Nocking the Arrow

After three failed attempts at using Twitter for professional learning, I finally got the gist of it. Rather, I found a tweeting system that worked for me while supporting a growing professional learning network. Nearly five years ago, I was approached by a colleague who appreciated my growth in the microblogging realm of Twitter. He suggested that I try blogging to deepen my learning through writing, there are times when 140 characters just aren't enough. Two hundred posts later, me and " Nocking the Arrow " are still here! I have long believed in the heutagogical  powers of learning portfolios. I was helping students develop digital portfolios before the cloud became an ideal option as a repository of learning artifacts. Students created a file structure containing artifacts representing their learning journey, they burned their summative projects to compact disc. While colleagues were building their digital presence and professional portfolios using Google Sites...

"I believe that using technology, as a tool, to be able to share best practices, to make thinking and learning visible to ourselves and others, is the key to transforming teaching and learning." -  Silvia Tolisano Recently, I overheard a few of my colleagues debating the merits of Twitter as a tool for learning. Never one to avoid a discussion about Twitter, I uncharacteristically held my tongue as the group turned to look, fully expecting me, " The School Twitter Guy ", to jump into the fray. As the water-cooler conversation continued, I thought about the different ways I use Twitter for personal learning. One of my favorite, and unconventional, ways of using Twitter is for social bookmarking . I quickly skimmed through my tagged tweets to locate a link to this game-changing post shared by Silvia Tolisano, " The 3 Stages of Documentation OF/FOR/AS Learning " .  Studying infographics on Langwitches Blog , it becomes clearer how a tool, such as Twi...

"Fragmentation of information requires that we weave together elements into some coherent framework."  -  George Siemens At a recent teachers' workshop, I asked the attendees to shout out their favorite digital learning tool. " YouTube !", " Pinterest !", " Twitter ," Google Plus !", " Flipboard !". The answers kept coming. I then asked people to stand up if they used three or more of the shouted responses. With half the attendees standing, scattered throughout the room, I asked them to huddle up with me in the middle. The purpose of this activity was to demonstrate George Siemens concept connected learning centers (CLCs). The Internet and learning networks allow us to access information and resources from a variety of places. Knowledge attained from a variety of information sources is fragmented. Modern learners create centers to add coherence and meaning to information. These centers are simultaneously social and technic...

Reinforcing suggestions from favored PLN ( personal learning network ) contributors, A.J. Juliani , Silvia Tolisano , and Jackie Gerstein , one challenge for the coming year becomes clear; learners regardless of age or status, should find ways to contribute to the worldwide classroom . The Internet, and the unlimited accessibility to information means that our traditional concept of classroom must change. Modern learning spaces are built upon networks sharing knowledge and experiences. Thriving in these new learning spaces means being able to connect, curate, communicate, create, and contribute. The value of a learning network depends upon contributions from its members. Today, educational thought leaders are those people making consistent and impacting contributions to their learning networks. " It is more blessed to give than to receive. " Now, more than any other time in the past 100 years, education seems on the verge of a paradigm shift. You see, for the past c...

At this time, some educators have a growing awareness of, and experience with, the personalized learning benefits of blogging. Increased relevancy, digital literacy, and conscientious effort for authentic audiences, are just three of many learning advantages that blogging can provide. Among the most powerful reasons for blogging is the opportunity to engage with communities of learners through social networks. Whether it's in the classroom, or as part of a learning community, cultivating relationships through social connection takes communication from merely the exchange of information to building empathy, understanding, and collaboration. One way to initiate and cultivate a learning relationship is by commenting on other educators' writing. Additionally, responding to comments is not only a nice thing to do, it also perpetuates the learning conversation and relationship. Social media tools such as Twitter, Blogger, and Google+ form the foundation of my personal l...

Personally and professionally speaking, I am reborn as a result of finding purpose and focus with my informal learning. Interactions with my personal learning network (PLN) made me realize that my informal learning time was more relevant and authentic than what I had experienced in the classroom, or through forced professional development offerings. My interest and research in heutagogy and life-wide learning clarified two important revelations.   First, I have been associated with schools and education nearly my entire life, yet I don’t recall anyone taking extended time to help me learn how to learn .   Second, this graphic provided by the US Department of Education alerted me to the fact that we spend two-thirds of our life, and sometimes more, learning informally. These two revelations combined with my own recently found informal learning experiences made me take pause and ask... “OMG! If we aren’t feeding our students with the passions and the skills ...