Chapter 9: What the Future Holds

As we finish our summer of studying The Connected Educator I hope that each of you have learned things that will be useful as you build your personal learning networks. I debated what question to post for this last chapter because there are so many areas that we could address in this chapter. Ultimately, I decided to just throw it out to the group. You decide what to post for the last chapter.

You can summarize what you have learned - what you will use - what you will choose to NOT use,

OR you can address the changes you will make in relation to the section titled Learning 2.0: Four Core Components

OR you can answer the Questions for the Change Agent in You (pg 143 print)

OR you can on page 144 (print) after the last change agent question - it starts with "Although we have done this work, we are continuing to learn."

OR you can choose your own unique topic. Just let the group know what you are choosing to do.

Since we are so close to the end of summer, let's try to finish all posts before August 1st. Some folks are behind in posting, so if you need more time, just let me know.

Chapter 8: Transforming Leadership for a Connected World

Hi all...I just realized that I should have posted this chapeter's question yesterday. I have been really busy for the last couple days so..please bear with me. I will post the question by tomorrow morning.


Again..l am sorry for forgetting to post the question on time, I will try to be better next time.

This chapter talks about school (teacher/student/principal) leaders and how more schools are moving from traditional to transitional leadership where everyone takes a role in moving the school forward.

I am interested in 3 lines on page 132 (print). "Teacher leaders are first expert teacher learners..." "Teacher leadership is not about power itself but about mobilizing other teachers' potential to improve performance." And "Teacher leadership occurs when a teacher shares with other teachers what works (or hasn't worked) in her or his own classroom in an effort to improve performance for all the students in the school."

So...let's practice being expert learners by setting up blogs to talk about what works or doesn't work in the classroom (or to talk about any topic you want). If you already have a blog - make a blog post about a topic of your choice, tweet and share it with the group. (Also...feel free to share any tips for blogging with the group). [My first tip is use a URL shortener to make blog URLs more manageable in tweets and posts. You can use google to find one.]

Sandy...you might investigate doing a video blog since you are our resident "video expert"

MaryRose...please share your experiences using blogs.

There are many blogs that you can use. Here are two that you might want to try.

We have been using Blogger all summer and I really like it. Here is the website and the support page for the information about getting started.
http://www.blogger.com/home https://support.google.com/blogger/

MaryRose has been using Edublogs. You might want to investigate this one. Again...I have included the support information.
http://edublogs.org/. http://help.edublogs.org/getting-started-with-edublogs/

Chapter 7: Sustaining the Momentum

This chapter talks about setting up and maintaining a group or professional learning community. While I think that some of us may be ready to move to this level, many of us are still in the explore/learn mode. We have spent 2 chapters exploring tools and sharing them with our group. Now it is time to explore one more tool. Let's all look at Twitter this week. For an intro, take a look at http://www.teachhub.com/why-every-teacher-should-join-twitter for some very good reasons why all teachers should be on Twitter and for links to articles on how to use Twitter in the classroom. If you unfamiliar with Twitter, take a look at https://support.twitter.com/ for all you need to know about Twitter and how to get started.  If you do not have a Twitter account, go ahead and set up an account. Once you have an account, you need to choose some folks to follow. There are many ways to do this, but I think the best way to find quality folks to follow is to look at hashtags that interest you and choose others that post to these hashtags. Here is a list of 300+ hashtags to look at: http://www.cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html . Choose a few and go to the "discover" page on Twitter and search...you will see the people/groups who post to this tag and you can choose a few to follow. (My policy is that I will follow someone, but if they spend a lot of time tweeting about things that are not educationally interesting to me I will drop them without apology. For example...I heard Kevin Honeycutt speak earlier this summer. He was an excellent speaker, but he tweets about everything from what he is having for dinner, to where he is located every minute of the day. This is a waste of time, so I stopped following him pretty quickly).

Once you have chosen at least 5 people/groups to follow, start reading and learning. If you are already on Twitter, just report on the folks you already following. At the end of the week, report back to the group. What is your twitter handle? (mine is @angynorthern). Who did you choose to follow? What have you learned? How can you use this tool both professionally and in the classroom?

As we have seen during the last couple chapters, it takes a while to learn a new tool and to become comfortable using it. So...don't give up as you learn this one. Keep exploring and "lurking"...just reading posts for now. We will dive a little deeper in the next chapter.

Chapter 6 -- Building Your Connected Learning Community

Let's continue our exploration of online tools. Choose one of these two options:

1. Choose one of the tools we didn't get to in the last chapter, explore and report back to the group.  OR
2. Continue your exploration of the tool you explored in the last chapter. Learn more and report back to the group.  

We will save Twitter for Chapter 7. (If you have a Twitter account please tell me your twitter handle in your post this time).

Chapter 5: Using Tools to Support Connected Learning

I will be out of town on the 30th, so I am posting this one early. Feel free to start now...or wait until the 30th.

The beginning of this chapter gives us a lot to think about. I highlighted 2 lines from Sheryl  "I am a project- problem-, passion-based teacher who believes students need both hands-on and visceral learning." "However, I feel it is a disservice to children when educators become so enthralled with the tools that they lose sight of what is most important --- the learning." We need to focus on thinking and not thinging when we look at tools.  We also have to balance our study and PLN with the time we have, so please do not feel that you have to sign up for everything.

We all have tools we use in the classroom and in our PLN. Now, let's investigate some new tools that can be used to connect to others or use in our classroom. Choose one of the following tools (or suggest one of your own), investigate it and then report back to the group. Add instructions, links, articles...anything that might be useful to help the group understand the new tool.  (you may be asked to share a tool that you already use later but right now try something new).


