katie.christo.blog

December’s Big Questions from the Learning Circuits Blog is “What I have learned About Learning in 2008?” As I look back over my learning in 2008 it has been about creating and expanding my Personal Learning Networks. I’ve been reading a slew of blogs in my Google Reader for many years now I’m really trying to engage more and lurk less! I’ve been commenting on blogs, posting to Ning, tweeting when I remember, being part of virtual conferences, and trying to get into Facebook. I’ve tried to post to the ITS Think Tank (a group blog I’m part of), my personal blog, and now I’ve just started my own professional reflection blog here.  It has been a lot.

So, maybe what I’ve learned (or re-learned) about learning is that you need to step back at times or you will be overwhelmed.  I seem to remember this from my college days.  You can go, go, and go and read, read, and read and at some point you have to take a break.  I’m at that point with my learning now.  I need to reflect on what I’ve learned so far.  I need time to process everything we are doing and begin to see what is on the horizon.  Then I can refocus my learning on what is next.

Can I just say that I am so ready for a HOLIDAY!

I have started to offer 40 minute professional development sessions once a week at my school.  These are really to help our teachers see what is out there.  The list of the trainings I’m offering is out on my wiki.  I really enjoy doing these trainings and helping our teachers see and “explore the possibilities” (thanks donna!).  I think these trainings are really important and they have been received very well.  However, most of the trainings so far have been me “showing and telling” what is out there with some hands-on time.  This is important, but what I feel is lacking is starting conversations.  My colleague and I have been talking about the importance of conversations.  She is working in her trainings to really get the teachers talking to each other and not just a conversation between the “trainer” and the “participants”.  These teachers have a wealth of knowledge and individual expertise that we really want to tap into.

Looking forward to next semester I’m trying to figure out how I will evolve my trainings to get some conversations started.  We have talked about starting a Ning as a Professional Learning Community for our teachers.  We have also thought of bringing teachers in to do some of the trainings.  I also think it might be excellent to have some truly just trainings on ideas and concepts of teaching and learning today.  I have also thought about setting aside 5 min in the beginning of the training and 5 min at the end for conversations.  The issues are the same as they always are – time and because of that priority.  What is the most important message to get out there?  What do I really think will impact teaching and learning most? How much time do you need to train and how much for conversation?  There just never seems to be enough time in the day, week, or month.   I feel like there is so much that I want to share and do.  It is always just picking and choosing what and when and then hoping that you made the right choice.

At the moment I’m thinking that my Wired Wednesdays will be a jumping off point.  I will try to get conversations started within the training and then continue the conversations on the Ning.  I think that the main points of these Wired Wednesdays need to be:
1. Creating a community of learners interested in a particular topic and helping them to see that they can be their own network within the school.
2.  Showing them what is out there and what is possible.
3.  Starting a conversation about where to go next with each tool, service, or resource.

Any thoughts?  How are you doing Professional Development?  What is working for you?

After reading Kim Cofino’s post Coming to Terms I posted the following comment on her blog.  Please go out and read the post it is fabulous.

Love your posts Kim.  I have been struggling with the same thoughts and title shift etc. in my role also (I’m an Instructional Technology Specialist).  I think it is important to have these conversations about titles because they help us to reevaluate our role in the school.  They help us focus our thoughts on what we really should be doing.  And eventually, at some point, it would be nice to have some standard title that really helped us as we help teachers.

I personally don’t use my title much when I explain to teachers how I can help them.  I’ve shifted my explanation to teachers and focus on the teaching and learning.  I usually explain my role by saying something to the effect of “teaching and learning IS changing and my job is to help you meet this change and technology is one way of doing that”.  Usually my first presentation to a new group of teachers that I haven’t worked with before is on teaching and learning and I only touch on the technology at the end of the presentation.  I try to establish myself from the beginning as a teaching and learning expert and not as a technology expert.

This has worked well for me.  I’ve really just let the title go.  I hardly use it.  I don’t think that is the solution but that is where I’ve gotten.  Our titles are ambiguous and the nice thing about that is that you can change the roles as needed.

I’ve decided to start this blog after being inspired by Kim Cofino’s blog.  I reflect constantly about my job (usually out loud to my poor husband who has to listen to me – he’s so sweet) but since I changed jobs and moved away from a great team of 20 +dedicated technology folks in my last school I’m missing the ability to really bounce my ideas out there.  I started the ITSThinkTank many years ago as a place where a group of us (at my former job) could add and talk about Instructional Technology and while that has worked and is a great place to house general information we can all benefit from, I feel the need to do some reflective writing on my own and seperate from that space.   So here it is the beginning of my reflection blog…