Organic Learning

I’m going to teach a podcasting class soon. I wrote the class last year, and since then, I’ve been thinking of ways to improve it.

Certainly, podcasting has changed my life in so many ways. It has opened the doors to a flood of information and fresh thinking about the use and role of technology in the classroom, but also a way to challenge my mind to ideas that inspire me so much, that it makes going to work each day a thrill. Though the power of podcasting, I’ve learned about blogs and wikis and other social tools, that empower us in ways that are profoundly different than even a few years ago. I’ve participated in the K-12 Online Conference, a resource that has been there for me whenever I want to learn more or want to inspire others to learn more. I’ve been immersed in ideas of the flattening world and global collaboration, how change in culture is something that takes time and deep thought, and that technology in our lives has led to a culture of change in our personal life but not in our classrooms. I’ve become a better teacher, I think, also. I challenge myself to learn from the best through podcasts each day.

I not only pay attention to what they say, but how they deliver their message. I think the best place for learning style is Ted Talks for delivery and NPR’s This American Life for storytelling.

I attend quality PD through virtual conference workshops and presentations from Conference Connections, David Warlick and Wes Fryer, and many others. I am amazed at the quality and polish of Infinite Thinking Machine. I enjoy the interview techniques of Steve Hargadon.

…So maybe, with this new podcast class I will be teaching in May, I’ll record some of it for a podcast. That would be good modeling.