A consistent rally cry heard throughout educational conferences and conversations is the need for more teacher input into future education policy and practice. Those on the front line know best about what our children need,  but have far too few options to share their suggestions and concerns with the researchers and policy makers BEFORE the decisions are made.

I am thrilled to see this beginning to change. I am very honored and excited to present to all those concerned about adolescent literacy and learning an opportunity to share your thoughts and concerns with the team at The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the members from the Time to Act Adolescent Literacy Panel for a discussion of their groundbreaking report set to shape the upcoming agenda for literacy reform and initiatives.

On October 19, panel members will be highlighting the major themes and outcomes of their findings and welcome your input and suggestions as they move forward in their recommendations. I have provided their bios to help guide you as you submit your thoughts and questions. You can share you questions here or to send then to me via Twitter at @angelamaiers. 

If you have not had a chance to do so, I urge you to take at look at this amazing body of research. The full report, Time to Act,  as well as the five corresponding reports, which delve deeper into how to advance literacy and learning for all students, including such topics as the cost of implementing adolescent literacy programs and reading in the disciplines:

• Reading in the Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy, by Carol D. Lee Ph.D. and Anika Spratley, Northwestern University
• Adolescent Literacy Development in Out of School Time: A Practitioner's Guide,http://blog.reading.org/archives/003203.html by Elizabeth Birr Moje and Nicole Tysvaer, University of Michigan
• Measure for Measure: A Critical Consumer's Guide to Reading Comprehension Assessments for Adolescents, by Leila Morsey, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Michael Kieffer, Teachers College, Columbia University; Catherine Snow, Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Adolescent Literacy Programs: Costs of Implementation, by Henry M. Levin, Doran Catlin, and Alex Elson, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Adolescent Literacy and Textbooks: An Annotated Bibliography, by Michael Kamil, Stanford University

DO NOT MISS THIS CHANCE TO ACT NOW, HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD, and BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION! 

When: October 19, 2009  10/19/2009 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm-10/19/2009 , US/Pacific (GMT-08:00)*

How: Register Here: Time to Act Panel Discussion

Cost: Free

Experience: PRICELESS!

 If you are unable to join us live, the session will be recorded and archived as well.

Panel Member Bios:

Mel Riddile - Teacher and principal quality, i.e. Riddile is an advocate and ambassador for teachers and principals. Mel joined the staff of the National Association of Secondary School Principals in July 2008, after a distinguished career as the principal of J. E. B. Stuart High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, and T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Riddile was the 2006 National High School Principal of the Year and was the 2005 Virginia High School Principal of the Year. His work as a high school principal and as a leader in the field of adolescent literacy has received both national and international recognition from National Geographic Magazine, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the International Baccalaureate of North America. Dr. Riddile is a recognized leader in efforts to reinvent America's high schools

Catherine Snow - Literacy Advocate, expert on language and literacy development in children, Catherine has chaired two national panels: the National Academy of Sciences committee that prepared the report "Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children," and the Rand Reading Study Group that prepared "Reading for Understanding: Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension." Her research activities include a longitudinal study of language and literacy skills among low-income children who have been followed for 15 years since age three; following the language development of young children participating in the Early Head Start intervention; studying the vocabulary development of first- and second-language learners; and considering aspects of transfer from first to second language in the domains of language and literacy. Her book, Preparing Our Teachers: Opportunities for Better Reading Instruction, is one of several efforts she is involved in to develop consensus among teacher-educators about what pre- and in-service elementary teachers need to know about language and literacy. Snow has also written about bilingualism and its relation to language policy issues such as bilingual education in the United States and in developing nations, and about testing policy. She is currently involved in efforts to improve middle-school literacy outcomes, in partnership with other Boston area researchers and the Boston Public Schools.

Don Deshler - Special education. Don is the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education and the director of the Center for Research (CRL) on Learning at the University of Kansas. The research and development (R & D) of the CRL focuses on the validation of academic and social strategies for struggling adolescent and on alternative ways to structure secondary schools to improve academic outcomes. Since its inception in 1978, the CRL has completed in excess of $180 million in contracted R & D. Among the awards Deshler has received are the Gene A. Budig Teaching Professorship in Special Education, the J. E. Wallace Wallin Award from CEC, the Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award, the Higuchi Research Achievement Award, the Distinguished Education Achievement Award from National Center for Learning Disabilities, and the Educator of the Year Award from Learning Disabilities Association.

