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Team Members**  Sabrina Rich: Director of Instructional Technology ​(K-12) Tom Holland: Assistant Principal, Concord Road Elementary School (K-4) Esther Feldbaum: Science Teacher (K-2) Anastasia Clohessy: English Teacher (5) Teresa Paganos: Social Studies (5)
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** How can we provide an environment that will foster and motivate teachers district wide to embrace 21st Century Learning? **

Professional development - to share what the team is learning with the rest of the faculty. In order for teachers to embrace 21st Century Learning concepts we need to provide staff development opportunities that are transparent to all participants. As the staff development evolves over time, teachers will come to the realization that transparency is not judgement. It is the willingness to accept constructive criticism in order to learn, share, explore and grow. Our NING project will be the forum in which learning, sharing, exploring, and feedback will be encouraged, cultivated and then implemented. Professional development to educate teachers about blogs, wikis, Nings, Twitter and other tools which can be used to facilitate 21st Century networking. As a result of focused professional development, teachers will hopefully see the value in creating their own PLN. Teachers need to be introduced to one tool at a time so that they don't suffer technology overload. If too many tools are available, they'll dabble in all of them and not be able to master one of them. Perhaps, the goal for year one is that all teachers create a blog to use with their students. Same steps always seem to attract the teachers and it's important that we model the use of these tools for the teachers. Learning no longer has to be one size fits all. Objectives will be met if we are able to see the beginning of a shift in how teachers are engaged in the NING community and how they transfer the information and learning they gain into the everyday work they do with their children. The NING will allow teachers and administrators to communicate on their own time and as much or as little as they wish. It is organized by school and department, allowing colleagues to communicate with those who are relevant to their purpose. Students and teachers use a share drive on the network to publish their work and be transparent. This environment fosters community and collaboration within content areas and grade levels. It is used as a simple learning network. The NING will be a more interactive forum for teachers to share and collaborate.
 * Project Focus **
 * Objectives and Assessment **
 * Networked Design **
 * Set the Context **

Create a NING (Ardsley's 21st Century Shift) with the purpose of having a virtual learning space for our district-wide community. Opportunities, including study groups, in-service staff development and technology-focused conference days, will be ongoing. Teachers will be able to earn in-service credits and apply for release time/curriculum time built into the school day to focus on 21st Century learning. Celebration days where teachers can present the work they are doing will take place periodically throughout the year. This sharing of success stories and best practices with our colleagues will be the most effective way to motivate teachers to embrace technology. Teachers get very excited when they see the creative lessons that are produced using technology and the ease in which these exemplary lessons were produced. At the beginning of next school year, a staff questionnaire will be handed out to the entire district. We will re-evaluate towards the end of the year asking teachers for honest feedback on whether they used the NING. Participation in staff development opportunities and the NING will be an indicator of how well this project is being implemented Teacher-managed electronic portfolios can also be part of a learning record and help teachers develop the self-awareness required to set their own learning goals and achievements. Based on our experience this year, we plan on providing as much support to our colleagues as we can. The culture of our district is one that overwhelming teachers with too much information and no support will only result in resistance. Because of the need for such support, the first year will be focused on getting teachers familiar with the NING and its possibilities. Guided collaboration will be the main focus for this year. If the feedback is positive we will use year two as a time to dig deeper and explore the possibilities of a 21st Century shift.
 * Proposal   **
 * Evaluation **
 * Timeline **