Making Sense of the Firehose
Developing a personal learning network
In my journey into online and distributed learning, I have found this world to be one that is far removed from being in a brick and mortar school. Although, still in the education field, I have found that I have had to expand my existing learning network to foster my personal growth in this field. My network includes my colleagues at TLA, my cohort at VIU, those who I have met at conventions, and administrators at other DL schools. In dealing with the firehose that is distributed and online learning, I believe it is these relationships that will allow me to be standing at the end of the day. Hopefully, I will be standing refreshed and strengthened through the intial challenges and not drenched and weary from the battle.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the iNACOL conference. This was an excellent opportunity that gave me a broader perspective of the world of online learning. I was able to build connections with other teachers who were also involved in blended learning throughut North America.
It is my goal to continue to connect with others who are implementing blended learning programs. I believe that the support and sharing of ideas will only benefit all in this movement within educaiton. Pioneering a new concept can be isolating experience, and therefore, the support of peers is essential.
Within our blended learning department we have started a book club to foster discussion and the building of community between our teachers. These meetings are held via Google+ Hangouts. As our teachers come in at different points in the week, they don't necessarily build the same comradery that one may find in a brick and mortar school over lunch in the staff room. Our teachers are brought together on a monthly basis to share their reflections on the reading. Time and time again, I hear teachings saying, "I thought I was the only one" or "that has happend to me, this is how I dealt with it". The idea for this came out of our learning about deleping communities of inquiry.
Through this course, I've been sold on the ideas of connectivism and I'm working on shaping myself, my team and my students toward this direction. The idea of growth through connections to people and information in the face of the chaos. I came across a magazine article from Fast Company that really intrigued me titles "THIS IS GENERATION FLUX: MEET THE PIONEERS OF THE NEW (AND CHAOTIC) FRONTIER OF BUSINESS". The subheading is "THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IS PURE CHAOS. HERE'S HOW YOU CAN SURVIVE—AND PERHAPS EVEN THRIVE." I believe the coming stages of education within DL are going to be chaotic, so how can we survive? Although, speaking of the business world, the writer concludes that it is the not necessarily the strongest that will survive, but those who are most adaptable. The ways we have understood education to be are breaking down and vulnerable and we are faced with a great opportunity to shape the face of education collectively.
As far as online events that I attend, I have attended various webinars over the past year from various organizations. These are often helpful means of professional development. For example, I recently attended an online workshop on managing organizational change, which was provided for free by www.charityvillage.com.
