Online learning is an approach to professional development that has been successful for years in business and private industry because it allows for the flexibility that busy employees need. While virtual consultancy is a new concept in the education arena, it has many benefits for the busy educator or team of educators and has worked to impact classroom instruction.
Editure’s online consultancy partners enjoy:
- Flexible access to expert consultants within and beyond the school day;
- Opportunities to extend and continue learning with an expert beyond a one off workshop or book study;
- Ability to engage different types of learners in the collaboration learning process;
- Access to a subject matter or educational pedagogy expert for individualized support;
- Follow-on work through real-time and asynchronous communication tools (including an online interactive whiteboard),
- A collection of web 2.0 tools to be used for interactions among members of the school’s Professional Learning Communities, with or without a consultant;
- 24/7 access to archived professional development materials, workshops and other resources.
Many schools combine the Editure virtual support model with current initiatives they are currently implementing in their school or district or they blend the online support with on-site consultancy.