Lifelong Learning 2.0

Scott McLeod encouraged bloggers to consider contributing to Leadership Day 2009. He asked for blogposts about effective school technology leadership.  It is a great way to encourage administrators to look at what it means to prepare students for the 21st century.  It also helps them see how to utilize technology systems to make their organizations more efficient and effective.

At the core of a successful school is a strong mission, a visionary leader, and a supportive staff committed to student success.  In thinking about leadership, I must take a moment to tell you about a leader at my school.  Jody Graf came to us just a couple of years ago.  I first met her when our district sent a few of us to the ASCD Conference in Chicago.  It was the first year teachers were sent to a conference and she had just been hired as an administrator.  Early on, I had a sense of her passion for preparing students for the 21st century.  I could see that she valued people.

Not long after, she became the executive director of our charter school of 150+ teachers and 3,200 students. As director, she walked into a school environment that was productive, but not without its challenges.

In a few short years, Jody has tackled what she referred to as the “elephants in the room,” those issues that had been tiptoed around.  She established an open-door policy and encouraged round-table discussions where staff and teachers could have honest discussions, while offering solutions for improvements.  Action teams were set up to tackle issues.  Successes were celebrated. Conversations were opened for all parties to share ideas.  This was an important step to prepare our staff for innovation to take over.

Here are three things I learned from her leadership in the process:

• When all stakeholders take ownership in the school’s mission, passion becomes infectious.

• We practice good leadership when we become transparent, exposing thoughts and positions on issues with an open-door policy.

• We can increase student engagement and academic success when we personalize learning for students, provide time for reflection, and facilitate learning opportunities with relevance and meaning.

Now that there is a culture of trust, my director can walk us through her vision for empowering our students and teachers with technological skills for lifelong learning.  Until recently, most of our teachers not know about wikis, educational uses for blogs, or web 2.0. (I know. And I was right there with them until 9 months ago.)

We are on a mission to bring all of our 150+ teachers and staff to a level of technological proficiency and shared commitment for innovative learning.  Part of our school will be turned into a virtual learning academy.  We plan to establish teacher proficiencies (NETS). We hope to remove traditional textbooks and replace them with project- and inquiry-based learning models.  We are at a turning point for change.

Last year, our school set up class offerings twice a month in the areas of technology tools and web 2.0.  A good effort was made, but many teachers claimed they had never heard of these tools before and didn’t know where to start.  They took a class, and were left to figure it out. They (we) were overwhelmed.

In a state of wanting to learn more, but being overwhelmed, I set out to create my own professional development.  From this experience, I have a bit of advice to share with the leaders of my school, and others who may read this as well.

Embrace the conference experience.

Find a way to send teachers to conferences.  If your school is not a position to do this, at least support them with time off to be able to attend.  At the recent NECC09 conference, I grew professionally more than I had with hours of PD at my school. It is a great way for teachers to learn from each other, and to catch a gimpse into what other classrooms are doing.

Embrace online professional development.

Give teachers control to establish their own professional development.  There are an amazing amount of valuable resources available to teachers.  This can come in the form of online classes, interview series, or webinars.  It may mean reading blogs and reflecting, or attending virtual workshops and sharing the experience with others.  Let teachers take ownership and create their professional development.

Embrace free and open source tools.

Here are a few places to look:  K-12 Open Source Community, MIT Open Courseware, and SchoolForge.net, FOSS in Education, NCOSE, and K12 Open Tech.

Embrace transparency.

Give teachers the freedom to be honest about where they are at, while encouraging them to grow.  Provide an environment of transparency and trust.

Embrace networking and learning in community.

We all know how we feel when we come home from a conference. The passion that comes from being around innovative educators is contagious.  Your teachers and administrative staff can experience this daily – for free.  How?  By participating in online networks such as Classroom 2.0.  Teach them how to use twitter, to share ideas and network.  Create a social network for them to be connected with each other.  I started one at my school for parents and teachers, and it has been nothing short of amazing! Embrace the social networks that are available. Encourage teachers to learn in community.

Photo Attribution:  Addo Elephant, by exfordy

EduBloggerCon was exactly what I hoped it would be.  Innovative, flexible, and interactive.  Meaningful conversations.  Organized just enough, yet adaptable and unwritten to allow for spontaneous sessions.

