The pandemic gave rise to a professional development shift. Instead of having large conferences in which people traveled, many educator conferences moved to an online format. Bringing people together from around the world without traveling has allowed teachers to explore the world of educational technology and instructional strategies in a new way - from the convenience of their own homes. While I am excited to get back to convention center hopping in the future, I have loved the flexibility digital conferences have offered. This past year, I have attended conferences in places like Texas and Minnesota, places that I would never travel to just for professional learning because of cost and time. The on-demand nature created by this modality of learning has expanded my knowledge in the areas of educational technology, blended learning, and instructional strategies while challenging me to rethink adult learning and professional development structure altogether. So what's been learned?
Always be prepared to adapt.
In March 2020, I was supposed to attend the Midwest Google Summit in Wisconsin. Having attended that conference before, I knew it was worth the 90-minute drive and would be a collaborative trip for my fellow instructional coaches. This conference was canceled right around the initial shutdown of the pandemic, but quickly mini-conferences and related information began to fill my inbox. Many educators innovated and found creative ways to replicate or recreate that conference experience using Zoom, Google Meet, and other digital platforms to share live and recorded information. Throughout the next school year, my instructional coach friends and I even attended a few together, creating a backchannel to connect, reflect, and digitally hop to the best "room" or livestream going at the time. Through these experiences, we learned flexibility both as attendees who sometimes had to mute our cameras to get work done while listening into a session and as presenters who sometimes had to record our presentations to no audiences to be later accessed by the information educators on-demand. This test of flexibility reminded us of the importance of our content and the connections we make to others - even if it is an afterthought or reaction posted later on social media.
Two times speed really can save a significant amount of time.
My husband has listened to podcasts on two-times speed for some time. While chasing three small children around, it has been the only way for him to listen to a few of his favorite podcasts. Time is precious. I had always scoffed at this practice until I was forced to teach Intro to Communication in a remote format. With low-bandwidths and computers without cameras, the only way to grade speeches was having students prerecord them and upload them to Flipgrid. Watching five sections of speech videos (three at the high school and two at the community college) is time-consuming, but cutting that time in half could allow me to efficiently give important and specific feedback to my students that they deserved. Suddenly, I noticed that my habit of listening to YouTube videos, podcasts, and student work at a normal speed felt unnatural. The same feeling extended to conferences, particularly my favorite conference of the year - IDEACon.
This past year, IDEACon (the Illinois Digital Educators Association Annual Conference) joined forces with TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) to deliver a joint digital conference. This conference meant that I had twice the on-demand videos to choose from, and I wasn't limited to four timeslots. I could essentially watch all the videos I wanted and decided when I wanted to press play. I selected pace and place, which allowed me to watch over twenty sessions over a few weeks instead of only seeing a handful of sessions in a single day. The digital conference format made blended learning possible in the professional development world. It allowed me to learn from a broader group of educators I might not have been fortunate to encounter in a more traditional format. Using the two-times speed also allowed me to rewatch and find key tidbits of information from my favorite presentations, too.
Participate in supplemental or "slow chats" to continue the connections beyond the PD experience.
An on-demand presentation I attended earlier in the pandemic included a hashtag for a supplemental or "slow chat" This hashtag was promoted throughout the session and was accompanied by questions that encouraged attendees to share and reflect. This slow chat creates a space where participants could interact with the presenters and the other attendees. This interaction and opportunity to engage with others is powerful. The biggest drawback that I see with online and asynchronous PD is missing the conversations with others. Utilizing social media to converse and connect makes learning extend beyond the single experience. With my latest PD session, Blended and Beyond, I am using the hashtag to engage with my attendees of an asynchronous conference. If you've something to share about blended learning, use the hashtag - #blendedandbeyond21. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Being able to attend multiple conferences and PD experience on a broader level opens people's eyes to different teaching styles.
Attending different conferences throughout the past year and more has exposed me to different learning styles and philosophies that I would not have seen had I only had access to face-to-face professional development. Other school districts and regions of the country have unique focuses that have opened my eyes to what teaching could look like if I shifted my thinking. In my experience, I have seen new tech tools, learning management systems, and even approaches to instruction within a traditional classroom. Even the unique style of a presenter can lead to a new insight or nugget of knowledge to apply to our classrooms.
There's always something new to learn.
Whether it is simply a presentation strategy, a new tool, or a complete overhaul of your teaching philosophy, there is always something new to learn. As teachers, our profession is always evolving, and our students are ever-changing. To meet their needs, we need to continue to grow ourselves. Professional development on a digital platform opens new doors and makes learning more accessible. This format also allows for more opportunities that are consumed on our schedules and time frame. Without leaving our couches, we can learn from the best and brightest educators. In turn, we can sign up to share our insights by creating our own videos and resources to share. We are a community, and we cannot learn in a vacuum. While I am excited to return to face-to-face learning and seeing my edu-friends in person, I am grateful for the subset of professional learning that has been born out of the pandemic. Let the learning continue!
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