This document discusses connected learning and professional development for educators in the digital age. It describes connected learning communities which include local professional learning communities, global personal learning networks, and bounded communities of practice. These connected learning communities allow educators to collaborate both face-to-face and online to support learning and innovation. The document emphasizes that a connected approach to learning and professional development is needed as the world and education system become more digital and networked.

2. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Co-Founder & CEO
Powerful Learning Practice, LLC
http://plpnetwork.com
sheryl@plpnetwork.com
President
21st Century Collaborative, LLC
http://21stcenturycollaborative.com
Author
The Connected Educator: Learning
and Leading in a Digital Age
Follow me on Twitter
@snbeach

3. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR
Housekeeping
Get close to someone
Paperless handouts
http://plpwiki.com
Back Channel Chat
http://todaysmeet.com/TCEA13

4. All of October
Free professional learning
Free for you– free for your staff
http://connectededucators.org/

5. edConnectr
• Robust matchmaking tool for
learning & innovation
• Uses tags to make it easy to
create rich, action-oriented
profiles
• Uses maps to make it easy
and fun to find others
• Helps educators find
collaborators, get help, or just
connect

6. District and State Support
• District toolkit, Part 1
– Support for participation in CEM
– Examples of district at different
levels, with videos and links
– Links to tools and resources at each
level
• District toolkit, Part 2
– Support for integrating informal and
formal professional learning year
round
– Readiness assessment, planning,
implementation, and evaluation
tools

7. Learner First—
Educator Second
1. Introduce yourselves and what
you do.
2. What have you been thinking
about lately in terms of change
in your school/district? What
is becoming clearer?
3. If you could change one thing
…
Emerson and
Thoreau reunited
would ask-
―What has
become clearer
to you since we
last met?‖

8. Mantra for today’s keynote…
We are stronger together than apart.
None of us is as smart, creative, good or
interesting as all of us.

9. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR
Things do not change; we change.
—Henry David Thoreau
What are you doing to contextualize and
mobilize what you are learning?
How will you leverage, how will you enable
your teachers, your leadership or your
students to leverage- collective
intelligence?

11. Are you Ready for Learning and
Leading in the 21st Century?
It isn’t just ―coming‖… it has arrived! And schools
who aren’t redefining themselves, risk becoming
irrelevant in preparing students for the future.

12. The world is changing...

13. 6 Trends for the digital age
Analogue Digital
Tethered Mobile
Closed Open
Isolated Connected
Generic Personal
Consuming Creating
Source: David Wiley: Openness and the disaggregated
future of higher education

14. ―We are tethered to
our always on/
always on us
communication
devices and the
people and things we
reach through them.‖
~ Sherry Turkle

15. Shifting From Shifting To
Learning at school Learning anytime/anywhere
Teaching as a private event Teaching as a public
collaborative practice
Learning as passive
participant
Learning in a participatory
culture
Learning as individuals
Linear knowledge
Learning in a networked
community
Distributed knowledge

16. In Phillip Schlechty's, Leading for Learning: How to
Transform Schools into Learning Organizations he
makes a case
for transformation of schools.
Reform- installing innovations that will work within
the context of the existing culture and structure of
schools. It usually means changing procedures,
processes, and technologies with the intent of
improving performance of existing operation
systems.

17. It involves repositioning and
reorienting action by putting an
organization into a new business
or adopting radically different
means of doing the work
traditionally done.
Transformation includes altering the
beliefs, values, meanings- the culture- in which programs are
embedded, as well as changing the current system of
rules, roles, and relationship- social structure-so that the
innovations needed will be supported.
Transformation- is intended to make it possible to do
things that have never been done by the organization
undergoing the transformation.
Different than

18. So as you develop your vision for learning in
the 21st Century how do you see it- should
you be a reformer or
a transformer and why?
Make a case for using
one or the other as a
change strategy.

