We have a product that we have been developing for more than a year now. TeacherStudio™ (www.TeacherStudio.com), is a multimedia, research-driven, Web 2.0 site where teachers can see, hear, and collaborate with exemplary educators. This online professional learning community allows teachers across districts to come together anytime, anywhere to share ideas, receive mentoring and experience global best practices. Supporting each other, they can improve their skills in the classroom and build confidence.
Designed by our own instructional designers (former public school classroom teachers) and built by our design and programming department, TeacherStudio is currently being tested by teachers in Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS).
Diane Lewis, Director of Instructional Technology at SCPS says, “Teaching is a profession where, oftentimes, professionals don’t get to observe each other. A teacher knows teaching from their own experiences or from limited examples that they may have had during a peer teaching phase, but they don’t usually get to spend a lot of time going into classrooms and really studying master teachers and how they teach. What TeacherStudio offers us is a way to capture that master lesson and get teachers to feel as if they are in other classrooms, many classrooms, getting a lot of experiences and broadening their understanding of teaching and learning.”
TeacherStudio allows users to share teaching strategies via online videos. These videos demonstrate how strategies and techniques are incorporated into lessons and provide a true visual of what great teaching looks like. Via TeacherStudio, educators can participate in continual, non-disruptive professional development. It supports cross-district collaboration and mentoring and allows districts to focus on and promote what works best for student learning and achievement.
This is a product that we have a passion for. Our teachers are suffering, not just in Florida but throughout the United States. It’s not just about money, it’s about the lack of support they get. This product is a way a teacher in Florida can get and give support to a teacher in Wyoming. We are now looking for other innovative school districts to help us Pilot the product and provide feedback to guide further development and enhancements to TeacherStudio. If you’d like to learn more, visit www.TeacherStudio.com and drop us a line!
