edna.edu.au

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together

 Image: Teamwork Puzzle  By: Luxmart

I'm really interested in how we can work smarter by helping each other out.  I think a key way that we can do this is by explaining what we are all about in the short and long term.  If I know you're interested in solving a particular problem or learning about a specific topic then I can try to help you achieve your goal. 

What is your role in education?

Having both studied and worked as both Primary Educator and Adult Educator.  For the past couple of years I have been using Social Networking and Personal Learning Networks to enhance my teaching practice.  I work three days at a school for kids with emotional disturbances and intellectual disabilties.  I work one day a week for me.edu.au.  I think my role in primary education is to encourage students to take advantage of anything (particularly technology) that helps them achieve their potential.  I think in adult education/professional development my role is to encourage teachers to document their process and share, I believe in this way we as teachers can become an active participant in shaping the educational lanscape in which we work.

What special skills do you have?

• Video editing - I've made instructional videos for my work at me.edu.au both of teachers ICT practice and also how to vids such as this one for me.edu.au.
  
• Networking - from people at Google, to IT Guru's, to other teachers who are blogging, to Aboriginal Non-Profit organisations I have made friends, helped and been helped over my life. 
• I can find and reuse (good) creative commons content to make videos and other resources.
  

What kind of problems are you trying to solve?

I'm trying to work out better ways that we can use our limited time to collaborate in productive ways.  I think collaboration brings with a significant change in the way we think and plan.  Once you start building digital repositries of information you need to start thinking about how you'll reuse this info the next year.  You can't just repeat the same lesson plan year after year, it doesn't make sense.  The assessment is also different, you need to have an idea of the types of contributions you are expecting but not necessarily the content.   I think Sue Wyatt has started something along these lines with Student Friends, it's an opportunity for kids to control the conversation and to build on it year on year.

What help do you need?

I'm trying to find teachers who are blogging about their classroom practice or creating class blogs with their kids.  I'm also interested in what people think are the barriers to collaboration both in the classroom and within personal learning networks.  If you can contribute to my learning add articles, thoughts or ideas to the comments section of my blog.

Your turn

Let me know who you are and what you need help with and I'll try to send things (or people) your way.

Tags: teamwork professional development collaboration macict
Posted at 01:28PM Feb 15, 2009 by Concetta Gotlieb  |  Comments[1]