19. Recap…
1. The world is changing.
2. The context has shifted
3. We have amazing tools that enable us to
connected, collaborate and create.
4. Schools are remaining just about the
same.
We are in the midst of seeing education transform
from a book-based, linear system with a focus on
individual achievement to an web-based, divergent
system with a focus on community building.

20. We have to change school
culture…
-- change behaviors
-- experience success
-- creates faith
-- creates hope
-- changes beliefs, values, dispositions
From: Azhar
Sent: 2013-10-
04 11:03 AM
To: Daddy
Subject:
Our teacher fell
asleep

21. Which takes LEADERSHIP
(this is where you come in)

22. Managers Leaders
• Believe in standardization
of the process
• Fiercely protects the
status quo
• Manipulate resources to
get the job done
• Focus is on tools and
deployment
• Expect compliance and
reliance
• Safe- Tried- True
• Create change as a way of
solving problems and
innovating
• Ask what if– builds on
strengths and what people
know and can do
• Focus on what can happen if
people know what to do with
tools for self directed learning
• Build thick leadership
density in others.
• Take risks and expect
criticism

23. What do you wonder…
About leading a connected school?
What is connected learning?
How do you define the terms?
Let’s build a common language.

24. 24
Free range learners
Free-range learners choose
how and what they learn.
Self-service is less
expensive and more timely
than the alternative.
Informal learning has no
need for the busywork,
chrome, and bureaucracy
that accompany our
traditional professional
learning experiences or our
classroom structure.

25. Do it Yourself PD
A revolution in technology has transformed the way
we can find each other, interact, and collaborate to
create knowledge as connected learners.
What are connected learners?
Learners who collaborate online; learners who use
social media to connect with others around the globe;
learners who engage in conversations in safe online
spaces; learners who bring what they learn online back
to their classrooms, schools, and districts.

26. Share
Cooperate
Collaborate
Collective Action
According to Clay Shirky, there are four steps on a ladder to
mastering the connected world:
sharing, cooperating, collaborating, and collective action.
From his book- “Here Comes Everybody”

27. Connected Learning has the
potential to takes us deeper
―The interconnected, interactive
nature of social learning
exponentially amplifies the rate at
which critical content can be shared
and questions can be answered.‖
From: Collaborative Learning for the Digital
Age in The Chronicle of Higher Education
Cathy Davidson,
professor at Duke
University

28. Connected sometimes trumps F2F with
deep learning…
Via Marc Andreessen’s blog, the findings of researchers as related by
Frans Johansson in The Medici Effect:

29. Diversity of thought
Allows for Greater Innovation
Frans Johansson explores one simple yet profound
insight about innovation: in the intersection of
different fields, disciplines and cultures, there’s an
abundance of extraordinary new ideas to be explored.

31. Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-
solving
Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of
improvisation and discovery
Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world
processes
Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content
Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to
salient details.
Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that
expand mental capacities
.

32. Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with
others toward a common goal
Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different
information sources
Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and
information across multiple modalities
Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information
Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and
respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.
.

33. The Secret to Change to a Connected School
Tribe
Photo Credit: http://newdriven.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/how-to-leverage-the-power-of-the-tribe/
• Humans have a natural
propensity to tribe.
• Social learning is a part of
our DNA
• We all have basic needs-
including the need to belong
• Collaborative Inquiry
produces a higher level of
cognition and more joy

34. Developing Your Tribe
A group of people connected to one another,
connected to a leader, connected to an idea
Need two things:
1) Shared interest (mission)
2) A way to communicate

35. Motivations
• Social
connectedness
• Psychological
well-being
• Gratification
• Collective
Efficacy

36. Leveraging Tribe as a Means to Self Actualization

37. Photo Credit: http://www.consciousaging.com/

38. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR

39. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR

40. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR
Meet the new model for professional
development:
Connected Learning Communities
In CLCs educators have several ways to
connect and collaborate:
• F2F learning communities (PLCs)
• Personal learning networks (PLNs)
• Communities of practice or inquiry
(CoPs)

41. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR
1. Local community: Purposeful, face-to-face
connections among members of a committed group—
a professional learning community (PLC)
2. Global network: Individually chosen, online
connections with a diverse collection of people and
resources from around the world—a personal learning
network (PLN)
3. Bounded community: A committed, collective, and
often global group of individuals who have
overlapping interests and recognize a need for
connections that go deeper than the personal learning
network or the professional learning community can
provide—a community of practice or inquiry (CoP)

42. • THE CONNECTED EDUCATOR
Professional
Learning
Communities
Personal Learning
Networks
Communities of
Practice
Method Often organized for
teachers
Do-it-yourself Educators organize
it themselves
Purpose To collaborate in
subject area or
grade leverl teams
around tasks
For individuals to
gather info for
personal knowledge
construction and to
bring back info to
the community
Collective
knowledge building
around shared
interests and goals.
Structure Team/group
F2f
Individual, face to
face, and online
Collective, face to
face, or online
Focus Student
achievement
Personal growth Systemic
improvement

43. Community is the New Professional Development
Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999a) describe three ways of knowing and constructing
knowledge…
Knowledge for Practice is often reflected in traditional PD efforts when a trainer shares
with teachers information produced by educational researchers. This knowledge presumes
a commonly accepted degree of correctness about what is being shared. The learner is
typically passive in this kind of "sit and get" experience. This kind of knowledge is
difficult for teachers to transfer to classrooms without support and follow through. After a
workshop, much of what was useful gets lost in the daily grind, pressures and isolation of
teaching.
Knowledge in Practice recognizes the importance of teacher experience and practical
knowledge in improving classroom practice. As a teacher tests out new strategies and
assimilates them into teaching routines they construct knowledge in practice. They learn
by doing. This knowledge is strengthened when teachers reflect and share with one
another lessons learned during specific teaching sessions and describe the tacit
knowledge embedded in their experiences.

44. Community is the New Professional Development
Knowledge of Practice believes that systematic inquiry where teachers create
knowledge as they focus on raising questions about and systematically studying
their own classroom teaching practices collaboratively, allows educators to
construct knowledge of practice in ways that move beyond the basics of
classroom practice to a more systemic view of learning.
I believe that by attending to the development of knowledge for, in and of
practice, we can enhance professional growth that leads to real change.
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S.L. (1999a). Relationships of knowledge and
practice: Teaching learning in communities. Review of Research in
Education, 24, 249-305.
Passive, active, and reflective knowledge
building in local (PLC), global (CoP) and
contextual (PLN) learning spaces.

45. Dedication to the
ongoing development
of expertise
Shares and contributes
Engages in strength-based approaches
and appreciative inquiry
Demonstrates mindfulness
Willingness to leaving one's comfort
zone to experiment with new strategies
and taking on new responsibilities
Dispositions and Values
Commitment to understanding
asking good questions
Explores ideas and concepts,
rethinking, revising, and
continuously repacks and unpacks,
resisting
urges to finish prematurely
Co-learner, Co-leader, Co-creator
Self directed, open minded
Commits to deep reflection
Transparent in thinking
Values and engages in a culture of
collegiality

46. • Connected Communities (Tribes) are forming everywhere
• You have the tools you need at your fingertips
• Your faculty, your students, your school community– need/want
leadership
• We are all leaders…
• You were called to lead..Not manage
• Share…Connect…Leverage…Co-create
• Inside, Outside, Upside Down
Leverage the Tribe

48. Status Quo-- Things are working well most of the time.
THEN
Something happens that creates a sense of urgency to change.
A desire to learn something new. You are presented with
evidence that makes you feel something. It touches you in some
way.
Maybe…
- a disturbing look at a problem
- a hopeful glimpse of the future
- a sobering self reflection