Carnegie Corporation of New York: Time to Act pinpoints adolescent literacy as a cornerstone of the current education reform movement, upon which efforts such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act must be built. The report's recommendations intersect with the $4.35 billion Race to the Top competitive grant guidelines with their emphasis on standards and assessments, data systems, great teachers and leaders, and re-engineering struggling schools.

Related Posts:

• Adolescent Literacy : The Time To Act is Now!
• New Coalition to Rethink Learning...Now!
• Limits of Reading Levels
  
• Ecology for Adolescent Literacy
  
• Changing the Rules for the Literacy Club
• Thoughts on Adolexcent Literacy

Cross Posted on Angelamaiers.com

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As we begin focusing on 21st Century Content Reading and Writing strategies and examine content area reading and writing strategies to prepare for the conversations this school year, I asked students to describe what reading and writing is like in various content areas.

The most immediate answers center around "facts to be memorized," "vocabulary to be defined," and strategies to "remember EVERYTHING to pass the test!"

In school, content reading and writing instruction revolve around consuming and remembering - what I call Hear It and Hold It - what someone else has produced.

In stark contrast, outside of the classroom, "content" is positioned in a drastically different way. We are simultaneously filters, producers, and co-creators of content. Successful producers of content must do more than simply churn out meaningless facts and ideas.  

Successful online writers use their creative and curious spirit to generate content not only to inform, but will inspire, even transform the lives of their audience. Success on this age of read/write web is not determined by how much you know, how many pages of content your produce, or how long you have been "expert" in your content area. Success is determined by how your audience responds. If your readers are not impacted by your message, then how much you know matters little.

We must prepare our students for a very different relationship with content. Perfect penmanship, knowledge of participles, and the perfect 5-paragraph essay will not be enough to adequately prepare students for the content that will be mediated and vetted by a global audience that demands consideration.

Our students must leave our classrooms understanding how to communicate what they know and beleive in a way that considers, honors, and believes in their audience. Author and Entrepreneur Rajesh Setty writes a brilliant piece on how audiences respond to content.

1. Spam: If your content does not provide a reasonable ROII (return-on-investment for an interaction) for the reader or is self-serving or simply useless, the reader will mark it as spam. Posting something that may be assessed, as “spam” is the fastest way to losing credibility.
2. Skip: The reader makes an assessment that he or she won’t lose much by reading it. In this case, the reader has not written you off yet but if you consistently create content that is worth “skipping,” the reader might write you off.
3. Scan: The reader thinks there are only a few parts that are of relevance and wants to get right to the core of the content and skip the rest.
4. Stop: The reader is touched by the article and stops to think about the article, it’s relevance and what it means to him or her personally and professionally.
5. Save: The content is so good that the reader might want to re-visit this multiple times.
6. Shift: The article is transformational. The reader is so deeply affected (in a positive way) by the article that it shifts some of their values and beliefs. In other words, this piece of writing will transform the reader and make him or her grow.
7. Send: The content is not only useful to the reader but also to one or more people in the reader’s network. The reader simply emails the article or a link to it to people that he or she cares.
8. Spread: The reader finds the article fascinating enough to spread it to anyone and everyone via a blog, twitter or the social networks that he or she belongs.
9. Subscribe: This is the ultimate expression of engagement and a vote of confidence that you will continue to provide great content. When the reader wants to continue listening to your thoughts, he or she will subscribe. 

I might suggest SCAMPER as a 10th 

The article also uncovers four things every content producer (writer) should think about before writers hit "send."

 What would instruction be like if THIS was our new 21st Century writing rubric?

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

As millions of teachers are saying good bye to their summer and gearing up for the new school year, principals, staff developers, and leaders are planning their "welcome back" conversation for the oh-so-anticipated first day staff meeting. You know the one where everyone in the room really wants to be working in their classroom, but are gathered in the school cafeteria for the mandatory "let's go get 'em" rally.