After the Web 2.0 Smackdown, I spent some time in the session led by Mark Wagner. I loved the concept for the session, “Wish a particular tool existed? Learn how to get it made! We’ll design a tool together.” The plan was to brainstorm ideas for a tool that we all wished would have existed and vote on a favorite. Funds would be collected, and Mark would then hire someone from rentacoder.com to create the tool.  The interesting part of the session was having someone suggest an idea for the perfect tool only to have someone else give the name and url for the tool that already existed.  In the process, I picked up a list of really cool tools.

JuicyStudio – Readability test

Teachers Connecting – Collaboration/Connections for Projects

OnlineProjects4Teachers – Collaboration/Connections for Projects (Jen Wagner)

Global Education Collaborative – Collaboration/Connections for Projects (Lucy Gray)

Scholarpress.net – WordPress + Education

Socrata – Social Data Network

Voice Candy – Professional Voice-over/file of teacher comments linked to rubric

Vocaroo.com – free audio recording for embedding or link

Drop.io – keep hearing about how people love this, but haven’t looked into it yet

Great list of (already existing) resources!

The final consensus was to create a rubric builder tool that would be filled out electronically and connect you to a Google Form or Spreadsheet.  If I’m understanding it correctly, this would allow teachers to share rubrics.  I sent my name to be on a list to contribute to the project.

Even if the rubric tool doesn’t get created, I picked up a handy list of resources to check out.  The opportunity to sit in a brainstorming session with so many great minds was inspiring.  I love the collaboration model.  Just think of what we can accomplish when we put our minds together!

If you’ve used any of these tools and recommend them, post a comment.  If you love drop.io, explain it to me.

Photo Attribution: kjarrett

In our chats about EduBloggerCon on Twitter, Jon Becker made a comment about it being like the first day of summer camp.  I love the analogy! It’s funny to look back at the first photos I took, with a room full of people that I had never met in person. Sure, some I had connected with virtually and consider a valuable part of my personal learning community.  Yet there were many in the photos, (even sitting in the rows right around me) that I didn’t know that day, but came to know well by the end of the week. Now, it feels like I’ve known them for years. (I mean that in a good way.)

Steve Hargadon organized EduBloggerCon to be about getting together in a “collaborative conference” setting, to share experiences, questions, tools and strategies. He did an amazing job putting it together, giving enough structure that the day could be organized, yet allowing enough freedom that the schedule could grow organically around conversation.  The free event was also organized by the participants in a wiki and allowed for virtual participation.

The day began with an hour of time to socialize. Who wouldn’t love a whole hour for a meet-and-greet? I was all over that. It was a wonderful time to catch up with old friends, meet virtual peeps in person, and get to know new people.  The room was busy with business card exchanges, cameras clicking, hugs and conversation.

My first session was difficult to choose.  My interest in Professional Development Models made me want to attend the session led by Liz Davis.  However, since this was my first time at NECC and EBC, I had to experience a Web2.0 Smackdown for myself. The basic idea involved people lining up to demo their favorite Web 2.0 tool.  However, there was a 3 minute limit per person.  I love that the event was streamed live in elluminate and Ustream for virtual attendees, and backchanneling goodness in CoverItLive.  Thanks to Vicki Davis for facilitating, Paul Wood for officiating, and Kristin Hokanson for organizing the backchannel.  Many thanks to all who took the stage to demo a cool tool.

Go here and scroll down to watch a fun remix of Smackdown Memories from 2007 and 2008 that Vicki Davis put together.  You’ll also find the recorded video and backchannel recordings from the 2009 Smackdown.

Here is a list a few of the cool tools from the session:

Diigo Lists – Vicki Davis – I heard a lot about Diigo this week. Amazing features. Need to switch over. Vicki also shared how the Diigo lists can be shared as a WebSlide.  Very cool!

FreshBrain – Rushton Hurley – open & free website for teens to create projects, engage in social networking, and explore technology

QR Codes – John Costilla – What are these things?  Had to check Wikipedia!

Google Similar Images Searches – Lisa Thumann – Loved her recent CR2.0 session on Google Tools.  This Google Lab feature is cool!

