21 st Century Educational Technology and Learning

Welcome to a very special post… one that has been a traditional post each holiday season. It was several Christmas Eves ago that I found this letter under my Christmas Tree! I have made it a practice to put it away, until just a few weeks before Christmas each year, with the idea of sharing it with you! Please take a moment to read this very special letter from Santa! He takes a moment to describe the magic that you as an educator make happen every day! While you are at it, I would appreciate that you take a moment to subscribe to this Blog by RSS or email and follow me at (mjgormans). Also, feel free to contact me about any conference, in-service plans, or PD you might wish to include me in. (mjgormans@gmail.com)  Please continue to network and join me for our special journey into 21st century education, something that is very magical to me. Please share this letter by providing a re-tweet, and feel to copy and distribute (please give reference).  My only request is that you encourage others to join me in at this blog.   Next post… PBL at the North Pole  (subscribe now) !  May your holidays be filled with magic! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/)

A Letter From Santa…. by  Michael Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com) ….Twitter (mjgormans)

Dear Teachers,

I have been meaning to write this letter for a long time! It is a letter that I feel is long overdue and with the elves getting all ready for my long ride, I finally found the time! I have been watching teachers for many years and I am amazed at the work they do. I have come to a conclusion that the teaching profession, like my own, must be filled with bits of  magic! Please let me provide ten statements of evidence for my belief.

1.  I travel the world one night of the year visiting all the boys and girls of the world. The teaching profession works with every boy and girl all year long. This equates to each teacher fulfilling educational needs for 30 – 200 children each and every school day. Seems like magic to me!

2. I deliver presents to all the boys and girls. From my Toy Repair Shop statistics I find many of these gifts are broken or no longer garner a child’s interest within months!  Yet teachers find inner gifts in every child. Teachers nurture these inner gifts  until they develop into true presents that will last a lifetime.  These kinds of gifts sure seem like magic to me!

3. I keep my naughty and nice list for every child. Some people believe this job is pretty amazing! Yet when I look at the teaching profession, teachers provide a constant evaluation of all their students! Their list covers all the aspects of developing and learning which they report to children’s parents and to the children themselves! This evaluation is based on a wide variety of observations, data, and student performance.  Teachers will then use this list to help improve each and every student! Wow, keeping track of every student’s ability and prescribing ways to be successful must really be magic!

4. I leave presents to students who are on the nice list and who believe in me. Teachers work with all children because they believe in every student. Teachers continue to do so, even when students stop believing in the educational system’s ability to help them achieve.  That type of persistence has got to be magic!

5. I have operated my workshop using the same technology for hundreds of years and it has worked for me. Then again, I work with children when they are asleep, delivering presents in my own way. Teachers work with children when they are awake and they have spent time learning how to engage children using googles, blogs, phlogs, glogs, prezis, and all these other words I really don’t know! Being able to teach, transform, and accommodate for this new digital generation must really be magic!

6. I have made it a practice to leave coal behind for children who do not make my good list! It seems every year the same children always get the coal. Teachers refuse to leave coal, in fact, they are working hard at leaving no child behind. To work towards a goal of leaving no child behind is a true act of magic!

7. I read the news and I am always so thankful to read all the nice articles about my work. It really does provide me with motivation to keep up my vocation. I read news articles about the education profession and it seems that most articles are unsupportive. Yet, teachers keep working hard at providing success for their students! These teachers must be operating on a little bit of magic!

8. I have thousands of elves, of course the reindeer, and the  community of the entire North Pole to assist me. Teachers work every day, many times by themselves, as they provide new opportunities for their students! Carrying that load alone must be much heavier than my bag of toys. It must really be magic!

9. I receive many a thank you and millions of pictures of happy faces as children open their presents each year. Teachers don’t always get a thank you, or may never see the present get eventually opened. When they do, appreciation may come from decades later!  A thank you that appears after many years must be the result of pure magic!

10. I discovered a light in Rudolph brightens up a dark, foggy, or snowy night so that I can deliver joy to all the children across the world. Teachers provide the light that brightens our world in both the darkest night and brightest day! It is the light of learning and knowledge!  The ability to keep that light burning  bright  must take a quite a bit of magic!

