Classroom practices should be the focal point of professional development

Columbus, OH -- (SBWire) -- 12/05/2014 --Teachers and school districts have a new digital learning tool to support self-directed professional development initiatives. "Tell Your Story" is a self-directed professional development experience, which focuses educators on digitally capturing the real-time classroom learning experience.

With "Tell Your Story," educators can showcase students' learning progress, beyond standardized testing. Through the use of the self-directed professional growth program, teachers will be able to earn low-cost graduate credit toward professional licensure renewal and use the program to create a digital portfolio for their evaluation system. Qualifying schools districts can allocate Student Achievement and Accountability Title I & II(b) Federal funds to pay for the graduate credit.

"As schools seek to provide authentic evidence of personalized learning methods, educators are using the 'Tell Your Story' platform to more accurately capture student learning. Our goal is to empower and support teachers in their self-directed professional growth experiences. We want to help amplify the teacher voice," says Randall Sampson of Liberty Leadership Development, the company that developed the program.

"The result is a remarkably useful reflection tool for teachers, a qualitative examination of learning methods for student achievement, and a pro-active communication tool for engaging parents and our community," says Daryl Woodard, Executive Director of Wilson Preparatory Academy in Wilson, N.C. "Teachers can curate real-time student learning as they reflect upon and improve their instructional practices."

This "Tell Your Story" program is a hands-on experience that requires teachers to use digital technology to capture student learning in the classroom. As a result, teachers create a social media digital portfolio of their teaching methods, while gaining graduate credit toward licensure renewal and salary advancement. When teachers use "Tell Your Story," their colleagues can provide feedback and incorporate newly learned methods in their own classrooms. The use of social media technology in the classroom helps teachers develop another avenue for collaboration and reflection. The transparent showcase of classroom learning also benefits parents and the greater community, as they seek to understand classroom instructional practices.

"The use of technology in the classroom is only going to increase in the coming years, and it's important for educators to develop self-directed growth experiences," says Melissa Eddington, teacher and founder of #DubChat, Dublin City Schools in Dublin, Ohio. "Using 'Tell Your Story' as a professional development platform has amplified my communication, collaboration and personalization in the classroom."

Sampson says that teachers can utilize the "Tell Your Story" platform to assess self-directed professional growth and student improvement with repeated use throughout the school year.

The "Tell Your Story" self-directed professional development is affordably priced, and helps teachers earn credit toward professional license renewal. Teachers may enroll in the program by visiting http://www.eventbrite.com/e/personalized-pd-section-1-tickets-13581002143?aff=TYS

Liberty Leadership Development, LLC, is a comprehensive school improvement organization that is currently a lead partner with several school districts overseeing strategic alignment of academic content. Their strategy focuses on building internal leadership capacity through innovative strategies, technology, and stakeholder engagement.

For more information about "Tell Your Story," watch a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MzS8LjdaWw or visit www.digitalpln.com.

About Tell Your Story
Tell Your Story" is a self-directed professional development experience, which focuses educators on digitally capturing the real-time classroom learning experience.