Workshop — Professional Development Through Social Media
I recently ran a workshop through Math for America titled “Professional Development Through Social Media”. The goal of the workshop was to share some of the positive professional experiences I’ve had connecting, collaborating, and engaging online, and to provide teachers with an overview of what’s out there and how they can get involved.
I was impressed with how well-attended the session was, and how engaged the participants were in reading and discussing blog posts. exploring teacher websites, perusing Twitter feeds, and discussing the opportunities for professional growth through various online communities. At least in this self-selected group, it certainly seems like the word has gotten out!
Below are links to the documents we used to stimulate exploration and discussion, including some material we were not able to cover due to time constraints. In addition, a starter list of online biology teachers has been provided at the request of one participant. Its production is, itself, a testament to the power of connectedness!
A Few Blog Posts to Read and Discuss
A Few Active Tweeters to Browse
Emerging Collaborative Resources
And all participants were encouraged to check out Exploring the MTBoS, another amazing example of the power of these collaborative and forward-thinking communities!
5 Comments
Justin Lanier · October 16, 2013 at 10:34 am
It’s fantastic to hear that your workshop was such a success, Patrick. Thanks for the shout outs and for spreading the good word about authentic professional development online!
MrHonner · October 16, 2013 at 6:44 pm
Thanks, Justin. It really was a great session, and it’s interesting to see the space, and attitudes toward it, evolve.
And it certainly was nice to be able to point participants to “Explore the MTBoS” as a place to really start building connections!
Mythagon · October 18, 2013 at 8:26 pm
I’ll echo Justin that I’m glad this was a success! How long did your session run? Did you notice the participants gravitate toward any particular type of online resource?
Thanks for the Tangent’s shout out 🙂
MrHonner · October 18, 2013 at 8:52 pm
Thanks, Ashli. The session ran about two hours, and ended up mostly focusing on blogs. I wanted teachers to read, reflect, and interact around some of the great content out there, and also get a sense of how they can find the kind of PD they are looking for.
And people were pretty amazed at this short list of collaborative endeavors happening out there. I guess we take it for granted because it’s so familiar to us!
andrew · October 19, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Thank you Mr. Honner for compiling the important links. This is really useful.