You see, I have found that magic does not come easily! It is made possible only by those who work hard and keep believing, and seek what they know is possible! As you can see, there must be a great deal of magic in the education profession! Please continue to keep this magic alive and know that you are all on my good list! After all, I had to learn all that I do from somewhere! So from across the years I know I have many teachers to thank!   Last, to all teachers across the world… I really do believe in you!

Thanks for all the magic,

Santa

I hope you enjoyed this very special message from Santa. Please take a moment to share this letter with other educators across the world. It will truly help bring out the magic in our profession! Please accept my present to you,  which is another year of postings by subscribing by email or RSS and follow me on Twitter (mjgormans). Think about contacting me to see how I might fit into your conference or school PD plans. (mjgormans@gmail.com)! Again, take a moment to share this blog and even give it a re-tweet so that other educators can experience the magic.  Next post… PBL at the North Pole  (subscribe now) ! May you find the peace, joy, blessing, and magic of this very special season… and to all a good night! – Mike Gorman  (21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Welcome to a second post that gives another short break in a series of articles dedicated to PLN’s, Twitter, Curriculum Curation, and Social Networks in Education!  In this break I thought I would share a new NASA STEM website that connects with thousands of resources.!  Before reading about this discovery, please take a moment to subscribe by email or RSS  to my 21centuryedtech Blog and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans.  I have more great resource filled posts coming your way involving 21st century skills, PBL, STEM, Web 2.0, and educational transformation.  Enjoy this post!! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

It appears that NASA is providing an outstanding resource that is certainly with in the scope of STEM educators. Now is the time for you to explore NASA Wavelength, an initiative dedicated  to providing education a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels.  The incredible resources at Nasa Wave length were developed through funding of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD). You will find that all the resources have undergone a rigorous peer-review process.  Collaboratively,educators and scientists worked ensure reliable and practical  content for your classroom. Let’s take a closer look.

A first stop might include discovering the vast amount of resources.  Jump in and perform a a search that covers over 2000 resources. You can also looked at resources by audience or topic.  You may wish to explore some of the featured resources such as, Monitoring the Global Activities, Building Perspectives with Active Galaxies, The Sun as a Star, What is the Difference between Heat and Temperature, or Black Hole Orbits. The activities include guides, cost and material needs, resources, assessments, and so much more. My search on Volcanoes supplied nine amazing resources while a search on Oceans supplied me with 117 activities. Further exploration revealed that NASA Wave length connects educators with some amazing web resources, incredible nonfiction readings, awesome multimedia, outstanding hands-on activities, and some engaging simulations and activities. You will discover inquiry based units of student that bring out the best practices found in project, problem,and inquiry based learning.

Be sure to visit the News And Information Link to discover great webinars, events, contests and upcoming activities. You will be overwhelmed at all the opportunities for teachers and students. But wait… there is so much more! Take a moment (or more) and discovery all of the possibilities in the NASA Science Data and Images resources collection. Here you will discover the following three categories as described by NASA Wave length:

• Introductory: These NASA science images, animations, and visualizations don’t need special software or tools to access and use. These resources can be used to illustrate a concept, to engage students, to develop an educational exhibit, program or product, learn about the latest science discoveries and more.
• Intermediate: Access science data and tools designed for use in the classroom, informal education settings, and by citizen scientists.
• Advanced: Access full scientific data sets and/or analysis tools for conducting research and analysis.

Some of the amazing sites you will visit include Earth from Space which is an online database includes selected astronaut-acquired imagery of Earth and is searchable by clickable map, as well as by city, Earth landscapes, hurricanes and weather, geographic regions, Earth’s water habitats, distinctive features and more. Another site, NASA Climate Change explores a collection of climate news, visualizations, FAQ’s, interactives and resources related to the changing climate and NASA’s role in studying climate change. Remember this is just two of about 30 amazing collections.

