What’s Your Tech Point-of-View?

An Educator's Best Resource... Crowdsourcing!
There’s a place where two worlds collide. Here’s where my PLC meets my PLN. Yet, unlike George's negative perspective this is an opportunity I want to embrace!  I'm hoping some of you will want to do the same.



PLC: My Professional Learning Community
You can check out our superintendent’s blog, Kimberly Moritz’s BlogPosts, to find more information.

The Agents:
JamieLynn Griffith – 2nd Grade Teacher, Ed Tech Explorer, Amateur Blogger, Glogster Queen, Educator Looking to Define my "Tech Point-of-View"
Tammie Thomas – 1st Grade Teacher, Podcast Enthusiast, Creative genius, Multiple Learning Style Implementer
Eric Sipe – New 6th grade Teacher, 4th grade and Reading Specialist Experience, King of PowerPoint, Master of “Scavenger Hunt” Activities
Melissa Shawley – New 1st Grade Teacher, Experienced 3rd Grade Teacher from Neighboring District
Nicole Pollock – New 4th Grade Teacher, Current Substitute, Recent graduate, Has One of the Friendliest Smiles I’ve Seen

We're a good mix of grade levels, personalities, and possess a mix of talents.  I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to being a part of this PLC. 

Our Goals:
Focus - Connecting Classrooms Within and Broadening Horizons Beyond.  Some of our specific thoughts we've recorded on our Google Doc.  Our first initiative will be to concentrate on technology integration during content centers and cross-curricular centers- Math, Reading, Writing, ELA, Science, and Social Studies.

Our Collaborative Blog: We set-up an area online for sharing, posting, reflecting, and reading. RCS: Teaching4Tomorrow is our Blog that's we'll create together.  One collegue is looking forward to being part of our group virtually since she's working in another.  We're hoping that this format of a group bulletin board of sorts will encourage us to share what's working in our classrooms in a mode that others can learn from and we can learn from their comments.

Our Mission: Here’s the amazing part – we get to design our own learning! We have time to meet, plan, learn, share, implement, create, and inspire together various days throughout our school year.

Our Meetings:
September 1st
September 2nd
October 8th 1-3pm
December 3rd 1-3pm
January 28th
February 18th 1-3pm
March 18th 1-3pm
May 20th 1-3pm
PLN: My Personal Learning Network
Twitter has changed me as an educator. But, more importantly the PEOPLE I’ve connected with through Twitter have changed me.  I’ve been challenged, inspired, awed, intimidated, encouraged, and congratulated. I’ve found answers, hope, assistance, friendship, insight, understanding, and laughter.  I’ve learned, consumed, attempted, solved, suggested, and been confused.

I’ve thought about “expanding” my network and have some, but I’ll admit I’m more interested in putting time and effort into what I already have. My Google Reader patterns have narrowed to the reading what those below have posted more than the rest. I concentrate on tweets more than the others, as well as gathering ideas from their websites.

I LOVE food - everything about it!  The Food Network is one of my favorite channels.  Last week, The Next Food Netword Star started a new season.  Bobby Flay is my favorite Iron Chef and he's one the Celebrity Judges.  Regardless, the finalists embark on a food adventure with challenges and obstacles like any other reality series.  Yet, they are always confronted with the thought provoking questions about finalizing their food perspective or food point-of-view.  So, that brings me to the field of educational technology....  What's Your Tech Point-of-View?