CompFight and FlickrStorm – Angela Maiers – Amazing tools for images.  Angela did a refined search for literacy.  You need to try this!

CoverItLive – Kristin Hokanson – This is a great find.  I plan to use this one a lot next year. Loved the line: “Students notes are better, because they are doing it together.”  On the break, Kristin (below) took time to give me a more detailed tutorial of CoverItLive. Awesome!

Wikispaces – Adam Frey – tools and tagging tips from our favorite wiki guy

Fur.ly – David Jakes – Shortening multiple urls into one

Twoogle and Twitalyzer – Scott McLeod – Cool Twitter tools! Twoogle is a genius idea!

Woot – Leigh Zeitz – online store that sells cool stuff cheap, selling one item per day until it is sold out

K12 Online Conference and EdTech Talk - Wes Fryer – Can’t wait for this conference!

Taggalaxy – Lee Kolbert -This is an awesome find!  Try it out!!

TinEye – Maria Droujkova- a reverse image search engine

Opus09, Noteflight, JamStudio – Chris Chater – great resources & new ning

Bump – Chad Lehmann – Love this.  What a quick and easy way to exchange information!

Today’sMeet, TinyPaste – Craig Nansen – A backchannel option and an interesting tool.

And last, but not least, I have to mention the…

New and Improved Web 2.0 Keychain – Kevin Honeycutt – Loved how Vicki had Kevin demo this from a train, on his way to NECC. (Gotta love Skype!)  If you weren’t able to get one of these keychains, you can download it from his website.  I need to ask him permission to use this idea with the teachers at my school this year.  I’d love to give them “a new key” every time I finish a presentation.

If I’ve left anyone out, please add it in the comments.  I typed as quickly as I could into my Google Doc.  Time flies when you’re watching the Smackdown!

More on the other EduBloggerCon sessions in another post.  I’ll leave you with this list of resources for now:

Resources:

EduBloggerCon Wiki: http://www.edubloggercon.com/

EduBloggerCon Group on Diigo: http://groups.diigo.com/groups/edubloggercon

EduBloggerCon Schedule: http://www.edubloggercon.com/DC+2009+Agenda

EduBloggerCon Aggregator: http://www.edubloggercon.com/EduBloggerCon+Aggregator

Thanks to kjarrett for the many awesome photos he took at EBC09 and NECC09!

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Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are an integral part of an educator’s life.

Since getting started 10 months ago, my PLN has been the best thing to come my way professionally.  For those of you new to the concept, you can build your network by participating in social networks, conferences, blogs and twitter.  Even though I’ve only been on twitter since May, I have received a wealth of information to last a lifetime.

I am nurturing my network by collaboration, contributions, and deep conversations. My PLN helps me stay connected and teaches me new things daily.  They also make me think when I should go deeper, laugh about life, and stretch where I need to grow.

My first blog post about NECC focuses on my PLN.  Why? Because the face-to-face conversations were the most valuable part of the conference.  Although there were many fabulous workshops taking place, I gained much more from the networking connections with people at the Blogger’s cafe, on twitter, and in backchannels.

Here are a few things to consider when making connections at a conference:

1.  Plan to meet your PLN.

The best part of being at NECC was spending time, in person, with many of the people in my learning community. It was an amazing and surreal experience.   How fun to be able to tweet my location and have people run over to say hello.  I connected with virtual friends even up to the last day of the conference.  I will have a new experience when I see their name on a tweet or read their blog post, having met them in person.

I enjoyed meeting new people to add to my learning community.  It’s neat how you can just meet someone, and by the end of the conference, feel as though you’ve known him or her for years.  I will miss hanging out.  It was an experience I’ll treasure.

2.  Plan to meet the well-connected people.

Besides hanging out with my own tweeps, I made an effort to introduce myself to those well-connected bloggers in our midst.  We all learn from them.  Why not say hello?  Sure, sometimes people put them up on a pedestal (some put themselves there), but they are just regular people.  Unlike the experience this blogger had, I found value from our exchanges.  Taking an interest in what they are up to, as well as being able to share I’m doing, made for great conversation.

