PD: How do educators get to know what they don’t know? SmartBlogs When it comes to education reform, there are in general two major camps, but there are also several variations of each. The first camp would like to blow up the system and start all over. The other camp wants to continue the status quo while working to change it in directions governed by whatever dominant force of change has the ear of the public at the time. I find my own inclinations falling somewhere between the two camps. I want to blow some stuff up while improving upon some existing stuff. Like most educators, or any people with a basic understanding of authentic assessment, I do want to blow up any notion or hint of compliance with high stakes, standardized testing. It has long been my position that to be better educators, we need to be better learners. We need to examine the way we approach professional development in education. PD is offered by many schools in an annual or semiannual teacher workshop day. We need to change PD.
10 Ways You Can Use Social Media for Self-Education You probably think that social networks are for fun only. Sure, you can spend hours commenting on friend’ photos or participating in FB discussions. Social networks are definitely fun. They were initially created as sites to have fun and get together with people. However, this socialization soon impacted all spheres of human life, including business and education. Social media have revolutionized the education business. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Author info: Kimberly Lorenzo is an editor at the website which provides professional writing advice.
Network or Perish I know, a bit of a harsh title for this post but I got your attention… Seriously though, networking has for the most part always been important to being successful in whatever you pursue. I think technology though has significantly amplified the importance of networking. Friday was my last day with Coquitlam School Board and Monday will be my first with Vancouver. I share my presentations on Slideshare. see more and more people joining, presenting themselves as professionals with their skills, experience, and interests. My blog has brought invitations my way to speak at conferences and to various other smaller audiences. are also my friends. So folks, if you’re reading this, likely you’ve at least got a toe in the streams of digital conversation and social networking.
21st-Century PLNs for School Leaders As many school administrators are enjoying their summer break, we all tend to think of ways that we can make our school better in the upcoming year. Often, I point school principals and district leaders to a powerful post by Will Richardson that helps us point the finger right at ourselves when we are looking to push our school ahead. Richardson states: "Meaningful change ain't gonna happen for our kids if we're not willing to invest in it for ourselves first. With that being said, I have spent the last few years focusing a great deal on my work as an instructional leader within my role as school-based principal, and now as division principal. With all of the new technologies that are surrounding us, and to the many school administrators that are not feeling comfortable with Twitter, Facebook, etc., I would like to suggest three ways (as opposed to the typical round number of 10) that you can focus on your own professional development over the summer. 1) Start a Twitter Account
doug - off the record Recently, I wrote a series of posts about Professional Learning with Social Media. It was inspired by comments from @tk1ng about conversations that he had with young teachers during a summer Additional Qualifications course. I’m going to use this post to put them all together. I’m hoping that the totality of the comments makes sense and that, perhaps, at least one of Tim’s co-learners stumbles on this blog post and reconsiders. I absolutely read every comment that’s posted to this blog. Often, it allows me to extend the conversation. But, one of the quotes in his reply made me think during my morning dog walk. At my recent AQ, the new teachers all said that they actively avoid web2.0 because it loses them credibility with the old-school admins hiring them, and they are terrified of one of their 20-something friends posting pictures that would get them fired. Two things leapt out at me. First of all, Tim and a bunch of teachers are taking Additional Qualification courses during the summer.
20 Ways To Improve Your Professional Learning Network In 2013 Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Take for example scientists; professional networks allow the scientific community to share discoveries much faster. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that “sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them.” As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft. Learning networks are based on the theory of connectivism, or learning from diverse social webs. What are some ways to grow your PLN and improve the quality of your interactions? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. You can bookmark a page in a “virtual” library or online archive, even PDFs or videos. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. PLNs are a powerful change agent. This is a cross-post from opencolleges.edu.au; image attribution flickr user worldeconomicforum
The Right Way is Your Way I have read some very thought-provoking posts and associated commentary over the past couple of weeks focusing on how particular educators use social media. What I have found interesting is the powerful opinions as to how one should use social media. I think it is great that so many people have focused opinions on what social media should, could, or should not be with a considerable emphasis on specific do's and dont's. These specific methods and techniques work for them and it is important that all of us have some sense as to the why and how when it comes to our own social media use. It is these opinions that always force me to reflect on my own use, objectives, and goals. Image credit: To make things clear there is no guidebook out there that educators must abide by when it comes to using social media. Is there a right or wrong way to use social media?
