Nocking the Arrow

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...

This post was inspired by two of my giants,   Tom Whitby & Steven W. Anderson "Relevancy includes not only skills educators need to use, but educators are also charged to teach these same skills to their students. Digital literacy is now an integral part of education for teaching and learning, going beyond the application in an education setting to that of the world of work. Strategies and methodologies used for collaborative learning in education are easily carried over to the world of work, enabling lifelong learning to become more than just words in a school's mission statement." - The Relevant Educator What used to constitute relevancy in education was confined to the pages of a textbook, the walls of a classroom, and the words of a teacher. However, today relevancy in education is learning empowered through connectedness. Connectedness and digital literacies create limitless availability to information, diversity in perspective, and access to gia...

Flickr CC image - PLN Last weekend, after enjoying  Joe Morelock's  keynote about the facing the challenges of rapid change in education, I shared my thoughts on personalized professional development with a group of about twenty eager educators. Midway through our session I made the mistake of asking the group, "What is your favorite activity, or tool, for engaging with your PLN?" A few averted pairs of eyes, a few puzzled looks, and a few others choosing to be distracted with mobile electronics (wait time...), and then courageously, Anna asked, "What's a PLN?" "Hold the phones! Stop the presses! What is a PLN? ", I let the question simmer for a few moments. I swiped back to my previous slide, and a few participants took their turns at defining a personal learning network, along with how they personally interacted with their own learning communities. "After learning a bit more about PLNs , how many of you regularly engage w...