As exciting as it is to be apart of such gatherings, it is often a challenge to find the perfect way to engage, excite, and encourage. The key to success- a GREAT video! A great video has the power to challenge, remind, provide perspective, and inspire; often in under 10 minutes!

But with so many choices, which one is best for your staff? your message? your students?
I posed the following question to my on and offline friends and colleagues to help you answer those questions.

If there was ONLY one video that I could introduce to my colleagues and my students, from all of the wonderful videos that I have come to learn about, it would be________________ because_________.

The response was amazing, and the following three received "top billing":

1, Starkville, MS Schoold District "Believe"

To Meet the Demands of a New Age from Steven H on Vimeo.

I have and included the links to other popular suggestions. Feel free to add your favorite, and we will keep the list growing. Here's to the conversations that come! Happy viewing!

A Brave New, World-Wide Web

212 Degrees

Mr. Winkles Wakes

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom

Where Conversations are Hushed, Creativity is Stunted

Sir Ken Robinson - The Element

21st Century Schools

What Teachers Make

Music and Life

The Kid No ONe Wanted

I Had a Dream...

25 Incredible TED Talks for Educators

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This post also has appeared on Angela Maiers' site

Pop Quiz:
If your school became the subject  of a Hollywood movie, would you characterize the story as:

• A Drama
• A Comedy
• A Hero's Journey
• An Inspirational Tale
• A Tragedy

 This may seem like an odd question to pose, but  it came to mind as I was preparing this post for a global discussion about Educational Leadership; a challenge from Scott McLeod.

Scott encouraged educators around the blogosphere to contribute advice and insight about the role technology plays in teaching and learning in hopes to help the leaders of our schools guide their students and staff  in finding ways to utilize its power more efficiently and effectively.

So what does a Hollywood movie have to do with this? Everything!  We are not moved and motivated by statistics and factual data.  We are driven to action and empowerment by hearing stories of people who have overcome and turned those hurdles into triumphs. Yet that is not the story being told.

Right now the story of technology and education is one of disruption, change, fear and destruction. We are broadcasting this story to teachers, members of the community , and most importantly the children we serve. Our belief in this story deepens as the messages we convey is one of loss for the good ole days and  worries for the future. Soon enough we will find ourselves playing the lead roles in the horror we have been describing and predicting.

What we often fail to recognize is that we have more control than we think. We create the setting, we choose the lead characters, and we have the power to design the script. Just as a director of a movie utilizes different perspectives, camera angles, and colors to create a look and feel of a movie, we too can redefine the experience of school with new perspectives and actions that could change everything.

I want to encourage our 21st Century leaders to tell this new story. Tell the stories of how technology is allowing millions of students to connect like never before. Of how teachers are collaborating globally. And how together, teachers and students are changing the world in big and small ways

Check out the roster of Leadership Day 2009 in the comments section of Scott's call for Leadership Day.

.

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This post also appears on AngelaMaiers.com

Poor are the readers who do not know of this love. Poor are the students who sit before us starved for meaning. Poor are the students fed a bland diet of narrow reading experiences. Poor are the readers given sparse access to new texts, forms and literacies. Poor are the readers who come into our classrooms hungry for knowledge, and leave unfulfilled and empty. Poor are the readers who chose to give up on the power literacy affords them by never picking up a book again.

Reading without meaning provides no nutrition for the mind, body or soul. We have a responsibility to bring meaning back, providing students with the rich literacy experiences they will need in order to leave our classrooms powerful readers, writers, and communicators.

Bringing Meaning back requires the following:

