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Professional Development To Go - A Summer Time Treat
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| But just because technology is on your list of areas where you want to refresh your skills does not mean you have to spend all your time inside on a computer. If you’re the type of educator who feels torn between the need to upgrade your technology skills and the need to be enjoy the sunshine, paint the garage, or play in the dirt, then why not take your Professional Development to Go! Grab your IPod or other mp3 player, fill it with podcast that instruct, inform, or inspire you to become a 21st century teacher. (Photo credit) |
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This what I did this summer. I downloaded all of the podcasts from the blogs I follow or discovered. I then got loads of professional development while I worked around the yard and weeded the garden. I’ve gone through all of Wesley Fryer’s, David Warlick’s, Vicki Davis’, Miguel Guiland’s, and 2006 K12 Online conference podcasts. I’ve started listening to Bob Sprankle’s Bit-by-Bit podcasts, and the Worldbridges EdTechtalk podcasts.
The result is that I have started blogging this summer. However, I’ve noticed that it is harder to blog about a particular podcast because I have forgotten my thought by the time sit down to write. I’m working on some podcasts to add.
Unfortunately, Our cable has been out for over a week, so I’ve been disconnected from a lot of my professional development. which also makes it hard to blog about podcasts or anything else. I hope to do some podcasting and blogging with my 3rd graders this year. I just figured out how to add clip of something to my blog. Cool huh?
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We had some excitement here at home this weekend. As I was pulling up the driveway, I saw smoke billowing beside the house. I pulled up to find the fence row on fire. I ran into the house and yelled “The field is on fire!” My father-in-law and I dragged out hoses and started putting out the fire. We started getting it under control, but the fire on the other side of the fence rapidly spread into our neighbor’s field. My mother-in-law called 911.
We put out the fire on our side of the fence while we waited on the fire department. My wife and another neighbor arrived to help. 3 Fire department pickups with hoses and a pumper truck eventually showed up to put out the grass fire on the other side of our fence. My kids even did their part by carrying little buckets of water to help put out some railroad ties that had caught on fire.
It was all caused by a bird landing on top of an electrical transformer and some sparks probably started the fire. The power surge also knocked out our phone and cable, so we are without mass communication with the outside world. I miss not being connected, but the quiet is kind of nice. I also get more done.
We were very lucky that only some fencing materials and railroad ties were damaged in the fire. It is probably an experience we will remember for a long time.
What does this have to do with learning in School 2.0? First of all, it is the experiences that are most personal, out-of-the-ordinary, and most involving that we remember most. For learning to “stick” it needs to be personal, out-of-the-ordinary, and involve the student.
Second, we live in such an information flooded society, with so much stimulus, sometimes we need to turn off some of the input, so we can focus on getting some things done. Multi-tasking is not always a good thing.
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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