Recently I was invited (okay, actually I raised my hand like Horshack) to develop a brief presentation for members of my faculty who are participating in a year-long leadership development program. I wanted to share with them the importance of becoming networked learners.
I learn much and am grateful every day for the resources, ideas and conversations shared by the generous, thoughtful educators to whom I am connected online. I literally feel that I “stand on the shoulders of giants” who push my thinking, enlighten me and just generally make me better at what I do. I am a believer in leading from the middle, and making change within your sphere of influence, so I created the presentation with every educator in mind. I hope this contribution is helpful and piques some curiosity in those who may be considering “stepping into the stream…”
What is Networked Learning?
A networked learner is someone who learns from connections to others. You already have a face-to-face network, and probably connect online through websites, listservs, discussion groups, etc…. Social media tools such as Twitter, Blogs, social networks and social bookmarking tools make it easy to expand your network (and your professional learning) both powerfully and exponentially.
As we have all seen during recent political events and natural disasters, social media tools are helping to change the world. We need to consider how these tools should also be changing our classrooms and schools, and how they impact our students as learners and future citizens and leaders. We have to participate to know.
Direct Link to Video: http://youtu.be/A2lsGZNo0rU
Learn More:
- Gearing Up for The Big Game (Renee Hawkins)
- Why Teachers Should Try Twitter (Bill Ferriter)
- A Principal’s Reflections: Building Momentum (Eric Sheninger)
- MindShift: What Students Need from Teachers (Heidi Siwak)
- What Should a Networked Educational Leader Tweet About? (George Couros)
Even More:
- Rheingold University Mini-Courses: Infotention and Network Literacy (Howard Rheingold)
Today’s 