Angela Maiers was one of those bloggers I’ve admired for a long time.  As I made my way over to introduce myself on the first day, she rushed over and kept hugging me.  She knew my name before I put my name tag on.  She asked me questions about the projects I’m involved in, and was such an encouragement to me.  Isn’t that just Angela, though?  I want to always be as authentic and caring. I want to give back as much as I get from my PLN.

3. Plan to meet the new people.

As equally important to not being star-struck with well-known bloggers, make a point to meet the new people.  Don’t just say hello, but engage!

I spent a lot of time at NECC in the blogger’s cafe’ and hallways.  You can tell who the new people are. They slowly walk up to the blogger’s cafe. They look around, then sneak in a few photos before finding a seat at the edge of the room.

I took a funny picture of a friend from the back, with the Teach42 blog on their laptop, and Steve Dembo standing right in front of them.  He was comparing the photo to see if it was actually Steve standing before him.  Of course, I then had to introduce myself to Steve, and then introduce the two of them, so they could have the chance to meet.  It was a great moment.

During the conference, I walked right up to people that didn’t seem to know anyone.  Many people, like myself, attend these conferences alone.  I asked them questions and listened intentionally.  Many times, we ended up exchanging business cards and sharing ideas.  Everyone has a story to tell.  It is so important at events like NECC, to include new people and make them feel valued.

Wait.  I’m new!

Which brings up another point.  Don’t wait for people to include you.  Reach out to others.

4. Plan to collaborate.

What should you do now that the conference is over?  Well, the conversations are only just beginning!  I plan to collaborate with a teacher on digital portfolios next fall.  I hope to work with another few teachers on a book discussion group.  I chatted with a few people about the possibility of co-presenting at future conferences.  A few of us discussed ideas for meet-ups.  Wikis were shared for global classroom connections.  The possibilities for collaboration are endless!

Read tweets and blogposts about the NECC experience.  Find them on twitter with the hashtag #NECC09.  Check out these blogs. Make a note if something resonates with you.  Contact those people you may want to work on a project with in the future.

5.  Plan to go deep!

Be authentic.  Of course, your PLN can be a valuable resource, but don’t let it stop there.  Go deep!  Look for ways to contribute to others.  I love what Beth Still has done in setting up the Help Send a Newbie to NECC project.  What a great way to give back.  There are many people who do this well that you can learn from.  Be part of a larger community of learners.

There were so many things I took away from the conference, which I’ll be blogging about in the next few days.  However, the exchanges and networking with others was the most valuable experience at NECC09. My PLN definitely rocks!

This will be my first trip to NECC, but I’ve attended other conferences in the past.  My favorites are CUE (Computer Using Educators Conference, in Palm Springs), and the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) conference I attended in Chicago.  Good times and a wealth of learning opportunities.

Here are a few tips to share for your conference experience.

1.  Get comfortable.

The conference experience is an exciting one, but think about it.  You will be walking a lot.  Sitting a lot.  Prepare yourself.  Bring comfortable walking shoes.  Bring snacks and water.  Dress casually for the humid weather.  Check out the weather forecast here.

2.  Bring your laptop.

Sure, using your cell phone would be easier for travel.  However, this is a technology conference.  You will be absorbing a great deal of valuable information.  Do you really want to be thumbing it all on your cell phone?  Bring the laptop in a comfy bag so you can type away.

3. Plan ahead.

Attending a conference like NECC can be overwhelming! Sure, you can just show up and hope for the best.  If you want to make the most of it though, plan ahead. Choose workshops and post them in a GoogleDoc or use the NECC planner.  Then pull it up on your laptop (or cell phone) during the conference.

4. Check out the social networks sharing information about the conference.

NECC Ning: The Community Network

ISTE Connects

Twitter hashtags: #necc, #necc09, #edubloggercon

Blog Tags: bloggingnecc

5.  Be flexible.

If you are not sure about a session, sit in the far back and sneak out to another one if it doesn’t meet your needs.  I used to think this was rude.  It is if you sit in the front.  Otherwise, be discreet.  Presenters know you paid a lot to be there.  Make sure you are in a place where you are learning.

6. Attend the Debate

Joe Corbett just posted the names of the panelists for this year’s Oxford Debate, taking place at NECC.  Read his blogpost for more details.  I am so excited to hear from Michael Horn, Cheryl Lemke, Brad Jupp, and Gary Stager.

