Applied Practice in Context - Activity 5

My Professional Community

Two professional connections from the above map that have impacted on my practice are Twitter and EduCamps.  

Twitter

I was introduced to Twitter prior to attending the uLearn conference in 2012 and received a further push by Anne Kenneally who was running one of the breakout sessions that I was attending.  Initially I was unsure why and what I needed Twitter for, then slowly the ball started to roll and as it gathered momentum, I realised the power of Twitter and wondered why it had taken me so long to get on board.

Twitter has enabled me to create and follow my own personalised learning journey - switching paths and exploring new territory when I felt the need to step outside my 'knowledge zone' - or as Wenger suggests, 'community of knowledge'.   Through Twitter, I have been able to ask for support and be part on online discussions which have been difficult when limited to 140 characters at a time!                                           Source

One of the added bonuses of Twitter is that it has gone beyond an online connection with a broad range of people involved in education in many different capacities.   Through Twitter, I have made some life long friends - some that I have met face-to-face and others that I'm sure that I will meet in the future.  These professional connections have now merged with my personal life - across disciplines.

EduCamps

In 2013, I read about an eduCamp that was planned for late February in Rotorua.   I was interested in attending this event however to get there, I did something that I would discourage my own children from ever doing.  At 6:30am on a Saturday morning, I found myself in the vehicle with people whom I had never met before - on my way to EduCamp Rotorua.  Well, I say never met, but that's a lie.  Although I had never met them face-to-face, I had known them for a few months via Twitter.  The conversation flow all the way down State Highway 1 and by the time we reached our destination, we agreed that the ideas shared on that two hour drive were up there with the best PD that we had every experienced.

EduCamp itself was mind blowing.   Other educators like myself, giving up their Saturday to share and learn from each other.   Each educator presented a two minute 'smackdown', then if the demand was sufficient, they would facilitate a workshop in the afternoon.  At that stage, I was interested in learning more about technology and how it can be used to support learners.   The discussions on that Saturday were predominantly technology-based, but there were also some 'smackdowns' on learning ideas for literacy and maths.

I have since attended three other EduCamps in Auckland, and will be returning to Rotorua next weekend for another.  It's not just the sharing of ideas, but also the discussions that evolve over the day.  These discussions have opened up new doors of interest for me that have provided a greater understanding of how I can support today's learners.   My professional learning network expands as a result of attending an EduCamp and we continue our conversations long after the event ends.