Walking the Talk: My Professional Learning Plan

Professional Learning Plan on Prezi

What were some of the online resources that you found that were really helpful? If so what were they and how were they helpful?

-PREZI: I was just thinking that PowerPoint presentations, while useful, have become increasingly "outdated" and fairly stagnant when compared to many of the apps students use on their phones or computers. Prezi increases interest with panning, zooming, and more interesting transitions while also allowing everything to be viewed on one large screen so that viewers can quickly see the connections.

-JING: I had never heard of this before, so I became curious quickly when many of our tasks said "you can Jing it". What a WONDERFUL tool! Not only did I use it for my opening introduction, but I also relied on Jing when I made my Implementation report for Wicked, AND used it to help create our Group Leadership project! I would have truly LOVED to use it in conjunction with my Prezi for the final Wicked presentation, but unfortunately my complete lack of a voice (I can squeak, but that's about it) made that less plausible. When my voice recovers, I may pull my Wicked Prezi back out, as well as my scripted presentation, and Jing it. So far I've only used Jing with PowerPoint, so I'm really looking forward to utilizing it with Prezi.

-WIX: I've been relying on Weebly since I first learned about it, but I've never liked it whole-heartedly. I prefer Google sites, which is far less buggy and easy to "pop into" since I already have a google account and can get there from Gmail. Wix is like a whole new WORLD! Not only does it have a very logical interface (very user friendly, if you click on something, it let's you edit it, etc.), but it also has a wealth of clip art, photos, sound clips, etc. that you can utilize. AND the various templates are OUTSTANDING! They look very professional and include all the components needed for a variety of web-based businesses, etc. Yet, anyone can choose a template and then modify it to suit his/her own needs. I began a site for my husband, who is a chef, and who would like to do some consulting work (on menus, food costing, large event planning, etc.). It's not finished yet, but so far it is much more refined that the Google site page I'd started for him a while back! :) www.wix.com/chefljdavis/chefdavis

Did you find any other online communities that could provide resourceful information? If so what were they and how were they helpful?

YES. I joined Classroom 2.0 and I now receive e-newsletters daily with various tech topics, upcoming events of interest, etc. However, I have to admit that the most useful online community I have learned recently is Twitter. I now follow various professors/administrators from our MAET program, as well as WIRED magazine, Karl Gude (who gave the Data Visualization presentation used in this course), and some TEDx tweets. Speaking of TEDx, I recently was discussing it with Abbie and we both were saying just how stimulating the TEDx talks usually are. I hadn't heard of TEDx until I started taking MAET courses and now I am incredibly eager to attend one of these sessions!! I posted a TEDx link in a different discussion forum (Data Visualization, I think?). The talk was by an Egyptian man who works for Google and was involved in the recent uprising there. He shared how Web 2.0 technologies enabled the citizenry to realize that they weren't alone in their frustrations and then also allowed them to freely communicate and tweak their protest plans on a massive scale. Facebook, Skype, e-mail, Twitter... all of these tools (and others) truly EMPOWERED the people. If only our District could realize just how powerful (and empowering) it can be to put these technologies into students' hands and then to teach them safe & proper use. If only, if only... Perhaps Abbie & I will find an effective way to change the board's mind on this. We will see!

What strategies were helpful for trying to learn a new technology?

-Viewing Online Tutorials: These work well for me because I can watch and re-watch as needed, pause, rewind, etc.

-Looking at Examples: Seeing the way something works (and how someone else has done it) always helps give me ideas and sometimes allows me to realize that a tool has far more options/potential than I ever knew
-Reading a Guide Document: Following step-by-step procedures come in handy, as well. Again, I can go back over things or stop when needed.

-"Blind" Tinkering: When I learn a new tech device, I usually like to play around with it for a little while before I resort to reading the rule book or watching the tutorial. While this is a fun way to just "dive in", it can result in missing out on certain features, etc. It's best for me to do a mix of these things to learn a new technology

How does working with others (versus working alone) support you in your own learning?

Working with others supports my learning immensely! I tend to be very social, so I like to have discussions about topics to reason through things with classmates. Having Abbie in this course with me was WONDERFUL. We would discuss course content at lunch time or meet up to talk during her prep or mine, etc. Being able to share our takes on things and hear someone else's understandings can enhance learning substantially.

How will you use this experience to support your own lifelong learning of technology?

-My experience in CEP 812 has already had a profound impact on me. This has been one of the most difficult semesters of my life (both due to course content and my own various issues), but I feel as though I have come out of this class with an abundance of "arrows" in my educational technology "quiver". One HUGE impactful moment came in watching the Data Visualization presentation (TEDx: Karl Gude). What he said resonated with me greatly, as I am someone who tends to be wordy with everything: e-mails, worksheets, discussion posts... What he said about saying a lot more with a lot less, being "text light", etc. has inspired me to strive for that. My Personal Learning Plan ("More Walk, Less Talk") is an attempt to adhere to this "text lightness" and seek to say more with less words. While it was certainly a challenge to keep my words to a minimum, the end result is much more visually stimulating and less daunting to take in. I hope to continue with this "more walk, less talk" way of presenting things and am already seeking out better ways to use visualization in my classroom (with sites such as Mind42 and Bubbl.us, for example). Another way I will continue to learn is through my Twitter feed. By following more tech specialists, theorists, etc., I am already getting more informative and educational tweets than I was when I was simply following Ashton Kutcher and J-Lo. :) I want to keep finding more intellectuals to follow on Twitter so that I can quickly "feed my brain" just by clicking on my twitter app.

-Our experience with our Wicked Problem Project was a major learning experience. By getting caught up in red tape, we were able to realize just how debilitating district policies and restrictions can be--for teachers and students alike! To continue being a role model for learning and pursuing higher knowledge of tech, I (along with Abbie) want to keep churning out new techy things that pique the interest of students and staff alike (e.g. my Weebly page with Google Calendar embedded).

I also want to assist other staff members (especially technophobes) with becoming more comfortable with educational technology so that they might better serve the "digital natives" that enter their door every day.

Thank you for reading,
w.