Don’t forget to visit the ScienceCasts which are brief videos about fun, interesting, and unusual science topics that have been a part of  NASA’s science missions over the years. There is also a link to NASA eClips which “are short, relevant educational video segments inspiring and engaging students while allowing them see real world connections. NASA produces new video segments weekly exploring current applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, topics. NASA also produces some amazing Apps for both the iPad and Droid marketplace. Check out this link to discover some of these neat applications such as Rocket Science 101. Last, be sure to view the image of the day. These images can provide a launching spot for valuable and authentic inquiry and research.

Please note that NASA Wavelength was developed by a team from the Space Sciences Laboratory and Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the Adler Planetarium under NASA Cooperative Agreements . The development team has worked with educators across the country to define, test and launch NASA Wavelength.  The NASA Wavelength site is currently in beta testing and welcomes your feedback.

Hope you enjoyed this opportunity to explore an amazing resouce that is just out of this world,  Please remember to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email and follow me on twitter at mjgormans. I have exciting resource filled posts coming your way. I also appreciate your sharing of this post and any retweets. Keep up the amazing work and please enjoy the wonderful world of current educational resources I try to bring your way. Welcome to the Future! – Mike Gorman

Welcome to one of my favorite annual  postings that I dedicate each year to an amazing world of educators. I hope you find this reflection one that you will continue to enjoy and share with others!   Also, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email and  join me on twitter at mjgormans . I have some great posts coming your way involving PBL, STEM, tech integration, and a continuing series on Professional Learning Communities!  Most of all, thanks for being one of those over 20,000 visitors a month and  I would appreciate it if you pass this special post on to others through and email or a retweet!  Also, remember that I can come to your conference or school district and provide engaging authentic and purposeful professional development . Please contact me anytime at (mjgormans@gmail.com). Thanks so much.  Michael Gorman (21centuryedtech)

It’ True!: I Teach Because I Can’t Do Anything Else! – Michael Gorman

(21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Ok, so it’s true! I have spent nearly thirty-five years teaching and in education because I cannot do anything else! In fact, while I travel around the country providing professional development involving all sorts of exciting educational possibilities I also still work at my school district providing learning experiences for students and educators. The idea of not being able to do anything else actually is something I have recently learned,  something I did not know  when I  presented my very first classroom lesson! I actually  began my undergraduate career in the College of Business with an eye on marketing. In the early stages of my teaching career I became licensed to sell securities with the idea of becoming rich!  Little did I know that because I could only teach, I would find richness beyond monetary wealth! I dedicate this list of reasons to all of those great educators who teach, because they cannot do anything else! Again please retweet and share with all of our colleagues that really can’t do anything else!

The List

I can’t be a banker or work in the financial business because while I might enjoy counting money and financial growth, I would rather count and measure the success of my students.

I can’t be a doctor or dentist because because while I enjoy seeing people smile as they leave and are healed, I get even more satisfaction if I see a smile when they first sit down.

I can’t be a professional athlete because while I do enjoy competition, I get even more satisfaction coaching young people to play each game with honor, integrity, and respect.

I can’t be a computer programmer because while creating new digital applications is exciting, finding ways to integrate technology to inspire real learning is rewarding.

I can’t work in agriculture or landscaping because while supplying food and natural beauty is appreciated by all, I enjoy planting seeds of life-long learning knowing that it will nourish one’s life.

I can’t work as a cook or chef because while I appreciate the art in a great meal, I most enjoy finding just the right ingredients that allow for a child’s success.

I can’t work in sales or marketing because even though I have learned from their great people skills, I would rather sell students on their abilities and possibilities.

I can’t be a pilot even though I appreciate them as I travel to new places, as I would rather facilitate young people as they climb in altitude and arrive at new destinations.

I can’t be an artist despite my appreciation for the beauty they bring,as I have found that my art is the ability to inspire and nurture children as they discover their innate abilities.

I can’t be a scientist or inventor because, while I am aware of the great advances they bring, I wish to create  innovative learning experiences that always end in success.