20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that “sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them.” As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft. Learning networks are based on the theory of connectivism, or learning from diverse social webs. What are some ways to grow your PLN and improve the quality of your interactions? 10 Tips For Using PLN’s Keep the spirit of collaboration as your driving force. 10 Tools & Strategies for Establishing a Productive PLN Use Diigo, Evernote, Pocket, or Delicious to bookmark links. PLNs are a powerful change agent. Source: Open Colleges Read more:
20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network - Getting Smart by Miriam Clifford “20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network” by Miriam Clifford first appeared on the InfomED blog. Networking is a prime form of 21st century learning. The world is much smaller thanks to technology. Learning is transforming into a globally collaborative enterprise. Just this month, a tech news article showcased how Harvard scientists are considering that “sharing discoveries is more efficient and honorable than patenting them.” As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft. Learning networks are based on the theory of connectivism, or learning from diverse social webs. What are some ways to grow your PLN and improve the quality of your interactions? 10 Tips For Using PLN’s Keep the spirit of collaboration as your driving force. 10 Tools & Strategies for Establishing a Productive PLN Use Diigo, Evernote, Pocket, or Delicious to bookmark links. PLNs are a powerful change agent.
21st Century PLNs for School Leaders cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by krossbow I have to admit that I was pretty excited to write my first post for the Edutopia group that has a great list of educators sharing some of their best practices. I wanted to share the piece in my own learning space, but you can see the original article posted on the Edutopia site. As many school administrators are enjoying their summer break, we all tend to think of ways that we can make our school better in the upcoming year. “Meaningful change ain’t gonna happen for our kids if we’re not willing to invest in it for ourselves first. With that being said, I have spent the last few years focusing a great deal on my work as an instructional leader within my role as school-based principal, and now as division principal. So for the administrator new to the world of social media and all of the possibilities that it holds for developing instructional leadership, here are three ways that I would suggest starting to learn this summer 2) Read Blogs
Friending cats and following eggs: On social networks you ARE your photo On social networks, you ARE your photo. Your image is important! The photo you choose to represent you says a great deal about who you are as an individual. It is your personal brand. I love meeting people in person at conferences or cocktail parties and then connecting with them on social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Sometimes I search people out and connect and other times they find me. But when somebody has an image that is not an actual photo of them, I hesitate and usually do not connect. Why are they hiding? The images in this post are all Facebook profiles of people who requested to become friends with me. Same thing happens on Twitter. There are many choices when it comes to an image to use: You can use a casual shot taken by a friend. This is a great option for many people. Always think: What does this photo say about me and my personal brand? You can have other people & things with you in the photo. Your child and/or boyfriend. You can use a formal portrait.
5 Reasons Educators Should Blog My daughter Abby (with the Mac) and my niece Ashley Once a week, a new to-do pops up on my productivity software client that alerts me that it’s time to do a blog entry. Most of the time I admire the line and proceed to complete a dozen other tasks that, if not completed, will affect my job performance. Yet, I am fully aware that I am a part-time Web 2.0 evangelist like many of you. 1. I completed a very non-scientific experiment the last two weeks. 2. At the heart of Web 2.0 is collaboration; a chance to not simply shout one’s thoughts but be held accountable by colleagues via blog comments just below the post. 3. With the explosion of social media, a blog can be a portal for a social media aficionado. 4. Michael Hyatt, a former CEO of a publishing company, recently wrote Platform – Get Noticed in a Noisy World and I was privileged to be on his Launch Team, a group of 100 people who received the book in advance. 5. Will Richardson argues that students aren’t really digital natives.