David Black posted on February 28, 2008 18:28
One of the blessings of living and teaching in this modern era is that I have the opportunity to learn from colleagues in ways that teachers 10 years ago never dreamed about. For instance, today I participated in a Live Blog session with folks from Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas as they dreamed and strategized about how to better utilize and implement technology into their program. I gained two followers on Twitter, building that network of colleagues in both Lutheran and public education circles. I used Google Reader to follow the ideas and conversations of educational bloggers from around the world. In short, I was able to learn and grow professionally a great deal in between my teaching classes and other work.
However, one aspect of all this learning is bothering me. While I have so many new ideas to use with my students, the implementation of these ideas is a struggle. It is a challenge to make implementation of these ideas a priority. It is simply a lot of work. Now I'm not at all shy about hard work, but for me and my creative style, I need a block of solid time to put these ideas together in a meaningful way for students. And if an idea isn't implemented quickly, it is usually lost.
As I work with my teaching colleagues on training ideas, it is clear that training works best when there is time to immediately practice and integrate what was learned. I'm no different than anyone else. Once I'm enthused about an idea or lesson, I need to implement it quickly in order for it to become a part of my educational repertoire.
So here is my goal -- to become more effective in implementing the great ideas I receive from my personal learning network. A part of my prep time needs to be building creative content for students -- not just fixing machines and grading papers. I need to make an even greater commitment to build and grow with my students.
Perhaps you need to do the same thing. If so, we can practice immediate implementation together. Ask me how I'm doing with this every so often. Help keep me on track!