A major investment in professional development is necessary to ensure the fundamental success of instructors in technology-integrated classrooms and in online courses. However, while traditional models of professional development rely on face-to-face instruction, online methods are also gaining traction-viable means for faculty development. Virtual Mentoring for Teachers: Online Professional Development Practices offers peer-reviewed essays and research reports contributed by an array of scholars and practitioners in the field of instructional technology and online education. It is organized around two primary themes: professional development models for faculty in online environments and understanding e-Learning and best practices in teaching and learning in online environments. The objective of this scholarship is to highlight research-based online professional development programs and best practices models that have been shown to enhance effective teaching and learning in a variety of environments.

To meet the dynamic academic demands of twenty-first century digital learners, many institutions of higher learning are offering more online classes than ever before that are accessible to both traditional and non-traditional learners. As such, a growing demand for online courses implies that participating institutions provide faculty with appropriate professional development programs to ensure the design and delivery of quality online courses. The Handbook of Research on Virtual Training and Mentoring of Online Instructors is a critical scholarly resource that highlights the issues, challenges, and online engagement experiences to enhance effective teaching and learning in this learning environment. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as media literacy, professional development, and virtual learning environments, this book is geared towards educational administrators, educators, and instructional designers interested in quality online instruction.

The Excellent Online Instructor is a guide for new and seasoned faculty who teach online, those responsible for training and developing online instructors, and administrators who must evaluate online faculty performance. This comprehensive resource describes the qualities of and explains how one can become an excellent online instructor. Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt—noted experts in online instruction—the book Includes models based in adult learning principles and best practices Offers guidelines to test instructors' readiness to teach online Contains ideas for overcoming faculty resistance Reveals how to develop an effective mentoring program Shows how to establish a long-term faculty development effort Praise for The Excellent Online Instructor "Palloff and Pratt have a profound understanding of the online educational milieu, its complexities and challenges as well as the potential it opens up to serious educators dedicated to exploiting its full value. Practical and down-to-earth strategies are at the core of what the authors offer the reader in this engaging book." —Michael J. Canuel, CEO, LEARN Quebec "This book examines best practices for effective online teaching and instructor engagement and provides a concise plan for faculty development and effective training methods. Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt have provided another essential resource for the field of online teaching and learning that is a must-read for anyone working with faculty or teaching online in either higher education or K–12." —Kaye Shelton, dean, Online Education, Dallas Baptist University "Whether you are guiding departmental faculty or looking to improve your own online skills, Palloff and Pratt provide practical steps, tools to organize your processes, best practices to emulate, and valuable resources to help you achieve excellence online." —Lynn Olson, dean, Graduate and Professional Studies, St. Joseph's College Online

With the right plan, video observation and video coaching can be a high-impact lever for accelerating teacher growth. This playbook, from the makers of Edthena, draws from researcher and practitioner advice to offer twelve video-based strategies that readers can implement in their own context for facilitating professional development: • Classroom Tour • Self-interview • Example Analysis • Pre-teach • Self-Reflection • Partner-Supported Reflection • Skill Building Sequence • Video Learning Community • Virtual Walk-through • Video Rounds • Longer-Range Reflection • Iterative Investigation • Online Lesson Study Plus, read about putting video evidence at the center of professional learning, focusing techniques for analyzing video, and guidance about recording and sharing video, and a framework for facilitation of video-based discussion. Afterword by Jim Knight.

Over the last two decades, the use of instructional coaching has surged in PreK-12 education settings as one way to support the implementation of instructional best practices in a wide range of disciplines. However, not all educators have access to high-quality instructional coaching due to multiple factors, which typically include isolation (geographic and otherwise), limited financial support, and limited professional development time. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic brought long periods of quarantine and social isolation where educators were scrambling to teach in an unfamiliar medium, and virtual coaching was the only way they could receive professional development. For these reasons, many districts are exploring virtual solutions to provide professional development and coaching support. Implementing a Virtual Coaching Model for Teacher Professional Development addresses how to effectively implement virtual coaching in the field of education and discusses how technology can provide more equitable access to job-embedded and personalized professional learning (through virtual coaching) across all educational institutions. Covering a wide range of topics such as sustainable learning and cognitive coaching, it is ideal for professional development professionals, corporate trainers, education leaders, principals, teachers, researchers, practitioners, academicians, and students.

Create a connected learning community through social media and rediscover the power of being a learner first. After uncovering the theories and research behind the significance of learning through collaboration with other educators, the authors show you how to take advantage of technology to improve your own learning and ultimately the learning of your students.

"This book will examine how individuals and organizations are using Web 2.0 tools to create informal learning and professional development opportunities"-- Provided by publisher.