This is my #cenz14 reflective post. The starter kete has given me some prompts to write to:
How has your PLN grown?
- It has actually surprised me...I had never seen the power of Twitter before, and even when starting out this month I wasn't so sure. I (re)joined Twitter just as my wife and I headed to uLearn. On our road trip up (we left on the Friday prior to uLearn) she was giving me grief as I had 3 followers on Twitter, and wasn't really taking part in anything online. Before arriving in Rotorua I had taken part in a TeachMeetNZ session (loved @kasseylee11's session on Minecraft), joined the book club for the Key Comps for the Future, and had found a wealth of info about uLearn. By the time uLearn finished I had made new connections, been invited to a school (which I followed up in Week 2 of the new term), and had collated/curated a wealth of blog links/tweets to mull over. Now i'm following 79, and have 51 following me. I've used Twitter to arrange a school visit, and to engage a writing group with Kidsechatnz
Which tools do I like?
- Twitter, as mentioned above. This tool seems to be a great portal to further learning. My Blog...I've only just started posting, but it seems to be a great way to shape some of my thinking. VLN...I really only used this in the past to gather ideas, and solve technical issues (iPads)...but I can see the wealth within the site now. Pond...this was the surprise one. I hadn't seen or used it before...and after first logging in spent many hours cruising around, some fantastic ideas for learning!
Are there any communities you want to delve further into?
- VLN, I need to start to add my voice, ask my questions, and share my ideas here. Also further use of Twitter, especially engaging in some of the rich chats like #edchatnz
Do you have a hobby or interest that you could see yourself using your connected educator skills to get deeper into?
- Something I knew nothing about, but now can't stop reading about, is coding/robotoics. It started with a tweet from +Stephen Lethbridge about his new Kano build it yourself computer. I had no idea what it was, but after furiously researching...I decided it was awesome! This led to Hour of Code blogs, Code.org, Hopscotch App...and looking into Romo the robot and Lego Mindstorm! I talked to my wife about the coding, and she did some of the code.org work with her New Entrants for Position and Orientation, and the kids loved it.
Did you discover anything about your journey as a connected educator that surprised you?
- How un-connected I was. I'm relatively tech-savvy, worked with the Google environment for awhile now, and considered myself to be 'well read' professionally (certainly within my school). But how wrong I was...Twitter has really opened my eyes, and given me access to 'in the moment' readings/thoughts/ideas from leading educators. I can really see the potential of being connected, and the world it has opened up.
The challenge to myself now is to carry it on. The Connected Educator Month has allowed me to challenge myself and the way that I work for 31 days, but I can't drop the ball now. I've promoted it at school, and the ongoing use via #edchatnz and #kidsedchatnz should hopefully make me keep on keeping on.
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