Professional Development Level Up: Springfield Public Schools

Fall 2018 Update - Since this post was written Springfield has delivered professional development to nearly 800 teachers. Check out the Alludo Demo to see how Alludo can help deliver online, personalized PD to your teachers.

We'd like to welcome Springfield Public Schools to the Alludo platform! The district began their program last spring to provide a blended-learning PD game for their teachers, but have seriously expanded since then.

• GameOn! is SPS's main teacher PD game and includes training on multiple devices, digital and Google tools, tech integration, district system use, and digital citizenship. Over 300 of the district's 1,000 teachers started playing in the first month.

• Land of Lincoln Tech Fest is SPS's annual summer tech conference -- the district has already developed a game to support in-person learning for 2018 event.

• New Teacher Toolbox is designed to support teachers new to the district. This is an important tool for SPS, which welcomes over 100 teachers each year! The game trains teachers on SPS systems, devices, and setting up teacher sites. Eighty teachers are already playing this fall.

• Rockstars is specifically designed to support teachers in a 1:1 classroom. Over 200 teachers are currently earning badges for their 1:1 PD!

If that wasn't enough, SPS is working on LeadOn!, a game designed for administrators. Like GameOn!, the game will focus on technology and its role in effective leadership in the district.

In addition to getting valuable PD experience, teachers are awarded Illinois continuing Professional Development Units when they complete sorties. These units are part of the continuing education required for teachers to maintain their licensure in Illinois.

SPS's games are designed and managed by Technology Instructional Leaders Jill Wollet, Carrie Kincaid, Janel Comerford and Bob Hayes. This ambitious team of four has the vision, knowledge, and commitment to design games which bring personalized professional development to a new level. "Our Alludo Learning games, created specifically for targeted groups (new teachers, 1:1 teachers, veteran teachers, and administrators) allow for customized learning experiences in which our educators control their own professional development, addressing what they need, in their own time," said Kincaid.

See what District 186 special education teacher Lisa Boyd has to say about GameOn!

We're looking forward to supporting all of the great work that's happening at Springfield! Game on!