I could go on and on! As you can see, I really do appreciate all of the other professions and realize there are so many more I can’t do. After all, as teachers we really are preparing students for what they will do best in the world. Possibly in the future those we teach will not be able to do anything else, because we have assisted them them in becoming the very best at what they do!  As I continue my journey I have expanded my teaching horizon and understand that genuine educators, whether they be teachers, administrators, or educational leaders, continue to teach and inspire others, because they really can’t do anything else.

Thanks for joining me on another journey dedicated to learning in the 21st Century! As always I invite you to follow me on Twitter (@mjgormans), I will return the favor and we can teach each other! I also encourage you to sign up for this blog by email or RSS.  I invite you to share this posts with others through email or a retweet!  Thanks for your visit and know that I will keep  sharing, teaching, and facilitating all learners, after all, I can’t do anything else! – Michael Gorman (21centuryedtech)

Welcome to a post that gives a short break in a series of articles dedicated to PLN’s, Twitter, Curriculum Curation, and Social Networks in Education!  In this break I thought I would share this amazing STEM resource that could even connect to PBL!  Before reading about this discovery, please take a moment to subscribe by email or RSS  to my 21centuryedtech Blog and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans.  I have more great resource filled posts coming your way involving 21st century skills, PBL, STEM, Web 2.0, and educational transformation.  Enjoy this post!! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

This great snack of information comes to you from the The Exploratorium Teacher Institute (TI) which  has been a professional development home for middle school and high school science teachers since 1984. TI offers a rich mix of hands-on activities based on Exploratorium exhibits, content-based discussions, classroom materials, Web-based teaching resources, and machine shop experiences. In this posting I wish to introduce you to an area that  Exploratorium TI refers to as Science Snacks. I like to think of them as STEM or even STEAM (include the Arts) Snacks because they really do involve activities based on today’s STEM curriculum. The Exploritorium refers to these wonderful morsels as  miniature versions of some of the most popular exhibits at the Exploratorium (The Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception) in San Francisco. While I could report to you about this wonderful place of exploring, I invite you to explore the link. My emphasis will be on the delicious snacks of exploration and learning that Exploratorium TI provides.

Think of a Snack as a wonderful way to increase your students’ appetite for STEM inquiry, learning, and exploration. These Snacks are bite size opportunities to bring science alive in small but engaging size. The people at the Exploratorium explain the concept best.

“For three years, nearly one hundred teachers worked with staff members to create scaled-down versions of Exploratorium exhibits. The results were dozens of exciting “Snacks” — miniature science exhibits that teachers could make using common, inexpensive, easily available materials. By using Snacks in their classrooms, teachers can climb out of the textbooks and join their students in discovering science for themselves.” - Exploritorium TI

These activities could stand alone or provide teachers the opportunities to build into a PBL unit, either as a learning activity in the project scaffold… or  as an engaging entry event to promote “need to know” and inquiry. You will find the Snacks are divided into easy-to-follow sections that include instructions, advice, and helpful hints. Snacks begin with a descriptive image, an overview, and a listing of  materials needed. You will also find  assembly instructions. Best of all you will discover ways to use the completed exhibits.  Snacks can be completed by an individual or group.  There is even a section  that includes scientific and historic information to promote further understanding and inquiry.

Take a moment to explore this menu of amazing and delicious Snacks at the Exploratorium Snack Home Page .  You can also explore them by subject, supplies, or an A-Z listing.  While these Sacks were developed for high school students, the professionals at the Exploratorium found them being used by a wider audience.

“We received a message from a teacher in the Australian Outback who needed help finding materials.We heard from elementary school teachers and university professors. Art teachers were using Snacks, as were shop teachers and math teachers. Sixth-graders at one school were building their own miniature science museum. At another school, an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher found that building Snacks helped her students interact more. The ones who understood science best were helping those more adept at building things, and all were getting better at communicating with each other.” - Exploritorium TI

You can learn more about these amazing morsels of STEM (STEAM) learning at the  Exploratorium Science Snack Question and Answer Page. You may also wish to discover the Exploratorium’s newest Snack Book entitled “Square Wheels”  This publication contain 31 new Science Snacks based on Chemistry, Light & Color, Electricity & Magnetism, Sound & Waves, and Heat & Mechanics.

