I just finished reading #SAVMP Assignment #21 by George Couros Online Portfolios by gcouros and Paul McGuire's post in response to the assignment Principal Musings on Education. I completely agree with George's points which were based on the premise that we need to move to Online Portfolios / Blogging et al. :
1. The Google Factor
2. Searching and Organization
3. Anywhere, Anyplace, Any Time Access
4. Create Opportunities Instead of Looking for Them
5. Continuous Sharing
Here is why Blogging and Developing an Online Presence works for me:
1. Collections of Learning
I have always been a collector. I collect quotes. I collect articles and research about best practices. And, I am a REFERENCER! Some how, some way, these things stay in my brain as sort of a shadow of their full meaning. So.....when I want to find their full meaning or the exact quote I plan to use, I just run to my collections and find what it is I need. These "collections" make up the sum total of my learning and the items that have led me to the vision I currently have for my school, my occupation, and my life. And, can I just tell you, that sorting through my binders and journals and various "collections" is time consuming. I feel like the past few years I have become freed by the amazing apps out there like GTasks, EverNote, GoogleKeep and my all-time favorite NoteShelf.
For example, I take copious notes during the sermons at church, and when I would fill up a notebook or a journal with notes, I would end up storing it in some dark corner only to be "referenced' every blue moon. Well, now, I don't have to worry about where to store them or if I will ever use them again. Using NoteShelf, I have digital notebooks of pages and pages of notes that don't take up ANY space. They are all customizable which is always fun and adds a personal flair. And, I can save them as a .pdf and print individual pages or save the full notebook to another location if I like. This is my favorite app. because I can take pictures of anything and embed them in the notes. I JUST LOVE IT! I can Tweet pages, email pages to team members; it is extremely versatile. Here is a screen shot from my iPad of a few levels of shelves containing my notebooks.I am no longer held captive by the search for a piece of paper. This completely matches George C's point about "Searching and Organization." I am quickly navigating to a Paperless Existence, and...
MY BLOG SERVES AS A... COLLECTION OF MY LEARNING.
Transparency is a way of life for our children and our students. I am aghast at what some of them share with the world, and I know that time and maturity will help many of them develop the skills to be more discretionary with their online presence; however, I also admire their bravery. The new generations are not afraid to say what they think, to engage, or to grapple with life "out loud" and sometimes online. When I first started BLOGGING I was terrified. Some days I still am about what people will think about what I have to say....like my December post where I shared about my most recent tattoo. Yes, I said..."most recent". LOL. But, I ultimately feel the transparency is one of the best parts of my BLOGGING. If anyone reads my posts, they get a true sense of who I am. Some day, my children may be able to look back at these posts and discover some tidbit about their mother they didn't know. --Hi Kids :O)--
Most importantly, I believe that we all need to be our own chief storytellers. We need to control the story that is told about us. When someone "Googles" you, what do they find?
3. Shared Learning
This morning I was searching my brain for when I first heard about George Couros and the work he was doing. I can't remember, but if I went and searched my own Twitter feed, I would be able to find my first RETWEET or FAVORITE of his work. I remember, one day, I was clicking through his links everywhere in my typical DIY learning mode, and I found his BLOG as Portfolio YouTube video. I thought to myself, back then," I want to do that". AND, 1 and 1/2 years later, I have begun my portfolio. My BLOG represents a collection of my online learning. From Canada I have taken this concept to Florida. One of my fellow principals began BLOGGING soon after me, and I like to think that my BLOG entries have encouraged him to have the commitment to the task because I shared my learning. I hope others will follow.
4. Modeled Learning
With BLOGGING, I have to step out and take risks all the time. I do this so that I can understand the world my students live in and even the future ahead of them. Entire school districts have been using Digital Portfolios with their students K-12. I am modeling this learning for others, and I am experiencing it side-by-side with our current generation of students. It is a challenge, it is authentic, and it is highly rewarding.
5. My Goal
As I grow in my capacity to develop an online presence, I will be adding more pages to my BLOG and stepping out more often with other programs. After I went to FETC, I created my own Vizify which is a sort of bio program that grabs all parts of your online persona and meshes them together. It really took just a few easy clicks. Here is my Vizify Bio:
Vizify Bio for Enrjtk-Educatr
Also, after reading Paul McGuire's post, he shared a great site called About.Me which I have on my ToDo list for upcoming goals. It is one more way to begin developing this online resume or portfolio or presence or, or, or.....
The sky is the limit here. There are so many paths to innovation with the online platform. Give it a try!
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