We've discussed earlier in this MOOC the need for a standardized vocabulary to help make sense of the diverse conditions found in online learning and teaching. In the same way, when we define teaching online and the skill-set development that leads to success in the online environment, stopping to consider the terms "professional development" vs "professional learning" is a useful digression. Dawley, Rice and Hinck (2010) call for "ongoing training, more in-depth training, and trouble-shooting" for online teachers (p. 30). The terms "development" and "training" portend a system wide, top-down authoritarian delivery model. Killion and Hirsh (2009) concluded that such a non-stakeholder developed model does not build sustained capacity in the ranks of the people who are charged with implementing innovative and effective pedagogies. The term "professional learning" focuses on a more stakeholder centric model, where the vision for "learning theories and models selected . . .explain how learning happens, who the learners are, and the context in which students learn. The vision emerges from communitywide conversations among stakeholders who come together to describe the learning experience they want for students to prepare them for the future" (Killion and Hirsh, 2011, p. 3).

The following chart identifies specific attributes of the shift from a professional development and training model to a professional learning model as described by Stephanie Hirsh and Joellen Killion (2007, p.111).

From	To
In-service education and staff/professional development	Professional learning
Individual learning	Team-based and school-wide learning
Increasing the number of staff development days or periods	Restructuring the workday of all educators to ensure daily learning experiences
Credit-based licensure/recertification systems	Performance-based systems
Separate individual teacher, school or district professional development plans	Effective professional learning embedded into team, school and district improvement plans
Professional development as an expenditure	Professional learning as an investment
Improving teacher practice	Improving teaching quality and student learning
Relying on outside experts	Tapping and building internal expertise
A single career path for teachers	Multiple options for teachers to become leaders in schools
Standardization	High standards for teaching, professional learning and student learning

References

Dawley, L., Rice, K., & Hinck, G. (2010). Going virtual! 2010 The status of professional development and unique needs of K-12 online teachers. Retrieved September 30, 2012 from http://edtech.boisestate.edu/goingvirtual/goingvirtual3.pdf

Hirsh, S. & Killion, J. (2007). The learning educator. A new era for professional learning. Oxford, OH: NSDC.

Hirsh, S. & Killion, J. (2009). When educators learn, students learn. Eight principles of professional learning. Phi Delta Kappan. 90 (7), 464-469. Retrieved September 30, 2012 from EBSCOHost.

Killion, J., Hirsh, S. (2011). The elements of effective teaching. Journal of Staff Development, 32 (6), 10-16). Retrieved September 30, 2012 from EBSCOHost.