Brand New Day of Learning in C21 – Are Cohorts the way forward?

As a traveller, I once made a deal with myself. I would forever absolve myself of the guilt from not writing out  many of the thoughts and ideas that I wished I had taken time to reflect on in long form, and especially at the moment that I desired to write about something new. The need to chronicle my own cognitive back catalogue should never limit my ability to move on.

I would be remiss if I overlooked how different this year’s cohort feels to me. The difference, I assume, is mostly within me, since this year’s cohortees are as similarly diverse as last year’s cohortees. But things are clicking differently for me —  understanding the ability of Diigo to support not only sharing of resources with others but also my own gathering / sorting / grouping of my own web life, for example — and I can see much more of the intention behind Cohort21 itself.

My action plan last year looked at ways to find out how a school is integrating technology into its curricular program and school life, the “Technology Program” itself. This year, I would like to investigate models of integration in a school (e.g. 1:1, BYOD, labs and carts) as the intentional result of thought-out pedagogy, evidence-based research and strategic planning.

More broadly and even more importantly, I would like to learn about models of professional development. Are PD sessions and workshops most effective? As Justin asks, should we be learning about 21st century skills using 20th century instructional strategies? Are PLNs, PLCs TLCPs the way forward? How do you build structure into the organic? What is the relationship between innovation and improvement? Whole school minimum expectations vs. pockets of teachers engaging in professional inquiry?

It’s great to be part of such a curious, supportive group of teachers.