Ok, we've talked about how you need to be able to use technology and integrate it into your classroom practice. If you got into teaching after about 1995, you grew up with technology or maybe, hopefully, learned it in school. If you're a more experienced teacher, maybe over the age of 40, you need to know this stuff too. No excuses, get with the program.

     What better way to make technology part of who you are than improving your own skills online? A basic search using the search phrase "online teacher professional development" yields over 54 million hits. Obviously, you need to filter that down a bit. Or a lot. But let's face it - every license requires regular updating. If you've just started and have a Bachelor's degree, you'll need at least a couple of years of extra work, if not a Master's degree eventually. Why not do it all online?

     Modern technology, especially as it relates to communication, facilitates the formation of learning communities. We can learn more from each other than we can from a year's worth of boring classroom lectures. As with lesson plans, there are literally thousands of resources for the professional development of teachers. A few early finds:

Middleweb - Actually a page of links to a lot of PD resources and teaching tools. Learn from your peers...

ED.gov - The US Department of Education's page for access to teacher PD

Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook - Education Week's own PD access page. Good stuff right here, plus links to a lot more.

WestEd - One of the new Regional Educational Laboratories, WestEd offers you a lot of good material for your own PD

There are so many online PD resources that it is impossible to list them all. Have a little fun, do a little research, improve your classroom practice.

Then there are the online degrees. These are fully accredited, academically rigorous programs that you can take anytime, anywhere. I moved three times while finishing grad school without interrupting my studies at all, and 98% of all higher learning institutions offer all or part of their curriculum online. Believe me, if you can handle going to school without the face-to-face interaction, online learning as a great alternative. I could list them all here, but they are easy enough to find on your own. Remember to check for accreditation - this ensures you that you are gating a quality education.