To start...please sign up for the tool you will report on, then investigate and post your findings.

   Diigo
           Delicious
   Twitter/ Twitter Chat /Hootsuite 
   Blog (ex. Blogster or Edublogs)
   Wikispaces
   Flickr
   Podcast
   Skype
   VoiceThread
   PadLet
    Ning
           Evernote
           My Big Campus social networks.     Sue...will you do this one as a "visiting scholar"
           Simplek12 social network
           Pinterest.      Angy will do this one
           Suggest your own:

Chapter 4: Building a Collaborative Culture

This chapter gives us much to think about in relation to our learning networks (both face-to-face and online). I think we all have congenial relationships with our fellow teachers but do we have collegial relationships where we create real change? Page 63 (print) states that "collegial relationships are characterized by conversations about practice, problems, and solutions to learning challenges for all students, and about ways to improve the school overall."  Think about your learning networks...are they congenial or collegial? How can we move from the first to the second?   Look at the google sideshow at http://bit.ly/hxsC5y - how do you answer the questions listed at the end of the chapter? 1. What are our guiding principles for how we should operate and work together? 2. Why do they exist? 3. What do we want to create? 4. What should school look like to support the needs of today's learners? (Feel free to add a slide to the document and just submit the slide number in place of the answer if you want). 

Chapter 3: Learning to Learn

I will close out Chapter 2 this weekend, but I wanted to go ahead today and post the question for Chapter 3.

In this chapter about "Learning to Learn" we see 3 steps/stages of constructing knowledge. First, we gain knowledge for practice in "sit and get" traditional PD. In knowledge in practice, we take what we have learned and try it out and see if it works and then knowledge of practice where we reflect on successes and failures. I think we are all good in the knowledge for practice part of the scenario, but most of us fall down when it comes to the other two stages.

When we talk about Unlearning to Relearn, I agree - we must leave a lot behind in order to progress toward 21st century skills.  Have you thought much about this idea of unlearning in terms of your teaching? As an educator, what do you need to unlearn and relearn? Take a look at the conversation on https://www.facebook.com/edutopia/posts/146746198731330. How would you contribute to this conversation? What do you need to unlearn? What is your strategy in doing this, if you have one? Share your thoughts on unlearning here.

Chapter Two: Developing a Connected Learning Model

In chapter 2 the authors define and discuss the three prongs of connected learning communities: professional learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice. They also talked about how important it is to have a diverse network. They provided a lot of data that supports our growth through connecting with others.

We are going to use the final question in this chapter for our discussion (print pg 44). Feel free to go to the voicethread listed in #1, but post your answer here too.

“Our schools need to change. We need to make the classroom a place that is tailored to the way connected learners learn. Can we accomplish that through collaboration and community? Do you believe that to remain effective for today’s learner, we must change the way we teach and the way we learn to provide time for deep conversations and reflection? Why or Why not? And if so, how?”

Chapter One: Defining the Connected educator

First..let's talk logistics. From the past 2 summer reading groups, I know that most folks will want to finish our reading before the end of summer. With this in mind, I will assume the same for this summer. If we want to complete our reading in the week before school starts, we will have to go a little faster than one chapter per week. So...I will be posting a new chapter question every 5 days.

Chapter 1: June 10                               Be prepared to make posts to the blog as the
Chapter 2: June 15                         questions are posted. We want this to be an
Chapter 3: June 20                         an informal group, so please post your own topics
Chapter 4: June 25                         if you have things to share. Just click on "New Post"
Chapter 5: June 30                    at the top of the page.
Chapter 6: July 5                               REMEMBER...you will go to the bottom of the page
Chapter 7: July 10                          and click on the word COMMENT to answer the
Chapter 8: July 15                          question or contribute to the discussion. You will
Chapter 9: July 20                          need to use your Google login information to post.

Now...for Chapter 1: Defining the Connected Educator.

The first chapter defines the "connected educator." In our introductions, we discussed some to the tools we are using to be connected educators. This week, let's how we rank ourselves as 21st century educators. Take the Self-evaluation for new literacies of the 21st century in figure 1.2 (print pages 14-17). Then answer the the "Think About" questions after the Self-Evaluation Rubric (print page 17): Are you multiliterate? Of these literacies, which is most surprising to you? Which do you find least and most challenging?

Welcome the Southwestern Jefferson Co School Corporation 3rd annual Summer Reading group.

This summer we will be discussing: The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age by Sheryl  Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall

Discussion of the book will begin the week of June 10th. 

Before we get started, use this blog to introduce yourself to the group  Let us know what you teach and what you expect from this group. Since our book is about being "connected", share with us about your PLN (Personal Learning Network). If you "tweet" or Facebook professionally...share your info so that everyone can follow you. (If you did not understand the last sentence..don't worry...you will be the end of the summer:) If you have any specific interests tell us about those too. 

You should go ahead and either order or download your book now so that we are ready to start on June 10th. 

If you know anyone who would like to join our group, please feel free to invite them to join. (They don't have to be Southwestern folks...everyone is welcome...as long as they join us before the week of June 10th). 

Please note...we won't have any weeks off this summer. Past summers have shown that folks want to work through the entire book before school starts. I will be sending out a specific schedule via email, but we will start discussing Chapter one on June 10th. 

My contact information:

Angy Northern

812.866.6237 (W)

812.866.2149 (H)

anorthern@swjcs.us

angynorthern@gmail.com