1. Close Examination of Our Reading Goals: Our vision statements promise lifelong reading, our bulletin boards say "reading is fundamental", and we claim reading excellence. But, how do we define excellence? Is it speed? accuracy? questions answered on the test? We lose our way when we fail to describe and recognize the true signs of reading excellence - passion, endurance, curiosity, adaptability, stamina, strategy, and imagination.
2. Do As Real Readers Do: If schools are serious about their promise of creating life long readers who can handle themselves in the real world, we must be equally serious about aligning classroom practices with the work and behaviors of real readers in that world; asking ourselves: Would this be something that REAL readers would do? If the answer is no, then we should not ask our readers to engage either. This sideshow is a glimpse of REAL READERS in action, and can provide a head start to the conversations!
3. Share OUR Reading Lives with Students. Let students know why you read, what you read,and how you read. Reveal your habits, your passions, your joys and challenges. Be the first to answer and the proudest to model how reading has changed your life. Here is a GREAT example from my friend, Vicki Davis: Reading to Improve Your Life. I love using this video from Barnes and Noble to get me thinking about WHY I READ?
4. Demonstrate "Their Brain on Reading"- Reading makes your brain smarter, stronger, and more able to handle the world. Chris Hale's brilliant video explains how neuroscience confirms this.
5. Let Them Read! Remember what Dr. Seuss taught us? The more you read, the more you know, the more you know, the more places you will go! Students do not need more worksheets, more skills,or more silly "activities". They need MORE BOOKS, (ones they like and can read), and MORE TIME to read those books, and more opportunities TO SHARE WHAT THEY READ with other readers. So, please, please, please...listen to the doctors, and let them read!
6. WRITE! - Reading and writing are inseparable acts of literacy. Readers and writers need one another. When we teach students to read with the writer in mind, and write with the reader in mind, they see the connection and want to get better at both!
7. Pass the Test that Matters Most: Every school year I ask my students two questions about reading: What is reading? Who is the best reader you know and why? Their poignant, honest answers tell me what I need to teach, and ultimately let me know if my instruction made a difference. When they leave my classroom understanding that reading is power, then, and only then, will I have done my job.

Rich reading instruction and experience does not come from buying a program, or following a script. The lessons that matter most come from a teachers heart. Teachers can eradicate reading poverty by bringing meaning back into the process and creating experiences that will stay with students for the rest of their lives. The riches of their future lie in our hands. What kind of reader will leave your classroom?

Photo on Flickr by Tariq Fantasy World

• Reading WITHOUT MEANING - Part 1 of 4
• Reading WITHOUT MEANING - Part 2 of 4
• Reading WITHOUT MEANING - Part 3 of 4

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

by Angela Maiers

The involvement of parents and families in schools is often cited as one of the most important ways to improve education. High levels of parental involvement correlate with :

•  improved academic performance
•  higher test scores
•  more positive attitudes toward school
•  higher homework completion rates
•  fewer placements in special education
•  academic perseverance
•  lower dropout rates
•  fewer suspensions”

(The School Community Journal, 2008, Vol. 18, No. 2, p.53).

With four decades of powerful,empirical evidence, few dispute that the connection between home, school, and community is beneficial for all.  And yet, most educators and parents have had little training on how to work effectively with one another, creating a challenge for even the most zealous partnership advocates.

Creating and maintaining a partnership with parents is a process that requires both will and skill. Partnerships can only grow when they are based on mutual trust and respect for each others values, perspectives, and experiences. If we are serious about building a bridge and getting to the place where parents are true partners in their child's education, then we must find opportunities to share the ways we "view" the relationship.

I had a chance to do just that in a series of professional development workshops on the topic. I was given permission to meet with groups of parents days before my scheduled workshop with the school staff. The following reflection represents the voices and views of over 400 PreK -12 teachers and parents across three very different MidWestern school districts.) 

I believe that the first step towards partnership work begin with awareness. The following exercise proved a powerful way to get the conversations started. Adapted from the work of Heidi Hass Gable on the Parents As Partners Ning. It is called the The "Appreciative Inquiry":

1. I ask participants to think about a Parent-Teacher Interaction. (making sure not to lead them in describing a specific positive or negative expereince as I want to know which one comes to mind)
2. Each participant is given an index card and asked to write or sketch a brief description of what the expereince was like for them.
3. Participants are then asked to exchange their "Home-School Experience"stories with one another. (Depending on time, I try to them share thier story with at least two others.)
4. At the end of each story interaction, participants were asked to choose two words to describe the stories they heard.
5. I collected the "The Two Words" from both groups and used Wordle to display the results of our conversation.

