ConnectedTalk

Viral Professional Development is emerging in education as a viable method of increasing teacher engagement and learning. Using tools such as Twitter, rss readers, blogs, educational networks, and wikis, educators are collaborating on a grassroots level. This year at NECC, a panel discussion of educators on July 2nd at 1:30 pm CDT will be discussing and live Ustreaming a session to discuss viral professional development.

How did this panel discussion originate?

On Monday, September 17, 2007, Google launched the Google Presentation web application to their suite of services. News of this new service spread quickly through the blogosphere and Twitter and soon more than fifty different people made over 500 edits in a twenty-four hour period to one Google presentation. Since introduced, this presentation has been used by hundreds of people to begin conversations centered on free online tools used to weave a web of connections between people around the world.

As a result of this transformational experience, educators begin discussing the importance of sharing the changing nature of professional development and documentation of best practices in VIRAL professional development. The proposal was written in Google docs and since acceptance, an expanded group of educators around the world has used a wiki, elluminate, and a variety of tools to bring a collaborative, immersive viral PD experience to NECC and to people around the world.

Presenters
Vicki Davis, moderator
Darren Draper
Kelly Dumont
Kristen Hokanson
Robin Ellis
Ryan Bretag
Beth Ritter-Guth
Carolyn Foote

Backchannel Presenters/ Moderators
John Maklary
Stephanie Sandifer

How can you participate?

At 1:30pm CDT on July 2, we will be participating in a NECC panel discussion that centers on the power of the network. During our presentation we hope to demonstrate to all those attending our session in person (and virtually), just how powerful global collaboration can be. Hence, we are asking for your participation in our presentation as well.

1) Join our Ustream

We will be streaming the presentation live on the Open PD Ustream channel at 1:30 pm CDT on July 2nd. You may watch here and participate in the conversation (and even ask the panelists questions).

2) Leave a comment on our voicethread

One way that you can participate now is by adding your voice to the VoiceThread below. Please take a few minutes and add your thoughts about the different tools depicted through images in the thread. We would truly like as many voices possible, offering a wide range of thought on the usefulness of the common tools we all use in our collaborations.

How do you use these tools? How are they important to your professional development? Please add your voice.

3) Join the conversation on the NECC Educational networking site

We’ve created a discussion thread to converse on this panel discussion at the NECC educational networking site.

Follow our most recent announcements.

All announcements and events pertaining to this session will be announced at the Walls Came Down wiki.

Since NECC of 2007, and during several other conferences throughout the year there have been conversations taking place about a need to move beyond the echo chamber. Many educators see the value of web 2.0 tools and the potential for use in their own learning/professional practice and also classroom practices. For many they may be the only individual where they work who understands these tools, uses them in their own practice, and they may feel they are alone in what they are trying to do to begin conversations regarding incorporating web 2.0 tools to change practice in their own communities. The questions has been asked how we move beyond the echo chamber, how we inform others, bring new voices into this conversation, share what we believe is changing in the world, the way we communicate, use information and why education has to change as well. What are the new tools, how do we use them to our advantage in our personal growth. How do we use them to move classroom practice from what it is now, to a more engaged environment that extends beyond classroom walls, how do we connect students and teachers around the globe to collaborate and learn together.

In early March of 2008 Dennis Richard, Superintendent Falmouth Schools in Falmouth, Massachusetts started a conversation on Professional Development 2.0, because of his experience here –

”While I was at ASCD 2008 in New Orleans in March 2008, I started a conversation with some ASCD Leadership Council members and my online network of educators about the need for educators familiar with Web 2.0 pedagogies to spread the word about how they are successfully using the new 21st Century technology to improve student learning. That conversation has continued until today, April 3, 2008. We have less than a month to pool our collective intelligence to help ASCD do a “bang up” job for its membership in Orlando in March 2009 on technology and engaging students in learning. See the home page of this wiki, Learning beyond Boundaries for more details”.

He blogged and sent messages through Twitter to those in his network to read a proposal he was formulating. He wanted to take what he had learned in the past year to the decision makers at ASCD, Association School Curriculum Developers.

“The idea is to use my leadership role with ASCD (explained on the wiki under “The Conversation”) to “propose” more visibility for the web 2.0 pedagogy proposals so they are given due consideration for their importance and uniqueness and eventually to do the same for the selected presentations. I think major professional associations like ASCD are ready to acknowledge the important and transformational role technology must now play in our schools. We can have a significant influence on the quality of their conversation if we shift out of our traditional circles and bring stories of how students every day are deeply engaged in learning by teachers who are using web 2.0 pedagogies”.

ASCD’s theme for 2009 is Learning Beyond Boundaries persistence paid off, 102 educators have signed on to be collaborators and this message now appears on the wiki:

“I can’t believe it, but I have great news! Kathleen Burke, Director of ASCD’s Annual Conference accepts our offer and wants us to work with ASCD to develop a 3 year plan! More to come in the following days”.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”. Margaret Mead 10:45 A.M. EDT, 5.5.08

I am happy to be part of such a group of committed citizens and I look forward to working with everyone to develop and implement the three year plan with ASCD. Thanks Dennis, for pushing beyond the echo chamber.

With the abundance of online communities and tools now available to all of us there has been a lot of conversation lately of how people use these tools, for what purpose. The conversations have mentioned the fact some are seen as using these tools for self promotion, followings, name recognition, which I admit I believe some people do, but this is no different than what happens in our day to day, face to face lives, is it? We all have the same ability online, as we do face to face, we may chose to ignore what we find offensive, or follow along, either way the choice remains with the individual.

I am, as Sue Waters used to describe herself, a reluctant blogger. I am not skilled in writing, and it is something that does not come easily to me. I feel blogging is a means of reflection, having an opportunity to talk out loud, and maybe have someone listen, and respond who is interested in the same topic, is experiencing something similar or have an opinion on. We are all attracted to content for varying reasons, we are all attracted to different writing styles as well. What matters is this, I have a mechanism to write, publish, and possibly engage in conversations that would not be available to me otherwise. In order for those opportunities to present themselves to me, I also understand I have to make the effort to do the same thing with others, to be a good virtual citizen as well. Making connections, participating in conversations, extending myself beyond my blog to cultivate relationships – just as I do in my life everyday.

I believe we all contribute, we all have a voice and we all make a difference, although not everyone’s contribution and or difference may not be evident through a blog or online. For me my contributions to the greater good may not be through this blog, but I feel my participation in OpenPD with Darren Draper, the presentations we have done together about our experiences in providing professional development in a way not possible before now, have been important, have made an impact on those who attended the classes and the presentations. I know too I make a difference in my district; I am able to learn from those in my network and in turn share that knowledge with those I interact with face-to-face everyday. My contributions may seem small to others, but it is relative, the contributions I make where I work may never be seen by others in the online world I participate in, but that doesn’t mean they do not exist, or I do not matter either. I believe the words on this image apply to all of us,”There are some things we cannot do on our own” and “a strong and cohesive sense of community is essential to expanding opportunity to all of us”, maybe EdubloggerCon in San Antonio will be a time for all of us to talk about our sense of community.

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