Learning is a team activity

So you want to learn something... YouTube it! Well either that, or attend a class, a MOOC, go to a conference, or discuss with a colleague. How do we learn those things that we didn't know we wanted to learn?

I beg this question as I think this is where many of our students are. They have been put in this room, and are told "learn." "What?" they may ask; "Well, Whatever the teacher teaches you." One large problem as I see it is, When they are not put in a room, and told to listen to the teacher, how will they know what to learn and how to learn it?

If learning would be a team activity, then all of the learners are focused on the goal, working together to solve problems. I emphasize TOGETHER we solve problems. We may ask others, we may take a course with others, we may read a book, the key being to efficiently solve problems, we MUST work together.

If you know me, you probable also know that I believe that ALL individuals should strive to be LIFELONG learners. How do we help our students become lifelong learners? we learn WITH them. Throughout the last year or two, I have been working closely with another teacher in what we have called a peer-coaching relationship. This has proven to me to be one of the most effective (face to face) learning strategies I have found. Sometimes I need reinforcement, sometimes i need ideas, and sometimes, I need to be told "Do it different!" Having one person to develop a relationship with has been very powerful. It helped that we used to be located directly across the hall from one another.

In addition to a peer coaching relationship, I believe we need "virtual" peer coaches. These are people that you may not recognize if you were sitting next to, though you may idol. These virtual coaches may not have ever seen you teach but can share helpful resources with you.

Develop a relationship with both face to face and virtual individuals (Via twitter, Google+, etc.) and share your learning journey with your students and colleagues.

Sharing

As long as we have been alive we have been told to share; SHARE your toys, etc.

As an educator, I believe that most teachers are GREAT "sharers". Most educators are willing to share their lesson ideas, resources and even time when asked. I question why so many educators when given an environment to SHARE, simply shy away. Please don't think I am referring to ALL educators, as I have learned so much about teaching by adding wonderful teachers to my personal learning network. There are GREAT "sharers" out there, but wouldn't it be great if we ALL contributed? I have relied on my PLN as I am a CTE teacher who did not get any undergraduate training on teaching, and frankly have not any formal teaching education prior to pursuing a graduate degree.

I ask this question today as I plan to attend my next conference this weekend (the Google Summit in Grand Forks). Many times when I attend a conference, I submit to offer a session or two. Although I have many sessions I enjoy offering, my favorite is promoting a personal learning network. During this session, I typically begin by promoting "lurking" or just checking it out. There are many different places to lurk including Twitter, Google +, Blogs, and even Facebook to name a few. Lurking is okay, but I like to look at professional learning much like a potluck dinner. You may not bring the best tasting dish, salad, dessert, etc. to the picnic, but you bring something and you leave FULL. It would not be polite to come to the picnic without anything... would it? Looking at PD in this way, you may think you are only bringing the forks and napkins, but without them many wouldn't enjoy the meal as much. Maybe you bring your homemade pecan pie (If I am lucky, this is what my sister-in-law brings :) ), and before you leave many people are asking for the recipe (Why? because they want MORE!).

So my challenge to you is this: When looking at professional development take what you want, but give something. Whether you contribute your own ideas, or share (retweet, +1, or whatever you call it on your network) something you have learned from others, SHARE. What you may think is old news, may be new to someone at the table.

Don't feel the need to overshare (which may be just as bad as lurking as nobody pays attention to your posts) but SHARE as often as you feel necessary. Together we can grow faster than separately. Either online or in person, I look forward to learning with you soon!

The future of my professional learning network (PLN)

With my first post, I would like to welcome the newest members of my PLN. Those of you that I am learning with in the University of North Dakota's IDT program. I look forward to learning from you and contributing equally to your learning.

Today i read an article which is concerning to me: http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/24/google-is-walking-dead/  Although I use Twitter for much of my PLN, I have come to use many avenues for learning about educational (specifically educational technology) issues and I have come to rely most on Google+. I have been a Google + user for as long as it has been around. Much like Google Wave, I have questioned from the beginning if the product would grow or be killed. I found Google Wave to be "Cool" but didn't find a need to try to convince others to "drink the kool-aid" and join the Wave. Plus on the other hand, started as a "cool" tool for me, and has since grown to be a service which I rely on.  There are so many GREAT features of Plus; Hangouts and communities to name a couple. Simply put, I love the organization which Plus provides for me. If I have a few minutes, I always find myself going to Plus as my first source of learning. Being able to arrange my "followers" into circles, and choosing who to share with (with ease) has made plus my social network of choice.

As I mentioned earlier, i did not feel the need to try to get others to ride the wave, with Plus I am continually bringing it up at conferences and PD sessions (I will be presenting at the Google summit in Grand Forks on June 8th if you are interested #shamelessplug).

I have come to use Plus for both personal and professional purposes. I just have not found another social network that compares. So this may be a plea to Google, or just my 2 cents, but I hope Plus doesn't join the Google graveyard with other services like reader.