49. One of three things happen:
1. Complacency - You are moved but fail act - telling yourself or
others, "Everything is fine."
2. False urgency - You are busy, working-working-working and
never reflect or move yourself to action. You talk and it scratches the
itch.
3. True urgency or passion- You are clearly focused on making real
progress every single day. Urgent behavior is driven by a belief that
the world contains great opportunities and great hazards. It inspires a
gut-level determination to move, and win, now.
You see it. You feel it and you are moved to change or act or learn

51. • Letting go of control
• Willing to unlearn & relearn
• Mindset of discovery
• Reversed mentorship
• Co-learning and co-creating
• Messy, ground zero, risk taking
Image: http://flic.kr/p/ch6kp3

52. Be a learner first—leader second
• It's all about asking hard questions and then listening deeply
• A connected learner isn’t afraid to admit that they don’t know the answer
to a question or problem, and willingly invite others into a dialogue to
explore, discuss, debate, or generate more questions. (@barb_english)
• Asking our questions out in the open in connected ways @lisaneale
• I believe that being a connected learner leads to more questions than
answers and that is good. I also believe that connected learners have to
learn to take risks - exposing your learning and thoughts can be challenging
@ccoffa
• Lurkers become learners. Learners become contributors. @sjhayes8

53. Wonder is both a
sense of awe and
capacity for
contemplation.

54. It also helps to ask questions like:
1) Why am I planning to do this?
2) How will I initiate this change?
3) Who can I connect with online in my network that can help me?
4) How will I measure our progress?
Or how will I know if we are learning?

56. “Understanding how
networks work is one of
the most important
literacies of the 21st
Century.”
- Howard Rheingold
http://www.ischool.berkeley.edu
How do you define
networks?

57. In connectivism,
learning involves
creating connections
and developing a
network. It is a theory
for the digital age
drawing upon chaos,
emergent properties,
and self organized
learning.
Photo credit: Cogdogblog
George Siemens

58. Personal Learning
Networks
FOCUS: Individual, Connecting to Learning Objects, Resources
and People – Social Network Driven

60. What
is community tribe?

61. A Place to Build Trust and
Relationships

62. A Domain of Interest

63. A Place to Meet

64. A Place to Construct Knowledge
Collaboratively

65. CelebrationCelebration

67. ― Do you know what who you know knows?‖ H. Rheingold

68. Critical friends: Form a professional learning team who come together
voluntarily at least once a month. Have members commit to improving
their practice through collaborative learning. Use protocols to examine
each other’s teaching or leadership activities and share both warm and
cool feedback in respectful ways.
Curriculum review or mapping groups: Meet regularly in teams to
review what team members are teaching, to reflect together on the
impact of assumptions that underlie the curriculum, and to make
collaborative decisions. Teams often study lesson plans together.

69. Action research groups: Do active, collaborative research focused
on improvement around a possibility or problem in a
classroom, school, district, or state.
Book study groups: Collaboratively read and discuss a book in an
online space.
Case studies: Analyze in detail specific situations and their
relationship to current thinking and pedagogy. Write, discuss, and
reflect on cases using a 21st century lens to produce collaborative
reflection and improve practice.

70. Instructional rounds: Adopt a process through which educators
develop a shared practice of observing each other, analyzing learning
and teaching from a research perspective, and sharing expertise.
Connected coaching: Assign a connected coach to individuals on
teams who will discuss and share teaching practices in order to promote
collegiality and help educators think about how the new literacies
inform current teaching practices.

72. Connected Learning Communities provide the personal
learning environment (PLE) to do the nudging

73. "Imagine an organization with an employee who can accurately see
the truth, understand the situation, and understand the potential
outcomes of various decisions. And now imagine that this person is
able to make something happen." ~ Seth Godin.

74. Change is hard

75. Connected learners are more
effective change agents

76. Real Question is this:
Are we willing to change- to risk change- to meet the
needs of the precious folks we serve?
Can you accept that Change (with a ―big‖ C) is
sometimes a messy process and that learning new things
together is going to require some tolerance for ambiguity.

77. Last Generation