Today’s educators have a plethora of treasure chests to deepen their professional prowess. Here are three gems worth exploring as you journey deeper into your practice.
I spent countless hours, as a teenager, lurking through the Amazon rainforest searching for idols of demigods; pressing my way through the dark and dank caves of Tulum terrified of bats, snakes, and the unknown; or leaping across the rooftops of ancient Kyushu temples in death-defying Samurai battles. Every Choose Your Own Adventure ® (CYOA) text always started the same way: “You and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens in this story. The adventures you take are a result of your choice…” Entrenched in endless possibilities was savory and empowering. Regardless of what decision I made, I knew it got me closer to a new discovery about not just the characters driving the story--but about what I valued about myself in navigating new worlds beyond my being. In the education profession, there are just as many paths, or more, to personal enlightenment and growth. The education landscape is on the same pace as the Fast and Furious franchise. Emerging technologies, pedagogy, and practices are hitting our PLNs at lightning speeds. Unless you are glued to your IG, Twitter, and FB group feeds on a second by second basis, you are likely to miss something. Understandably, when you are leading a classroom or host of classrooms on a daily basis, it’s hard to stay adept and lucid unless you are tapped into a few reservoirs that yield incredible magic and wonderment. CYOA #1: Twitter Chats After the dinner dishes are done and you have put the kiddos to bed, Twitter Chats are a great space to explore the question: “Am I the only one with this issue…?” Twitter Chats are potent like expresso because you are learning, collaborating, and diagnosing the challenges in real-time among scores of professionals who are in the trenches with you. Hashing out ideas, curiosities, and frustrations in these friendly and resourceful spaces makes growing your peer group and network, worthwhile. Additionally, you are able to directly connect with #Edugladiators like @basilmarin, @philechols, @coolcatteacher, @krista_leh who are blazing the education trails. If you are looking for communities of practice in ASCD, hip hop ed, education leadership, ed tech, student voice, and so on and so forth--all you need to do is check out #EducationChats and find a chat that meets your schedule and needs, and a community that will welcome you with a warm hug. CYOA #2: Podcasts My day kicks off at 4:25 a.m. when I wake up. At 5 a.m., I am warming up at my local YMCA with stretching and a Podcast conversation. As a proud member of #FitLeaders, I welcome a hearty deadlift with some #BecomeBetter, #EdTalkLive, #ExtraordinaryEducator, #TheGoogleTribe, The Ten Minute Teacher, #TedTalks, and some #SuperSoulSunday. While I am working on perfect squat and deadlift form, I am consuming content that will become an inspiration to professional development workshops, grade level PLC share and cares, and digital media weekly e-blasts. You can enjoy the richness of Podcasts on a walk when you need to drown out that annoying friend or loved one (HA!), or in the comfort of your local coffee shop. In recent years, I have found it more restorative and calming to listen to Podcasts on my drive to and from places. I have found many podcasts hosts to be entertaining, incredibly informed, and on the pulse of today’s education reform, which makes my learning curve more worthwhile. CYOA #3: MOOCs & eLearning Conferences & Summits Lifelong Learners are always scouring the digital world to locate new content they can utilize in honing their craft. MOOCs, also known as Massive Open Online Courses, are professional learning juggernauts. If you are self-motivated and inspired to take learning into your own hands, I believe you should check out Coursera, the Friday Institute, and EDx. You could easily find yourself enrolled in free or really inexpensive self-driven courses like Social Emotional Learning for Educators, Fractions for Elementary Teachers, Artificial Intelligence, and Python. When you have completed a course, you get a stunning certificate that you can add to your LinkedIn profile or your home office. eLearning Conferences & Summits are emerging as flexible yet meaningful learning experiences that place the power of professional growth in your hands. Organizations are adapting their learning platforms and convenings so that access to content can support rural educators in the mountains of India and Africa, homeschool educators in urban and suburban metropolitan cities and towns, and even preservice teachers in global universities and colleges. Scholars, researchers, community leaders, and top education experts offer insight into virtual spaces where participants are able to engage and network directly. Videos, presentations, tools, and more are generally curated for future use and is free for all. When your budget is tight or non-existent, I venture to these, happily, as part of my learning continuum. If eLearning is your way to go, I would recommend you calendaring Edweek, Share My Lesson Virtual Conference, #DitchSummit, Stroebel Education, and the #HiveSummit among tens of hundreds of others. Oprah Winfrey, Sir Ken Robinson, Dr. Pedro Noguera, Dr. Rosa Perez-Isiah, and Bill Gates all dedicate at least 5 or more hours of their incredibly busy schedules to intentional learning. Each, successful beyond our comprehension, has found power in sharpening their saw by learning from others around them. When we chose this path, we also made a commitment to navigating the curves and edges of a challenging learning landscape. In this great and mighty work we take on each day, we are never alone. If we choose to accept the challenge, we may find ourselves wholeheartedly enjoying the connection of hundreds to thousands of other adventure-seekers venturing into spaces they’ve never been before for the betterment of a happier and healthier whole child. Post also published on: https://shwca.se/facilitating-professional-learning
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COVID-19 is scary, and ugly, and reshaping how we move and connect in the world right now. But it is also teaching me to be grateful in the midst of this mess.
This Easter morning I am starting in gratitude and prayer for I have so many things to be thankful for. I sat with a hot cup of coffee and God beaming in my spirit lifting before my eyes the small things that have shown up for me during this time. I have 💛 in and around me. I am well in mind, body, and spirit. I live without artificial assistance. I have enough 💵 to make choices. God is real. God has shown up and shown out thousands of times in my life. God is showing us that there are millions of people ( doctors, nurses, cashiers, service workers, law enforcement, clergy, and volunteers) who are hopeful and filled with 💛 that are on the front lines for us today. They are braver than I am and are standing in the gap for so many of us. Each and every time anxiety rolls up on you... Each and every time you get frustrated with not being able to live your daily routine..... Each and every time you get disillusioned... Stop. Breathe. Collect yourself. write down, call out. sign 👌 out what you still have or are able to do or who is doing it for you because you have the privilege... We are blessed beyond measure to have this time to decipher what is real, what is necessary, and what we really have when we open ourselves up to the truth. My prayers go out to the hundreds of millions of us who are afflicted physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually by COVID-19. My prayers are coupled with hope. Hope we recognize Light and Love in the midst of the shadows of fear and despair. Our God continues to show up. And it is our choice to choose to see it. Strangely enough, we have been here before...but it was called 9-11, Trayvon Martin, the Holocaust, Jim Crow, the Potato Famine, AIDS, apartheid.... Will we realize that we are a Resilient People that have faced greater odds than this and we still experienced grace and growth? Love you all! |
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Author@craigcmartin12 #PrincipalofDOPE #FromTurnaroundtoTurnUP #LEADLap #edchat #EduColor Archives
October 2021
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