• Tuesday, June 30, 8:30–9:45 am (live audience of 4,000)

• At the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Ballrooms A–C, Level Three

7.  Network!

Yes, the sessions are great, but the networking in between is awesome!  You don’t have to attend every session.  Take time to meet people and network in one of the lounge areas or attend a playground.  Bring business cards and pass them out to people that you connect with.  It is great when you can contribute to someone’s experience, collaborate on a future project, or allow then to help you when you need it.  Build a community.  Add to your PLN.

8.  Take time to blog.

You are fortunate to be able to attend NECC.  With recent budget cuts and financial strain on our economy, there are many that could not attend NECC that would have wanted to.  Contribute by sharing your experience.  Keep notes in a GoogleDoc during workshops.  Stop by the blogger’s cafe to write about what you’ve learned.  Pass along links, files and ideas in a blog post.  Share the love.

If you want to follow the conference through your colleagues blogs, click here for a list.

If you plan to blog about NECC like I do, add your name to the Google Spreadsheet.

Check out:  David Warlick’s 2cents on How to Web 2.0 your NECC 09

Add your stuff to:  coolcatteacher’s Slideshare Group

9.  Make time for fun.

Besides the obvious touring and sight-seeing opportunities, there are other great events taking place during the conference.  Some will be organized on the spot.  Here is a list of a few events that are already planned.  Please add more to the comment section that we’ll want to know about!

EduBloggerCon 2009: The all-day “unconference” for educational bloggers and members of Classroom 2.0. This is a free event with the space donated by ISTE.org. More information at www.EduBloggerCon.com!

EduBloggerCon 2009 & Classroom 2.0 Meetup:   Steve Hargadon is the founder of Classroom 2.0.  Celebrate CR 2.0’s Ning growing to 25,000 members.  There will even be a virtual option for joining the party.  All virtual snacks welcomed!

Tweet-Up: Registration is closed.  Check out the link as a reminder, if you already signed up for this event.

Storm the Hill:   Registration is closed.  Check out the link as a reminder, if you already signed up for this event.

NECC Unplugged:   Sign up to present, either on-site or virtually.

10.  Create a Google Map Tour

Take time to recharge so you can have energy for the busy schedule.  Consider creating a Google Map to create place markers for all of the restaurants you want to try.  Add the airport, hotels, and the convention center.  Or, leave that personal information out so you can share.

Load your Google Tour with a great list of food, drink, and cultural experiences to check out.  The Washington Post has a helpful site for restaurants, movies, music, and clubs in the area.  Click here to start your search for fun. Use the collaborate tab to share your map with friends.

Have any more tips to add to the list?  Share them here!

I am a lifelong learner.

I must continue to improve my skills to stay current with educational trends, so I can offer the best to my students. I have an important role in taking control of my own professional development. One way to do this is attend dynamic conferences and webinars.  As I find out about them, I’ll add them here.  Some are face-to-face, but most are set up for virtual attendance. I have been learning so much from the conferences and online webinars that I’ve attended this past school year.

As I’ve said in a previous post, there is such value at seeing ourselves as lifelong learners first, teachers second. Social communities and networking can play a huge role in our professional development. I can’t wait to be spoon-fed through power points and handouts. I need to continue to question and push myself. I try to step out of my comfort zone and take risks.  It is here that I’ll grow. I need to make my learning experience relevant and set out to create my own plan.

Let’s Collaborate!

I have added a page to my blog called Conference Calendar.  If you see an event you’re interested in, add it to your calendar. If you find one I should know about, send it my way and I’ll add it here.

NECC Unplugged

Want to attend NECC this year, but can’t make it?  You need to participate in NECC Unplugged!  There will be 3 days of presenting virtually, using Elluminate.  You can present at NECC Unplugged!  Anyone can sign up!  Check out all of the details on this wiki.

Enjoy!

Have you attended an Unconference?  Recently, the opportunity to attend a free workshop on Web 2.0 came my way, and I quickly registered.  (Did I mention free?)