My Invitation:
Dennis Grice –
Focus on the Learning Tool, not the Technology
A mix of humor, knowledge, curriculum, and always reminds me that words mean things...
Aviva Dunsinger –
Take a New Tool and Implement It “Yesterday”
Proficient with Kidblogs, web 2.0 presentations, and super approachable...
Andrew Kauffman –
New(er) Teacher Places Importance on Tech Amidst it All and One I'd Like My Son to Have for a Teacher
Flexible, excellent communicator, Skype, small group collab projects, and an amazing creative thinker.....
Karen Ditzler –
Technology is not an add-on...
Elementary-minded, provides wonderful examples for each tool on her wiki, I swear she reads my mind at times, creator of "tech" days with hands-on centers....
Jason Schrage –
His... Crazy Idea for online PD
Exploring alternative options for professional development such as Classroom 2.0 and some of his thoughts sparked some of the way our PLC was organized....
Jennifer Wagner –
Creating Collaborative Online Projects and More! 
An experienced organizer and the creative mind behind numerous collaborative events and projects - her bio on the site says it all.  First knew of her as the Guess the Wordle lady, but that doesn't quite paint the picture of Jenuine Jen!
Chris Hyde –
Still wondering what his job entails….I think he's Karen's boss.  No, not really.  But he's helped me a lot with issues, ideas, and inspiration.
He remembers – Mixbook. He encourages - my first RT ever! He shares - an idea we adapted for our arctic animal project! He has fun with Tech - Twibbon - Go Duke!.....
Rob McDonald –
Making Tech a Reality and Interwoven Throughout Ones Classroom
He's convinced me to stick with TweetDeck, he's one of a few 2nd grade classroom teachers in my PLN, I'm drawn to his blog set-up for tech projects and will be mimicking it this fall.....
Mark Carls –
Always there for you!  Now that I'm thinking on it, I'm not really sure if know his tech viewpoint.  But, more on Mark later.  He's the only one in my PLN that I work with "offline" as well since he's here in district one day a week.  So, things are more complicated I guess....

This is just a collection of observations and random thoughts regarding each of you. I have a tough time finding the right words to describe exactly how you each have impacted me. Maybe you can help me by defining your tech viewpoint yourself. But, tech aside, you are amazing PEOPLE!

Also, it’s vital that I note that this invitation list is in draft form. There have been many more that I’ve connected had positive connections with and have learned from, such as Kathy Cassidy, Jared Bennett, Josh Allen, and more. Yet, some are also in the infancy stages and I feel I’m asking a great deal in my request. But, if you’re interested, please let me know. I’d be honored if you’d take part in the “mission.”

My Thoughts:
As a Global Studies student in high school, one of my assignments to learn about World War II was a Who’s Coming to Dinner? project. Mrs. Jacques, my all-time favorite teacher, had us create a dinner party with guests of the time-period, a menu, but most-importantly the dialogue between the guests. I remember trekking to the down-town library to find information on designers of the era since I couldn’t locate resources locally on my unusual people I’d chose. Even then I created my own challenges! But, this project was memorable and fun! I wonder what the dialogue would be like if you all came over for dinner on Saturday? You know I love to cook and bake, I’m taking menu suggestions.....

My Hope:
My goal would be to set-up webinars, video conferences, skype calls, whatever you want to refer to them as, for time to talk and learn from you. They can be brief or in-depth, formal or conversational, and topical or tool-focused. I’m thinking 15-30 minutes or so. Enough to be inspired and learn, but to still leave time for us to have a conversation after the virtual conversation.
Throughts from our Google Doc...
Skype w/ "experts" in the global community of educators on various topics - such as:
- successful student collab projects and details
- measurable learning of projects and "tests" with tech tools
- effectively sharing your tech vision/passion w/ others in your district
- favorite tech/web2.0 tools w/ examples for utilization
- tips on implementation of student projects - organization, rooms, groups, etc.
- other ideas?.....

Well, I’ve been so influenced by these educators that I can’t help but to share how they’ve inspired me with those in my PLC here at RCS. It’s one thing when my colleagues hear me say something is effective in my classroom, hearing it from an expert is another thing. On a personal learning level, I’ll have the privilege to learn more from those who have most impacted me.

My Wondering:
Maybe all of you can help me as I search for solidifying my Tech Point-of-View, but I’m thinking it’ll be ever evolving and changing from one moment to the next.

Educators of my PLN will you be willing to meet with my PLC on one of the above dates?  What would you like to talk about, teach us, inspire us with?  I'm looking forward to the possibilities and I hope you are too! 

So, who's coming to dinner?  Please RSVP below.