Professional Learning, Otherwise Known as Development

The year, as they all do, is flying past. We are now 7 weeks into our 1-to-1 tablet roll out and things are going well. I think faculty and students would say that the program has had a successful start. Translation: time to worry about sustainability. Sustainability means that we have to keep revising curriculum and keep growing in our understanding of new literacies and new skills that students need. We need to make sure we continue to move forward and develop an engaging program for our students. In order to do this, faculty need to think about how they are engaging in professional learning, otherwise known as professional development. Learning sounds fun but development sounds a little like a task so I’m changing the terminology.

Professional learning is evolving along with curriculum and pedagogy (more on that evolution next week) and there are a number of opportunities for teachers to participate in either synchronously or asynchronously.

K12 Online Conference

A really terrific opportunity begins next week. The third annual k12 Online Conference themed “Amplifying Possibilities” kicks off with a keynote by Stephen Heppell on Oct 13^th.  The conference features 40 sessions that can be attended on your own schedule and are all free. Sessions can be downloaded for iPod listening on the go as well. Many sessions have teasers to help you decide what sessions are interesting.

Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Course

George Seimens and Stephen Downes are offering Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Course. This course is being attended by 2400+ educators who are exploring what connectivism as learning theory really means and how it can be employed in the service of learning. While the course has a timeline and dates for synchronous events, all of the materials are online and can be enjoyed as time permits. The materials are excellent and sure to make you think and question the way all of us learn.

Discovery EdTechConnect Webinairs

Discovery offers several one hour online learning opportunities. The shows are recorded but everyone should register and experience a synchronous, online distance learning event. On Oct 22, Bernie Dodge will be discussing webQuest and Web 2.0:

In this webinar Bernie Dodge will describe how WebQuests and Web 2.0 go together like chocolate and peanut butter. He'll show examples of how the latest web-based tools can be embedded in a solid pedagogical structure to make a good lesson great.

EdTechTalk

EdTechTalk is a series of weekly shows that cover a range of educational technology topics. The shows frequently include interviews with educators who are trying new things or have interesting projects that they want to share. The EdTechTalk channel includes a chat room so the audience can submit questions to the participants. While shows are typically archived on the EdTechTalk site and can be viewed at anytime, participating in the chat and the live event is more engaging.

While I encourage everyone to take advantage of the online opportunities above, I would also encourage each of us to pick a book and read. Perhaps even set up an online reading circle and have some discussions online about key points.

The following selections are on my current bookshelf:

Brian Rules, John Medina

Brain Rules give 12 rules for maximizing brain potential. It’s an easy read for a book that talks about how the brain works. It also provides a companion website that gives good information.

The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner

Wagner, co-director of the Change Leadership Group at Harvard, examines Why Our Best Schools Don’t Teach The New Survival Skills Our Children Need- And What We Can Do About It (the subtitle of the book.)

Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky

Shirky does a great job exploring media and the physics of participation. For me, he drove home what I view as an educational shift- the change to publishing and creating for  and collaborating with one (the teacher) to many (a global audience), a change that has profound implications for educators.

Five Minds for the Future, Howard Gardner

Gardner looks at the five minds that will need to be cultivated in our future leaders and citizens. The five minds as described on Gardner’s website:

• The Disciplinary Mind: the mastery of
  major schools of thought, including
  science, mathematics, and history, and of
  at least one professional craft.
• The Synthesizing Mind: the ability to
  integrate ideas from different disciplines
  or spheres into a coherent whole and to
  communicate that integration to others.
• The Creating Mind: the capacity to
  uncover and clarify new problems,
  questions and phenomena.
• The Respectful Mind: awareness of and
  appreciation for differences among
  human beings and human groups.
• The Ethical Mind: fulfillment of one's
  responsibilities as a worker and as a
  citizen.

Digital Citizenship in Schools, Bailey and Ribble

Bailey and Ribble take digital citizenship and break it into 9 categories. Our Middle School has created 9 advisory lessons based on their divisions. It is an important read for those of us who are providing kids with access to the internet 24-7.

There are lots of opportunities for us to get smarter. Pick one and learn something new, develop a new skill. Participate and model lifelong learning! It is an adventure that keeps you young at heart! Quoting Henry Ford,

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

It might do us well to consider another quote from John Wooden in his book Wooden on Leadership:

“Of course, knowledge is never static or complete. A leader who is through learning is through. You must never become satisfied with your ability or level of knowledge…it is easy to get comfortable in a position of leadership, to believe that you’ve got all the answers, especially when you begin to enjoy some success. People start telling you that you’re the smartest one around. But if you believe them, you’re just the dumbest one around. That’s one of the reasons it’s extremely difficult to stay at the top - because once you get there, it is so easy to stop listening and learning. “

I’m choosing the path of youth- I’m learning and I’m just getting started. What path are you choosing?