Final PLN

After working with various technologies to create a Professional Learning Network for this course, I have decided to continue using podcasts as a means of growth, development, and professional learning.  I was familiar with podcasts before the course began, and I have found several that are extremely engaging and informative.  I will also continue attending live online professional development opportunities.  My county uses them often (Elluminate and Safari Live) as a cost cutting measure and a way to inform a broad-base of teachers and leaders. 

Ultimately, I have decided to discontinue my blog.  I may employ a blog as an administrator, but for now, it is too personal for my taste.  I am not comfortable with my opinions and ramblings being available to an entire community with whom I am unfamiliar.  I will also discontinue my Twitter account.  Twitter seemed a little self-aggrandizing to me, and I didn't get a lot out of it as a professional.  I will also discontinue using Delicious.  I find my own bookmarks easy to access, and while I did find a network of people using informative sites, it wasn't as efficient as I like.

I put my RSS Feed in the middle of my mind map, because I would like to use it, but more often.  I have enjoyed having my publications in one place.

Whether I use all of them or only a few, I think the exposure to these tools will be useful to me as an administrator.  I have learned there are many ways to use technology to communicate with other leaders and to grow and develop professionally. 

Jing Presentation

We've learned how to use Jing, a free presentation tool, to create a screencast.  I actually had a lot of fun learning to use this tool.  I plan to use it in the future to create technology tutorials and brief trainings for our students and teachers.  Because I erroneously introduced myself to the Jing download after I chose my content, I would have changed my topic for presentation to something more interactive and engaging.  I think because I missed the last class session for Tech Night, I was also unclear about the Virtualization piece.  I searched on how to implement the periodic table, but didn't read anything that made it more clear.  I'm excited to see how other people in the class have implemented the concept.  I imagine the goal will be much clearer to me then.

The topic I chose was one I presented to our faculty last week as a reminder of the Staff Expectations shared during pre-planning.  I did not present it using Jing, but the content was the same.  Of course, it was more interesting live because I sang and danced my way through it dressed up like Barney...  Just kidding.

Connell-Presentation

Online PD Session- Math Frameworks

I attended the Live Online Professional Development seminar providing an overview to our county's new Math Frameworks on November 2nd.  Last summer, I was employed by the GaDOE as part of the development team for the K-5 Math Frameworks being implemented in our county this school year.  I was hoping the Elluminate session on our District Collaboration Day would be engaging and a positive overview of the Frameworks answering the many questions posed by our teachers.  The implementation has been challenging.

I have attended numerous Elluminate sessions in the last six months, sessions sponsored by both the district and the state.  They are usually used to address curriculum issues and/or for administrative training in school safety and response-to-intervention protocol.  I did not gain any new information from the Elluminate session on the Frameworks.  There were a lot of technical glitches (sound problems, problems viewing the ppt slides within the Elluminate frames).  The consensus from our teachers was that it was not a very engaging medium.  It would have been more engaging to see a live person rather than hearing a live voice reading a ppt. 

In subsequent Elluminate trainings I have attended recently, I still have a hard time feeling engaged with the medium.  Especially during a training session vs. a more collaborative experience.  I think Elluminate is more engaging in more collaborative discussions; however, nothing beats the budgetary savings!

Compare the various aspects of your Personal Learning Network - Blog reading, podcasts, twitter - what is your experience with each thus far? Are there differences in the types or quality of material between the different tools? If so, what do you think accounts for those differences? How are you integrating them into your daily/weekly routines? What has surprised you most to date? Are you finding that you are getting "to know" the people you are listening/reading/following? If so, how has that influenced your view of them and what they have to offer?

I just completed presenting at and attending my county's Digital Schoolhouse conference.  It was extremely exciting to see the various ways in which people are integrating technology, including the technologies we are using in our PLN, into their teaching and personal learning.  I am getting the greatest benefit out of listening to podcasts and reading people's blogs.  An unintended consequence of using blog reading as a part of my PLN has been to connect with parents of teenagers with needs similar to my son's.  I think the most surprising thing has been that in my isolation, I can find support and strength in people I don't even know.  While maintaining my privacy, I have found validation of my family's struggle and have found myself more accepting of his diagnosis. 

I am still on the fence about twitter; however, I will tell you a positive twitter moment from last week:  My husband uses twitter professionally, and through his own twitter PLN, found out about a contest to win an American Music Awards party.  He was one of the first few hundred to tweet for it and won a party package for 10 teenagers!  :)  My daughter is thrilled.  I may be a convert, yet!