The first of the 2-day conference began with introductions and a few rules of the loosely structured format.  Steve shared the “rule of two feet,” commenting that anyone could get up and leave if this wasn’t what they were looking for.  The first day was interesting, but it was the afternoon session and the entire next day that really took off.

Here are a few notes about the sessions:

Friday’s Sessions…

Google Maps/Earth: Joe Wood presented on creating tours using Google Maps and Google Earth.  I’ve heard him present it first at the ILC, and several times since.  I seem to get something new from it every time.  (Besides the fact that his birthplace seems to change every time he presents. LOL)  He speaks with enthusiasm and a confidence that makes you want to bust out the laptop and give it a try.  And I have.  (More about my park-hoppin’ Google tour in another post.)

Backchanneling: Interesting thoughts were shared by Zack Dowell on this topic.  Back-channeling involves having “sidebar” electronic conversations during a presentation or conference.  I get in trouble for that during Professional Development meetings all the time.  Apparently, some see it as good practice.  Cool!  Zack had us join in on a live back-channel discussion using Today’s Meet.

Storage: One of the participants told us about adrive.  50 gigabytes of storage backup goodness! And free too!

Saturday’s Sessions…

If Friday was a cup of drip coffee, then Saturday would have to have been a iced venti double Americano. I couldn’t get enough.

Blogging: Larry Ferlazzo and Alice Mercer did a fabulous presentation!  They shared tips, tools, and examples of their innovative teaching practices.  Check out Larry’s blog here. Man, can he blog!  He not only manages to add blog content daily, but he often has several posts per day.  Alice’s blog is here. Alice is a computer lab instructor, talented presenter, and blogging queen.  She is a wealth of information.  In fact, I just saw her last night at a CTAP meeting, at CUE, and recently, at this conference.  I told her last night that I’m really not stalking her. Really.

Speed Demos: The lightning round speed demos were faced-paced.  I heard about slideshare, scribd, delicious, diigo, and jing, to name a few.  Even though I am familiar with these tools, it is fun to see how teachers use them for learning.  Steve shared that even though he is not a huge Twitter fan, he organizes his seven Twitter accounts using Netvibes.  (Yes, I said 7.)

Here are 3 Things I Learned about Myself from this Conference:

I love the format of the unconference.

It is organic and fluid, allowing for diversions and restructuring of ideas.

It is collaborative, allowing for brainstorming and trouble-shooting.

It is more intimate, allowing for deeper conversations.

I value networking.

Anytime the focus of the sessions turned to social networking, I was all over it.  I am active on at least 5 Nings, and 2 other social networks.  I value people.

Participants took over the agenda by volunteering to  share ideas, present, or ask questions. This opened doors for networking at the breaks, and even to this day in subsequent online communication.  Larry Ferlazzo shared links with me with samples of student work, to answer some questions I had thrown out.  Alice Mercer invited me to get the word out in our efforts to plan follow-up meetings in Sacramento.   Several teachers gave me suggestions for a virtual open house project I’m tackling.  The discussions continue in a forum post on CR20, offering great feedback.  Zack Dowell asked me to be the K-12 Liaison for a Web 2.0 conference coming up next fall, at Folsom Lake College.  Networking can not only bring greater results, it has the potential to help us become better people. I’ve always preferred the team teaching model. Vince Lombardi said it well:

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
- Vince Lombardi

I need to take bigger action steps.

Steve Hargadon was kind enough to chat with me and gave me a couple of “pep talks” over the conference breaks.  He asked questions of which he seemed to already know the answers.  He encouraged me to take bigger steps and told me that he belived in me.  I was inspired!  And I took his advice immediately.  Several things have fallen into place since then.  When sharing about these opportunities in an email yesterday, Steve responded that I’m becoming a “web 2.0 mover and shaker”. Wow!  I’m not sure about that, but I do know that my professional development, educational goals, and perspective have been movin’ and shakin’ and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!

Many thanks to Steve Hargadon, of Classroom 2.0 and Melissa Green, of Sac City College, who hosted the event.

Will Richardson’s recent blog post resonated with me. He opened quoting a tweet from John Pederson:

“Community building is the new professional development.  We forgot that and taught Web 2.0 tools.”