Pre K-12 Staff (teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches) described their Parent-Teacher interactions in this way:

Parents in each of the three schools, shared their voices here:

Clearly, teachers and parents view the interactions and experience very differently. It was a powerful reminder that the work we do together is fundamentally an emotional task, carried out by human beings who come with different perspectives and experiences. The most profound effect of the exercise was the ability to move the conversations of partnership beyond blaming and presuming and toward strategy and action as we reflected on:

• the kinds of interactions that produced these perceptions
• the conditions necessary for more powerful interactions to continue or occur
• the qualities and traits needed from both sides to make this happen

Parent involvement from this view may help us understand why parents and schools do not always see  "Eye-to-Eye, but I wanted the last conversation of the day to be about viewing the partnership on common ground; the place where we see things " Heart-to-Heart."

My final assignment to both groups was this: In two words describe your thoughts about a Parent- Teacher partnership. Here's what we got:

:

This view of parent involvement reminds everyone that children flourish when the adults in their lives agree. Children see themselves through our eyes, and it is important that the adults in their lives find their way here. As leaders, you are in charge of getting your staff and community to the place where they come together; heart-to-heart. You provide the conditions necessary for partnerships to flourish or flounder.

No matter where you are in the process – the hope of purposeful engagement and partnership begins with you. Give this a try at your school, and see where the conversation takes you!.

Related Posts:

• Obama's Call for Parent Involvement
• Parent Ed- Web 2.0 Study
• Parent 2.0 Wiki Space
• What Partnership Looks Like
• What Counts as Parent Involvement?

Photo on Flickr by jndollar

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I was thrilled and excited to see this months issue of Educational Leadership devoted to conversations about literacy and what being literate means in a global, digital space. As I devoured the issue, I reflected on my own literacy evolution.

I learned early on what it took become a member of what Frank Smith called the "Literacy Club" . Acceptance and membership was defined then by the thickness of the book, the speed of the tongue,and amount one's brain could hold (at least until test time rolled around.) Comprehension was something that happened when the work with words was done.

I read differently now. I have learned that knowledge is both a cause and a consequence of comprehension. I am active and mindful of the work involved. I continue to challenge myself exploring both on and offline sources of information and inspiration. I am flexible as I move between these spaces; conscious of how to adjust and adapt the strategies I need to interact with and understand text in different forms and multiple mediums. Reading is not desk work - it is lifework. I understand it is through and with others that I acquired knowledge, gain perspective, deepen awareness, and begin to understand myself and my place in the world.

I share my reading story with you because many students see membership to the "literacy club" dependent on their ability to move through a masterable set of hierarchical skills: First, learn the sounds, then the letters, moving onto words and phrases, and finally, once that's all straight, THINKING! .

It worries me that if we base Instruction on a conceptualization of reading as a single line of development from simple to more complex tasks, it will perpetuate the myth that "learning to read" is over and done with by third grade, or that only the "bluebird" group is eligible for "premier membership and benefits."

I want students to see reading as a life long endeavor, that grows in competence and confidence the more it is practiced across increasing more difficult and diverse text. In an era of new literacies, we are in a simultaneous state of learning to read and reading to learn. Think about it - Who's in the:

- Blog Literacy Club?
- Twitter Literacy Club?
- Financial Literacy Club?
- Media Literacy Club?
- Ning Literacy Club?

Aren't we all emergent readers when we encounter new texts and mediums that push the boundaries of genre, form, format, and mode;on and offline?

The Rules of the Literacy Club have changed - all members, regardless of age or grade, are expected to:

- Be active
- Be strategic
- Be flexible
- Be mindful
- Be reflective
- Be purposeful
- Be courageous
- Be engaged
- Be responsible and responsive

I am proud to say, this is the reader I am today. Unfortunately,I was not taught to be that reader in school. If we are serious about Literacy 2.0, these are the lessons we must pass on to our students. No longer is being fastest and first done the goal. Let our students know that membership into the literacy club is a lifelong honor, affording them privileges and pleasures of engaging in the world in remarkable ways. The doors are always open, new members are celebrated, and we always welcome back those who have fallen away.

Photo on Flickr by Strobist

Angela Maiers
Angela Maiers Educational Services

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In a recent gathering of educators from different walks and disciplines headed by our own Scott McLeod, we discussed Seth Godin's book Tribes and how it affects the world of education. The discussion involved a round-table presence of 20 leaders and a world wide web of hundreds of people via various Internet outlets.

