As with most courses, when I examined this course outline I was immediately overwhelmed. I was concerned about the development of a professional learning network (PLN). I have always been on social media, and I understand the technology behind twitter, blogs, etc.; however, I was extremely uncomfortable with the idea that I would contribute original content on social media. This assignment forced me out of my comfort zone, but it was extremely valuable in my professional growth and development. Prior to this assignment when I was on twitter I only used it to “lurk” and look for good ideas that I could implement in my class. Dr. Kirk asked us to push ourselves past where we were currently on social media as tool for professional networking. This meant I needed to contribute. The first few times I engaged in conversations with other educators and shared my ideas, it was unnerving. However, after a while I realized how invaluable the process was. By sharing my ideas with other educators, I was receiving real time feedback from experts in the field of educational technology, assessment, and a variety of other fields. It was also valuable in that it forced me to self reflect. When I am contributing my ideas through social media, I am constantly evaluating if I am really doing the things I am saying. This is good, to ensure that my practices match my beliefs and values about what education. Today I am still active with social media, and I have encouraged many of my colleagues to develop their own PLN to further their own professional development. My PLN is the most sustainable takeaway from my 11 graduate level courses. I will continue to develop and refine my PLN long after I have completed my requirements for Master’s degree.
One of the more practical takeaways for me from this course was Dr.Kirk’s statement that she wanted us to find our own way in the learning. This resonated with me through the rest of my courses. If I became frustrated with an assignment, or was unsure of what was expected, I worked to try and make the assignment valuable for me. Aside from that I enjoyed Dr.Kirk’s style. She knew the main idea of concept that she wanted us to achieve, but she was flexible in how we got there and demonstrated our achievements. This is something that I have worked hard to try to achieve in my own practice as a classroom teacher. Following Dr.Kirk’s advice I decided to make the learning work for me in this course. I decided to focus the majority of my course work on leadership through mobile technology. My school was currently in the initial phases of our 1:1 rollout, so focusing on this topic made the course work practical for me. I was able to develop a theoretical foundation for the changes that I would need to make in order to maximize the effectiveness of this enhanced level of technology.
Aside from the course work, this was the first graduate course that I took with my school’s principal. This created an interesting dynamic for me, as there is obviously a power differential between he and I. This was more than a little intimidating for me in the beginning. When I was contributing to class discussion, there were times when I would wonder what he was thinking, or I was concerned that he might be offended if I said something that maybe he didn't agree with. Although we have a good relationship, the fact that he is my immediate supervisor, and has many years of experience in educational leadership definitely was a struggle for me in the beginning. As the course went on I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to lead through constructive dialogue with my principal not only about our course work, but applications of course work in our school. This confidence prompted me to take on a leadership role within our school even though I was not in a position of formal authority.
Aside from the course work, this was the first graduate course that I took with my school’s principal. This created an interesting dynamic for me, as there is obviously a power differential between he and I. This was more than a little intimidating for me in the beginning. When I was contributing to class discussion, there were times when I would wonder what he was thinking, or I was concerned that he might be offended if I said something that maybe he didn't agree with. Although we have a good relationship, the fact that he is my immediate supervisor, and has many years of experience in educational leadership definitely was a struggle for me in the beginning. As the course went on I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to lead through constructive dialogue with my principal not only about our course work, but applications of course work in our school. This confidence prompted me to take on a leadership role within our school even though I was not in a position of formal authority.
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