Hope you enjoyed this opportunity to explore an amazing resouce that is just the right course for your STEM diet.  Please remember to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email and follow me on twitter at mjgormans. I have exciting resource filled posts coming your way. I also appreciate your sharing of this post and any retweets. Keep up the amazing work and please enjoy the wonderful world of current educational resources I try to bring your way. Welcome to the Future! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Welcome to a series of posts that I am sure will show many educators a few secrets they may not have known about Twitter. Find out how you can conduct workshops teachers and even use Twitter with students with out Twitter Sign Up.  Before making this discovery, please take a moment to subscribe by email or RSS  to my 21centuryedtech Blog and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans.  I have more great resource filled posts coming your way involving 21st century skills, PBL, STEM, Web 2.0, and educational transformation.  Enjoy this post!! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

In a prior post I discuss all of the things that twitter is and is not. One item that I wish to emphasize is that Twitter is probably one of the best tools to find the very newest in education news, tools, resources, and reflections. This posts will allow you to get the most out of Twitter with out having to wait for the stream or getting a few catches with a basic search. Best of all I wish to explain how anyone can search Twitter… even without an account. This is great for professional development and can even be a classroom tool for students trying to uncover current topics. Let’s take a look.

Twitter Secret  - You can use Twitter with out a Twitter account.

What a great way to introduce educators to the real value of Twitter. After using the website I am about to introduce, you will find why it can be so valuable. It works great for an in-service because educators can use Twitter with out a sign up. It eliminates extra time in sign up, decreases technical problems when Twitter receives multiple requests from the same  IP location, and creates a need to know more about Twitter by teachers.

The site is called Twitter Search and it is hosted by Twitter. It allows the user to perform any Twitter related search without a Twitter sign in. Just go to http://twitter.com/search an you will get this amazing search page that I have pictured below.

Note that you get a search form for Twitter with out even signing in. You can now search in Twitter using terms, hash tags, and user names. Best of all you will get results and be able to follow links to awesome resources. But wait… there is even more.

Twitter Operators… Make You Basic Search Even Better

Ever wanted to know what operators that Twitter used. It is so easy to find out… just click the Operators Link that is found below the search box. In the space below you can view the operators that Twitter uses and you can incorporate in a Basic Search. Now you can drill down even better as you uncover cool links on the latest education tools and resources.

A Simple Way To Drill Drown Farther … By Getting Advanced

Sometimes a Basic Search is not enough. After all that is a lot on Twitter. For that reason I wish to point out the Twitter Advanced Search. It can be easily found on this same Twitter Search Page. Just click on Advanced Search. You can now filter your search even more, and you will be amazed at the results and awesome resources you will find. Note all of the extra ways you can now search including languages, phrases (strings), word elimination (not), additional words, users, hash tags, and more! It is a great way to bring your Twitter search to a new level. Read more about Twitter Advanced in this blog post.

Non Users and Students

I have found this Twitter Search Page valuable when training teachers. Many times after using, they are excited to sign up for their own Twitter account. I also mentioned using with students. In many cases it may now be possible because no log in or account set up is required. It could be great in finding facts and information. It would also work well with current events or an unraveling news story. Most of all it can show students the power and educational benefits of social media. As always… before using with students consult your district AUP, Terms Of Use, and check with district administration.  As in using any web application, students should be trained on proper digital citizenship and monitoring of students is essential. I hope you can see that this special website allows today’s digital user to harness the informational power that the internet brings… with out even making a Tweet!

Hope you enjoyed this opportunity to define and reflect on using Twitter in a different way. Also, remember to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email and follow me on twitter at mjgormans. I have exciting resource filled posts coming your way. I also appreciate your sharing of this post and any retweets. Keep up the amazing work and enjoy the wonderful world of current educational resources that can be found on Twitter. Welcome to the Future! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Welcome to a series of posts that I am sure will show many educators a few secrets they may not have known about Twitter. In this post you will learn how to find exactly how to find what you want in Twitter… beyond the Basic Search  Before making this discovery, please take a moment to subscribe by email or RSS  to my 21centuryedtech Blog and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans.  I have more great resource filled posts coming your way involving 21st century skills, PBL, STEM, Web 2.0, and educational transformation.  Enjoy this post!! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Twitter is a wonderful tool as you begin to learn how you can discover resources from all those wonderful educators tweeting each and every day.  While the ongoing stream is exciting to watch sometimes you may want to jump into twitter and just try to fly over and land on a specific resource. It is for this reason that many times people have used the search box found in Twitter. This is also where many people stop… and have possibly missed one of the most important links on the Twitter Page. Let’s take a closer look.