Hmm.  I love that line about community building providing for professional development.  He’s so right.  As for the Web 2.0 tools, it’s hard to decide which should come first.  I believe for the teacher not versed in the innovative ways that technology can be used to engage students, that the tools must be taught first.  However, not for immediate use in the classroom.  I feel the learning takes place best when that teacher uses the tools for their own professional development first. I personally got much more out of experiencing the tools in my own educational experience, before teaching them to my students.

It’s okay to take a year or any time you need to practice using the tools first. I am still learning.  And I will continue to have more to share with them.  And that’s how it should be.  But I will be far more effective having a handle on it, being able to explore these tools in the setting of my online networks and community first. The value of learning in the setting of community is immeasurable.

As I commented on Will Richardson’s blog, there is such value at seeing ourselves as lifelong learners first, teachers second. Social communities and networking can play a huge role in our professional development. We can’t wait to be spoon-fed through power points and handouts.  We need to make our learning experience relevant and set out to create our own plan.

Prior to this past year, professional development trainings at my school were not often relevant to what I feel I needed to know to make a difference in how my students learn.  At first, I sought out my own professional development in frustration, because I didn’t want to be “fed” with announcements or listen to speakers that didn’t understand our learning environment.  It didn’t interest me. I wanted to grow professionally so I could turn around and share that passion for learning with my students.

The frustration soon wore off and I became excited at the possibilities.  I joined Classroom 2.0 and loved the opportunity to connect with other educators seeking similar paths to lifelong learning.  I “attended” the K12 Online Conference, and registered for courses in EduFire.  I subscribed to online webinars.  I listened to interviews, learned from tutorials and slideshares, and watched alot of Ted.   I read books and joined other educational social networks.  I try to catch as many of these Saturday Elluminate sessions as I can.  I was blessed to be asked by my school to attend the Innovative Learning Conference, in San Jose last fall, as well as the CUE conference, in Palm Springs, this past March.  This past year, my school decided to focus on technology, which aligned nicely to what I was learning on my own.

I chose what I wanted to learn.  And now, I can more effectively share the web2.0 tools I’ve been learning about with my students. But the learning doesn’t stop here. I will continue to seek other like-minded colleagues to develop my PLN, so we can learn, collaborate, and share ideas and projects. Does it take time? It takes a ton of time.  But the students are worth it!  Will Richardson talks a bit about the time it takes here:

“So when John Tweeted “Community building is the new professional development” it really resonated, because it suggests that unlike most so-called pd that schools offer, getting our heads and our practice around this is a process, not an event. It’s learning, not training. (I cringed a couple of weeks ago when a principal said “Wow, our teachers are going to need a lot more ‘training.’” Ugh.) It’s not something we can “deliver” in a four-hour PowerPoint-like session. As Linda Darling-Hammond suggests, “…teachers need to learn the way other professionals do—continually, collaboratively, and on the job.” If that’s not a description of what I see most of us doing in these spaces I don’t know what is. Somehow, by luck or hard work or a combination, those of us who are taking advantage of the affordances of learning in online communities and networks have found a way to invest the time, not in big chunks in a physical space classroom but in as-needed, passion-driven, hour-here-fifteen-minutes-there learning flow that relies on the interactions of many learners, not on the expertise of any one person. And it’s in knowing how to effectively navigate those interactions where the value lives, not in effectively navigating the tools.”

Yes!  I couldn’t agree more.  I want time to observe other teachers, learn from mentors, and work collaboratively, as Linda-Darling Hammond suggests. Read her findings in the recently released report from Stanford University and the National Staff Development Council here.  The report states that:

“Most states and districts are still not providing the kind of professional learning that research suggests improves teaching practice and student outcomes. The research tells us that teachers need to learn the way other professionals do—continually, collaboratively, and on the job.”

Technology has always been around at my school, but not being utilized to its potential to make learning engaging and meaningful for kids.  No, it’s not about the tools.  However, there are amazing ways that we can teach innovatively, using these tools.  When taking control of my own professional development this year, my eyes were opened to the innovative things that educators are doing in their classrooms, as well as the amazing things students are doing to contribute and find their voice.

I want that for our students.  They deserve the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and contribute.  I am doing what I can to help others get things moving forward at my school and the possibilities are beyond exciting.  It will be transformational.

