Wondering about Cohort21?

… did you recently sign up to be part of this year’s Cohort21 group? Are you considering registering, but not sure whether the PD will be worth the time?

I hear you.

I joined in the 2013-14 school year, and wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. To be honest, I was skeptical. I am a strange combination of a techie and a Luddite; I only want tech in my classroom that will improve student learning, I don’t have time for energy- and time-wasting attempts to entertain my students. I’m tech-savvy, and was unsure what I would learn at Cohort21 that would make it worth my time and energy.

You know what they say: extremists make the best converts!

I quietly observed for the first few sessions, absorbing the ideas and pondering how much of it I wanted to adopt. Then, two months in: a flash of insight (spurred by my Cohort21 engagement with twitter and our blogs) kept me up all night, planning, dreaming, creating, and scheming. And you know what? It hasn’t stopped.

Cohort21 transformed me as a teacher. It changed how I view my role in the classroom, my role in my department, my role in the school, and my role in society. It has shifted my classroom practice and altered the way I reflect on my professional practice. Most importantly, it has enabled autonomy in my professional development: rather than attend seminars and workshops where 25% might apply to my classes, I create my own goals and then work toward them, knowing that I will be able to apply 100% of what I learn, and that I probably will get more than that – often enough, inspiration and ideas come from the experience of working toward that 100%, spurring another goal, and so on.

So: is Cohort21 right for you? Yes. Regardless of where you are in your career, whether you are tech-savvy or not, whether you are motivated or skeptical: if you love teaching and care about student learning, this is the PD for you. Welcome.