In the space below you will note a recent twitter search. I thought I would check out the “common core”. Of course I put common core in quotes because I want the two words together. (Want to learn more about Twitter Basic operators like strings… check out my next post in this series. I have a great graphic covering all operators.)

In the image above note that after performing this search I get a lot of tweets with possible links discussing the “common core”.  You may also notice that I can filter these searches to include (Top.. All… People You Follow) as I have highlighted in red. You may have also noted the other red highlight that includes what I believe to be the most amazing link in Twitter. After a quick click you will see the following options:

You can now even “Save Search” or go to “Advanced Search”. First, a “Saved Search” allows you to archive that search and come back to it later. Want to learn more about a “Saved Search” click here… it really is pretty cool. In this post we want to discover the “Advanced Search”. In the image below you will see what happens when that “Advanced Search Button’ is click! Yes… it is even cooler and possibly the most amazing link in Twitter!

Allow me to introduce you to the “Twitter Advanced Search Screen”. It really does give you the ability to drill down and begin the journey of  finding specific information. After all, there is an huge number of excellent tweets everyday on countless topics. Note all of the extra ways you can now search including languages, phrases (strings), word elimination (not), additional words, users, hash tags (#), and more! It is a great way to bring your Twitter search to a new level. In my search above I decided to add “science” into the search. I want to know how “science” and the “common core” maybe connected. My results are below.

As you can see the Basic Search box rewrote my search and entered in the proper syntax for my advanced search. I decided to include “All Users” and as you can see I did get some great results. In fact, the Tweets represent 5 days of Twitter stream activity. While I enjoy the Twitter Stream… five days may be a little to much to sit and watch… looking for what I need! Take a moment and fly over to Twitter and try to land on the Tweets you desire… it really might be “Twitters Best Link”!

Hope you enjoyed this opportunity to define and reflect ways to find what you are looking for in Twitter using some advanced searching techniques.  Please remember to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email and follow me on twitter at mjgormans. I have exciting resource filled posts coming your way. In fact, you might enjoy another secret I have discovered  allowing educators and students to use the resources in Twitter, with out an account.  Great for professional development!  I also appreciate your sharing of this post and any retweets. Keep up the amazing work and enjoy the wonderful world the Twitter Advanced Search. It really is amazingly simple.  Welcome to the Future! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Welcome to a the second of this  two part post  dedicated toward facilitating the common core by developing professional learning communities for educators and students.  In Part One you learned… an introduction to definitions and process for developing your own learning community.  In this second post I  include five simple steps as you develop your learning community with close to 50 links bringing you hundreds of valuable resources.  Please take a moment to subscribe by email or RSS  to my 21centuryedtech Blog and also give me a follow on Twitter at mjgormans.  I have more great resource filled posts coming your way involving 21st century skills, PBL, STEM, Web 2.0, and educational transformation.  Enjoy this post!! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)

Where do I start the journey toward developing learning communities for myself and students?

Many times teachers ask me, “What does it look like?” and “How do I make it happen. Well, the “What it looks like” was in the first post. Now it is time to explore close to fifty links and hundreds of resources. Together we can make your personal learning community really happen. Let’s begin with five steps!

Step 1: Start Gathering Resources… Explore Communities… Find Out What Is Out There!

I suggest one best way to start is becoming familiar with twitter. Why? Just the other day I wanted to find a connection with Project Based Learning and the Common Core. I knew I could Google, or even check a journal, but then I remembered how current Twitter can be. Within minutes I had five amazing resources. Best of all they were current, reliable, and rich in content. Through a click of a button I could share with my own community. Let me take a moment to explain what Twitter both is… and is not.

