We’re building a new neighborhood. Want to visit for a while?
As I learn more about PLNs through #etmooc, especially from @bhwilkoff, I realize I have a responsibility to help find and support the sub-committees that have a common focus. Ben Wilkoff calls these sub-committees “neighborhoods.” These neighborhoods support each other in efforts to transform education, to make changes for our students’ futures.
The people listed in the image at left are connections I’ve recently made through ETMOOC blogging, Google Plus, and Twitter. The educators are passionate middle level educators — teaching students in grades 5-8 (10-14 years of age). From their tweets and blogs I am learning more about educational technology and student engagement.
As a middle level educator, I find we have needs that differ than other levels. So, I’d like to invite middle level educators to connect in order to support our efforts to develop curriculum, pedagogy, and strategies to infuse technology and student engagement through other strategies, such as project/problem/passion-based education or the #geniushour. I appreciate the inspiration received from my friend, Denise Krebs, a fellow middle level educator in our neighborhood.
What if we connect and reflect together via Google+, Twitter, and blogs? We can add common documents and resources to the Connect In The Middle wiki and share resources in this group Diigo. We can connect our blogs, and reflect/comment on our questions and solutions together. Perhaps we can design student projects that connect these middle school students in a safe environment as they apply their digital citizenship to complete these projects.
The possibilities are endless, and involvement would be only as needed for each of us. Some might visit for a while; others might connect more fully, and some visit occasionally. After all, we would be building a neighborhood that we visit for different purposes.
The first questions I’m considering, based on the first week of ETMOOC are:
- How important is connected learning? Why?
- Is it possible for our classrooms to support this kind of learning? If so, how?
- What skills and literacies are necessary for connected learning?
- How do we develop these?
Please read my responses here: Connected In The Middle Post. Do you have ideas about these questions? What are your questions? How can we help each other?
Please consider joining the conversation / connections for middle level educators to act on the conversations in ETMOOC and beyond.
To build your middle level neighborhood, please follow these educators who have inspired me this week.
Laura Gilchrist @LauraGilchrist4
Rhoni McFarlane @rhonimcfarlane
Laura Coughlin @CoughlinLaura
If you would like to join the middle level neighborhood, please comment below, and join the Connect In The Middle wiki.
Thank you, @grammasheri and welcome to the Connect in the Middle Neighborhood !