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Which ball do I chase? Which lane is mine?
Cohort21’s first face2face session was an absolute smorgasbord of interesting educators, ideas, tech tools, tasty nibbles and actual CANDY, no less. In this melange of inspiring energy, professional engagement, tech competence and in some cases, tech mastery, I did my best to keep up. Keep up, I did not. But I consoled myself that I would somehow figure these things out later at home. I wonder how many of my students have had those same thoughts as we charged through lessons on Adobe Premiere and Photoshop in art class?
Twitter, Kahoot, WordPress and Google+ are more or less coming into focus. I got my tweet deck set up, just in time to try to catch the Cohort21 TGV Twitter Chat Express as it moved at lightning speed! Actually, ‘catch’ isn’t quite the right word. By the time I was ready to tweet something, the conversation had long ago moved on to another question. I wonder how many of my students thoughtfully prepare an answer only to find we are no longer on that topic.
Importantly, I am excited and engaged by the Cohort21 people, process and experience to date, social media rookie status notwithstanding. As famous runner and writer John “The Penguin” Bingham wrote, “The miracle isn’t that I finished, but that I had the courage to start.” I do feel pretty courageous, actually. I like the high wire act of trying out new things in the classroom even when I am uncertain of the outcome, whether I am a teacher or student. Although, as a student I like risk a great deal more when there is no looming assessment. My students probably feel the same way.
Questions remain: How can I drill deep if there is so much opportunity for breadth on offer? What in the world am I going to do with Diigo?
Robin,
What a great and honest post face to face reflection. I can offer you some solace in knowing that the “tools’ portion is behind us and we spend the rest of the year getting to know them and using them to connect with one another. The new Cohort 21 badges hopefully will make this process achievable and fun. You are right where you need to be 🙂
Thanks! I appreciate your kind words of encouragement. If I am right where I need to be its time to take a new risk! Getting ready.
Hey Robin, Great reflection on the first F2F! I love the part of students crafting a great response only to have the class move on… These experiences are a great way for us to be put in the shoes of our learners so we can more effective educators.
You’re surrounded by great people who want nothing but success for you. Don’t be afraid to lean on those in your Home Group and the Alumni from your school.
I love Diigo, and I am happy to brainstorm ideas on how it can be effective for you. That said, there are 4 tools and it’s hard to be using all of them effectively in the beginning. Take it one step at a time and know that you’ve got a safety net around you to keep out of the water…so to speak.
Thanks Derek. When I received my first notification from Diigo with a variety of annotated articles I immediately understood its potential. Looking forward to talking further with you, perhaps at the next f2F.
Or perhaps at Wednesday’s Hangout – we’re aiming for 7:30pm and the goal is talk about the toolkit and where you see it taking you. Hope to see you there! Check the C21 G+ Community for the link
Hi Robin,
I would add to Derek and Justin’s post with my anaology for Twitter: it’s like a waterfall, and when you’re thirsty you just dip your cup in.
That’s what Cohort 21 can be for you; however, you would be dipping your cup into certain ‘flavour’ of water (to extend the analogy!).
Our next F2F is all about the Action Plan, so you’ll be well supported in determining your next risk!
See you soon,
garth.