1. Twitter: I have become more active in curating content off twitter. Finding a system to save and organize this information was a challenge at first. It also took a few failures before I found a system that works for me. Don't be afraid to try a few different curation tools before you find your fits. I suggested my method to a colleague and it did not work with her style. What she does, did not work for my needs.
2. More twitter: Connections I have made from twitter have be huge in my professional life. They have answered questions, provide information and asked questions that have caused me to rethink or look at a problem differently. Some even have come to my district/school to visit and help. Thanks to @mistersill, @awesomecoachv, and @frontrowceo.
3. Conversations: talking out issues with trusted colleagues is the answer. Having a critical friend or two to chat with is powerful. Thank you @lorideen for being this for me.
@awesomecoachv came to do a site visit right before fall break. The conversations we had during the visit we powerful and force me (a good thing) to reflect on practices we are using at my site and how to reframe them. Sometime having the face to face connect allows for those deep conversations that you can't have in 140 characters (even though I have seen a lot of powerful and meaningful tweets).
4. Conferences: Obviously the more traditional method of PD. There is something about the energy of a conference that makes you excited, renewed and so tired all at same time. You return from a conference full of ideas and want to implement them. Then, the energy of the people and the collaboration about it ends and you don't get everything done you had hoped for.
This weekend I attended the #elearns conference. I walked away with so many ideas to take back to my staff. I also went to see some speakers I know are great (@CtuckerEnglish) just to hear new things and feed off their energy.
5. Time: What was great about this conference was it ended in the early afternoon and we stayed until the next day. The gift of time to share with colleagues, socialize and have work sessions was great. We were able to discuss a #PDparty we are having on December 16 and plan it in person. Other members learned how to make a GHO on air and other tricks.
So, my #pearlofwisdom is blending twitter and conferences is the way to go. It helps keep the energy alive and the ideas following. It also gives you access to help who were at the conference and may not live near you. Using technology to move your own learning forward it just one of the many benefits of tech. How do you blended technology with another resource to improve your learning?
