What are the most important things you've done this past year for your personal and professional growth?

I'm interested in what activities or resources have really helped you discover your passions or have allowed you to make significant personal or professional growth.

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Permalink Reply by Alice Keeler on May 25, 2011 at 9:49pm
Twitter. I was not a fan of twitter at all until I went to a presentation on a PLN by Dr. Mark Wagner... who proceeded to talk the entire presentation about Twitter.  I created an alter twitter account just to follow people who tweet about education and tech... Twitter helps me to be connected to what is current, to be part of the conversation, and when someone posts an article I know it is good and valuable to read.
Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on May 26, 2011 at 4:00pm
Twitter for me is a great example of how users have taken a Web technology and transformed it into something valuable for themselves.  And yes, it is one very good way to follow or become a part of the conversation (although daunting to the novice!).
Permalink Reply by Gwyneth Anne Jones on June 8, 2011 at 5:36am
Yeah, Twitter for me, too! Each year my PLN grows, and I learn more and more. Also, it seems the more I give the more I get back. LOVE That! I'm definitely happy I've quaffed the Twitter Koolaid!
Permalink Reply by Jacalyn McAnlis on June 16, 2011 at 7:51am
I am the novice, who has an account, but have not embraced the concept.  This is a summer goal -- I like the reply above about following people about education and technology; hopefully, that by doing that I will be able to share with students in the fall some benefits for them.
Permalink Reply by Garrison Daily on June 17, 2011 at 9:54am
Alice, et. al - I have to thank you (and everyone else) for posting/raving about twitter. I'm a reluctant tweeter, but after reading these comments, I gave in and ambled over there. I had to stumble around for my username and password, but once in, I immediately found out that the window for applying for Google Certification was closing in three hours! It may be asking a lot for the universe to let me into that sacred cadre after whipping-up an application so quickly, but I SO appreciated the opportunity to try. You have taught me a valuable lesson!
Permalink Reply by Paula L Naugle on May 31, 2011 at 7:41pm

I am passionate about being an innovative educator and continuing to develop best practices for using technology in my classroom. I am a faithful participate of Classroom 2.0 Live most Saturday mornings. I have learned so much about how to integrate technology tools into my lessons from these weekly webinars. I have also learned how to multitask during the sessions by sharing links and chatting with other participants. I have found some wonderful educators in the chat room to add to my PLN on Twitter and other online social media sites. We have brainstormed projects and set up ways to connect our classrooms.

 

I have also participated in the K12 Online Conference, The DEN Virtual conferences, the Reform Symposium, the Global Collaboration, and watched lots of conference sessions that are being streamed on sites like ustream. If I am available in the evening I attend the talks you host. You could say that I'm an on-my-own-PD freak. I love that I can access these wonderful PD opportunities for FREE from the comfort of my home (often in my pj's). I am also taking courses to earn a Master's in Educational Technology Leadership. (I will finish in December.)

 

Don't get me wrong, I love attending conferences in person. I can't wait to get to EduBloggerCon and ISTE in Philadelphia to meet up with my PLN members face to face and continue the conversations and collaborations we started this year online.

 

All of my online connections are leading to more opportunities for me to present to others either in person or online. Since I am so familiar with tools like Elluminate and WebEx from the participants' side, it was not too scary to become a presenter using these same tools. I look forward to continuing my learning journey and I thank you for making so many of these opportunities available to those of us who truly are lifelong learners.

Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on June 7, 2011 at 5:12pm
You're a great example in so many areas.  I think you attend more events virtually than I do!
Permalink Reply by Marie Doherty on June 7, 2011 at 1:32pm

Twitter for me too. I found it all overwhelming and confusing at first but it has allowed me to find loads of new and exciting resources and ideas. But more than that it has allowed me to be part of the global conversation. This in turn has increased my confidence and my enthusiasm which has, I hope, made me a more effective teacher. It has also made me happier in my work and therefore happier all around.

There are so many more things I want to do. I am so looking forward to my holidays to allow me to investigate what I can do next!

Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on June 7, 2011 at 5:13pm
Fun to hear about Twitter doing that for you.  I have a love/hate relationship with it because of my own personal need to not be distracted!
Permalink Reply by carolteach4 on June 7, 2011 at 4:43pm

I have widened my horizons and have participated in webinars from Classroom2.0, Future of Education, Teachers Teaching Teachers, Seedlings, Discovery Education, eSchool News, and SimpleK12. I learn so much from the presenters, but even more satisfying is connecting with individuals in the chat. When some one positively responds to a comment I have made, it excites and empowers me and makes me feel I have value. In addition, I have become aware of so many amazing resources from the links dropped into the chat. I also have found many archived webinars that are of great value. Now, folks in my school are finally listening, and our professional development chair is committed to including participation in live/ and or archived webinars as viable options for professional development including receiving CEU's.

Finally, I am so pleased that interviews on Classroom2.0 with two different teachers were, in part, scheduled because of recommendations from me. That makes me feel as if I have some value as a contributor and not just a receiver of such great professional development.

Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on June 7, 2011 at 5:14pm
Well, hopefully this positive comment will empower you even more, since you should feel really good about your contributions!  Way to go--on everything!  Seems like you're making a real difference.
Permalink Reply by Catherine Laguna on June 7, 2011 at 6:05pm

I was really inspired by Jeff Corwin's talk at PETE&C in February.  He got his passion for nature as a child and it made me think of how important this time is in the lives of my students.  They are developing their passions and it is our job to give them what they need and then let them have the freedom to explore.  I have been trying to focus on helping students apply what they learn in my science class to issues in the world, but next year I want to expand to actually taking action with those issues.  For example, this year we learned about some harmful chemicals in our environment but next year I'd like to find ways to help make others aware of these chemicals or to urge our government to take action.  This year we did a video conference with a museum to learn about oil spills and spill clean-up but next year I would want to expand that lesson to see how we could help clean up the water in our area.  The most important thing I've done is to try to follow Jeff's call to "educate people so they will be able to make good decisions" when it comes to our environment.

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