After taking part in a webinar offered by ASCD entitled the New Teacher's Toolkit, I embraced the advice offered by presenter Lisa M. Dabbs and began building my PLN. I joined twitter, which up until that point I had believed to be populated only by celebrities and their rabid fan base, and have made connections with some incredibly talented and passionate educators from across the globe. One of the fantastic things about twitter is the constant chances for some really great PD. One thing I have found and strongly believe in as I have embarked on this educational journey is that you never stop learning, and any opportunity to increase your knowledge base or personal world as I call it, is a real positive.
This weekend is the Reform Symposium, or RSCON3, taking place from Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31. It is a huge global online conference for everyone concerned with education, with more than 75 presentations and 12 keynote speakers. I am very excited to be taking part in such a wonderful event and learning "alongside" educators from all around the globe!
So far this morning I have participated in two presentations:
It's Personal: From Differentiating Instruction to Customizing Learning with John T. Spencer of educationrethink.com and Using Drama in the ESL Classroom with Faisal Shamali
Both presentations were very interesting with some great take away ideas, especially in John Spencer's presentation about getting students to take on responsibility for their own learning and holding a greater stake in the development of their education. He talked a bit about project based learning and giving the students the freedom to be creative in how they express their understanding of a subject, which I love.
I will continue to write about the presentations I tune into this weekend, and I am looking forward to more of this 21st century learning event for educators!
So proud of your efforts to support yourself to becoming a true 21st century educator! Many thanks for the mentions...Cheers!
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