Some of the key questions and points:

• Is there any difference between leadership and marketing?
• How can shed a more positive light on "anti"? Rather than saying you're "anti-establishment, call them "anti-change"
• What is this secret society of "they"?
• How many does it take to make a Tribe?  2? 20? 200?
• How important is it to get "buy-in" from those above you in the hierarchical leadership?
• 3 Groups of people during change: Change people, no change group people, Tennis match changers (flip floppers)
• Change is more about trust and relationships than the change strategy itself!
• All teachers have the chance to be a Tribe leader -- at the very least with their own students.

Don't let the discussion end there. Pick up a copy of the book and chime in.

Related Posts:
 - Heretics: New Leadership for the 21st Century

Angela Maiers

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nothing has promised so much and has been so frustrating wasteful for teachers and leaders as the thousands of workshops and conferences that led to no significant change in practice.

-Michael Fullen-

Great teachers help create great students, agreed? In fact, research shows that an inspiring and informed teacher is the single most important school-related factor influencing student achievement. So, what helps teachers become great? What equips them in helping students reach their highest potential? The easy to say professional development,but unfortunately we have all experienced what Micheal Fullen is speaking of.

When I think of my own teaching and learning, the most influential element of my professional development comes from my personal learning network (PLN). I read blogs, track them with RSS feeds, and use a variety of social networking tools to create my PLN, I then use what I have discovered to enhance my work with students and teachers. My PLN has become daily nutrition, influence, energy, and strength for my brain and my spirit.

When I talk to schools about this, I often hear the following:

• That's great, but we just do not have the time
• My teachers are not comfortable with technology
• I have my own "network" at school, why do I need to connect with someone I my never meet
• Why bother...the sites are blocked anyway
• I just don't get all that blogging and web stuff
• RSS - what????

As leaders, you can influence all of that! One of the most powerful things you can do for students, is create a culture of learning and collaboration with your teachers. Here's what's possible:

And Here's the ROI:

• Teachers become more aware - of new research, new strategies, new educators, and new ideas that can enhance and impact their teaching and learning
• Teachers become connected- they develop learning networks as they meet teachers with similar interests and issues
• Teachers become empowered - as they take control and responsibility of their own professional growth.
• Teachers become model - With first hand experience on how to operate in a 21st century learning environment, teachers become equipped to demonstrate and model learning behaviors and strategies for their students
• Teachers become confident-Teachers feel appreciated and respected for their contributions and knowledge and become confident and more competent in their own teaching practice
• Teachers become a connected community - teachers who share, learn, and connect become leaders inside and outside of their classrooms
• Teachers become Learners - the most important requirement to being a 21st Century educator - don't you think?

Are these the same results that you get after staff in-service days? If not, here are some ways you might begin to help your staff create their own PLN's:

1. Explore PLN as a Professional Development Tool - Check out this video from Carl Anderson as he explores setting up a PLN as a personal and professional development tool.
2. Get your teachers reading RSS feeds! Setting it up is easy with the video from Common Craft entitled: RSS in Plain English.The RSS reader is the raw material for building a PLN.
3. Find some Great Blogs to Read - there are lots of places to look, but this will give you a running start: Education Alltop, Top 50 Edubloggs, Edublog Award Winners 2008.
4. Search Once and Subscribe - Once your great blogs are discovered-subscribe!. 10-20 is a good starting number.
5. Share - Set aside time each week for teachers to meet and discuss the latest and greatest gems from the Blogosphere. These sessions can be formal at a staff meeting or more informal in small groups or grade levels.
6. Prepare to be Amazed- When teachers take control of their professional growth and learning- there is nothing that can not be accomplished.

Creating a PLN does not replace traditional professional development. There is a time and place for In-service days and careful selection of outside expertise. But the most valuable professional development embedded in the on-going life of the school.

As you get your PLN's up and going, here are a few additional links to enhance their power and productivity:

-PLN Yourself

-My Twitter Engagement Formula

-Building a Digital Locker

-Feed Reading Strategy: Skim, Scan & Save

Angela Maiers

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)