What are your thoughts about professional development? What resources have you found interesting to learn about? Anyone open to my observing their classroom or computer labs so I can learn from you?

Photo Attribution:

Working from the Mobile Office, by David Sifry

Sprouts, by Plutor

There are three wonderful events occurring this weekend. You can participate online through Classroom2.0’s Elluminate account. See the message from Classroom 2.0 and links below for details. If you decide to attend and learn anything new, please share in the comments below. Enjoy!

1. PodStock, this Friday and Saturday (May 1 & 2

This is the brainchild of the ever-amazing Kevin Honeycutt. The physical conference is in Old Town Wichita, Kansas, but one whole track of the conference is being live-streamed through Classroom 2.0’s Elluminate account. The event schedule for Friday is here for day 1, and the event schedule for Saturday is here. The Elluminate link for both days is here. Wichita is Central Daylight Time, so take that into account when looking at their program. I’ve “heard” Kevin speak at an online workshop before and he has done some incredible things in education.

2. MIT’s New Media Literacies Spring Conference, this Saturday (May 2).
This one-day event, “Learning in a Participatory Culture,” is being held physically in Boston and is also being streamcast in its entirety (all tracks!). Because there are different Elluminate links for each track, you’ll need to go to this detailed schedule to click through to individual sessions. Boston is Eastern Daylight Time, so take that into account when looking at the program.

3. The Classroom 2.0 “LIVE” Saturday show (May 2). 9am PDT / 12pm EDT.
These are fabulous! I attend most of them on Saturdays and they are great for beginners and at times, inspirational for those not so new. The topic this week is “Managing Social Networks” with special guest, Angelia Maiers – author of the book, Classroom Habitudes. Please join for some great information and tips about managing social networks and the concept ‘Inbox Zero’. More information and session details are here. The direct Elluminate link is here.

Let me know if you decide to attend any of these.

Photo Attribution:  Kevin Honeycutt; Podstock 2009

Blogging Workshop at CUE

The benefits of blogging with students were the focus of a couple of the CUE sessions I attended. They focused on the features of popular blogging platforms. Discussion also centered around CyberSafety and ways to teach your students to participate in blogging, at an early age. Alice Mercer shared how “Blogging with elementary students is a good way to add transparency and engagement to learning, and to give students an authentic audience for their writing.”  I learned a lot from her workshop and the examples of how she engages her students in the process of leaving comments for fellow students on the blog. I was able to hear a wealth of information on blogging and great ideas. I even won a complementary support status on Edublogs.org for a year, thanks to Sue Waters at edublogs, and Alice Mercer.  There’s no excuse for putting off blogging with students.

Recently, I stumbled upon this article on Glencoe’s website. The author states the following about the functions that blogs can serve in the classroom.

Classroom Management
“Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.”

Collaboration
“Blogs provide a space where teachers and students work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.”

Discussions
“A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share his or her thoughts and opinions. Students have time to react to ideas and reflect on learning. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.”

Student Portfolios
“Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing.”

Blogging Anyone?

I work at a charter school, supporting families who choose to homeschool or participate in independent study.  This year, I had hoped to have my students participate in blogging. I wanted to tie in their core subject assignments to their blog posts. I was excited to pilot this practice this year with a few students. When discussing the possibilities with a few parents, I found that they were not ready to embrace blogging.

Transfer of Enthusiasm – Take Two!

To help transfer enthusiasm for blogging, I realized a few things.

1. Modeling is important.  I need to be more consistent with blogging to keep my parents informed.
2. I need to invite them into the conversation with questions, polls, and relevant links.
3. Instead of emailing my newsletters, I need to move that content to the blog.
4. I needed to find a way to share information with parents about blogging and other tools.  I started working on a project to help them become familiar with the use of web 2.0 tools.  I hope to have it completed soon.
5. Lastly, I would like to have an orientation meeting in the fall to present the option of blogging, importance of CyberSafety, and the benefits of having their homeschooling children participate in the read/write web. I hope that by offering to meet them in small groups for a workshop, they may be more open to have their students participate in blogging and trying out new tools for learning.

What steps did you take to make your parents feel comfortable with having your students blogging in the classroom?

Photo Attribution