling up our sleeves and building something real. The future of professional development isn't in passive consumption. It's in active creation, peer collaboration, and hands-on experimentation. We need spaces where teachers can truly engage with these tools, make mistakes, have breakthroughs, and develop solutions that work for their unique classroom contexts. Want to be part of this transformation? We're building a community of forward-thinking educators who are reimagining what's possible when theory meets practice. Let's create something extraordinary together. #AIinEducation #TeacherPD #EdTech #GenerativeLearning #EducationalInnovation Mike Kentz David H. Scott Sommers, PhD Alfonso Mendoza Jr., M.Ed. Aman Kumar Chrissy Macso, M.Ed Phillip Alcock Ross Dawson Moxie Jessica Maddry, M.EdLT

I had a fascinating chat with a school leader this week about "Comprehensive AI training for teachers". My brain immediatelly went to project-based learning, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I wrote this... Technology in education isn't so much about learning acronyms, or even mastering every single platform or memorising every feature. For me, it's a slow release. A teacher-centered learning experience. I have worked as a digital integration specialist before, and I learnt early that death by powerpoint 'workshops' are not effective at all. Putting pressure on those to 'get with the times' was also not a good approach. I needed to create Innovation Hubs, that were PBL based. I pose this question.. What if instead of overwhelming teachers w/ 20 hours of generic AI training, we let them pick ONE project their passionate about? Maybe using Claude for making creative writing workshops, or exploring how ChatGPT could transform book club discussions. Let them build confidence naturally, at a pace that works best for them. I wrote up a comprehensive blog on this often messy challenge- how we can shift from those painful traditional tech trainings to something that actually works. Because lets be honest, if were gonna make AI in education work, we need to stop treating teachers like their just another user manual to update. Co-Created Project-Based Professional Development within Innovation Hubs will lead to better digital literacy. Thom Markham, Ph.D. Dan Jones Kyle Wagner Al Kingsley MBE Vera Cubero Austin Levinson, Ed. M. Nick Potkalitsky, PhD Mike Kentz Professor Sean Wiebe Dan Thomas #AIinEducation #TeacherPD #ProjectBasedLearning #EdTech #FutureOfLearning

I've coached SDR teams for over two decades now. Here is the most important sales-coaching lesson I've learned over that time: ✅ Always ask. ❌ Rarely tell. I call this 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. The goal of collaborative coaching is to guide the rep towards solutions by asking intentional questions as opposed to stating directives. This emphasizes self-adaptation and empowerment while reducing the dependency reps have on managers for coaching. Some examples of questions you might ask: ❓What went wrong on that call? ❓What support do you need from me to reach your quota? ❓What skill do you think is most important for you to improve this month? Your team benefits from this #strategy because: 👍 It allows your SDRs to take ownership of their professional development. 👍 It empowers SDRs to develop self-assessment skills that can be applied to their unique first-hand experiences. 👍 It strengthens the relationship between the manager and the SDR by creating a mutual commitment to performance improvement. By guiding SDRs with questions, not directives, you empower your reps to be their own growth catalysts. Once your people start improving, even when you're not in the room, that's when you've unlocked something as a sales leader. #salesdevelopment #SDR

Instructional design teams should share and learn from each other. You might think you are too old for show and tell, but spoiler alert: you’re not! For example, my team does a biweekly Demo and triweekly Community of Practice. During Demo, team members present their achievements from the previous iteration. It’s a great chance to ask each other questions and show off what we produced. The agendas for Community of Practice gatherings are set collectively. We explore new trends, best practices, and pick each others brains on unique challenges. What’s great about these ways of growing as a team is that they are free. Even if there isn’t the budget to send people to DevLearn or ATD conferences, we still get exposure to new ideas. So every time you attend a great workshop or upskill in some way, feed it back to your team! Even key highlights can open other people’s minds to new perspectives. #InstructionalDesign #ProfessionalDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment Image Description: View over someone's shoulder to see profile pictures on a team conference call.