• Twitter is not: about you, what you just ate, what you saw on TV last night, it is not Facebook, it is not what you will do tomorrow, in other words; it is not what you are doing at every moment of every day.
• Twitter is: connecting with others, developing learning communities and networks, learning from each other, sharing with others, discovering resources and tools.

Those First Steps…  or… Tweets

• Sign up at http://twitter.com/  (Remember the user name (handle) you pick will become what you are known by on Twitter. Give it some thought. Be sure to read and understand Terms of Service.
•  Set up and edit your account and profile. Read more from this important Help Link.
• Following and Followers. How do you do it all? Read more about this topic in this Help Link. Remember when searching using the “Discover Tab” and press “Who to Follow”… you can choose by Subject… Name… Handle.  You will also find people to follow at http://listorious.com/, http://cybraryman.com/plnstars.html, http://wefollow.com/, and http://justtweetit.com/education/
• Discover Hashtags, Searches, and Advanced Searches. First, make sure you examine this useful Help Link. Remember that you can search for any area of interest using the Main Top Menu Search Box. Also Hashtags (#) allow you to look for, follow, and interact with predetermined categories of topics. Some places to find educational Hashtags include; November Learning, Cybraryman Hashtag, and Edudemic.
• Discover the real power of a Twitter Search.  By going advanced in your search you will discover a whole new world.  In fact it is part of a new post coming your way.
•  Check out the Welcome to Twitter Facts.  You might especially want to become familiar with the Twitter Glossary. You may also wish to look over the Twitter Best Practices.

Other Twitter Thoughts

• Twitter Search - Use this if you do not have an account. You can still do a lot of searching. I highlight it in my next post.
• Check out the area on all the twitter extras including items for devices and Tweet Deck. It is worth checking this link.
• Take the Twitter Tour. There are awesome tutorials that will help your Twitter knowledge. You just might like it so much that you will want to give it a tweet!

Step 2: Explore the Educational Blogosphere

In the past century educators relied on weekly and monthly newsletters, magazine articles and subscriptions, along with written documents. Blogs have opened up an entire new world for educators. They allow a wide variety of interests and topics and are available 24/7. Best of all they allow for interaction and the ability to self-publish for educators and students. When first exploring blogs keep in mind that few and simple maybe be best. I recommend finding no more then a dozen blogs that interest you. Here is a some blog ideas:

Search for a blog – It is very easy. Go to Google and enter the subject of interest and the word blog. I guarantee you will see countless possibilities. You can also discover the Google Search website called Google Blogs and search.

Blog Lists – These are listings of award winning Blogs on various topics. Two that I suggest are Top 50 Education Innovator and Top Forty Most Trusted Education Blog. You may also wish to look at this Wiki listing hundreds of education blogs around the world on almost any subject. Kathy Schrock who writes an awesome blog, also maintains a great list of educational blogs.

Some Blogs I follow – This is a small sample of Blogs that I follow. There are many more awesome ones that will fit your interests. Make sure to search and check out listings. Some of mine include; The DEN Blog, 21centuryedtech, Free Technology For Teachers, Educate To Innovate With STEM, Pogue’s Posts… The Latest Technology, Tech and Learning, and Teach 42 .

Google Reader – Using an RSS Feeder
What does a RSS reader/feeder do? Have trouble keeping up with the sites you visit? Read them in one place with Google Reader, where keeping up with your favorite websites is as easy as checking your email.
Stay up-to-date – Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content.

• Share with your friends – Use Google Reader’s built-in public page to easily share interesting items with your friends and family.
• Use it anywhere, for free – Google Reader is totally free and works in most modern browsers, without any software to install.
• Find great blogs – Google Reader allows you to search for blogs by subject. Once you find one… subscribe!

How do I start?

• First sign up for a Google account… great… you are ready to go… if you already have a Google account.
•  Sign up for a Google Reader Account at http://www.google.com/reader
•  Read through this using Google Reader Tutorial.

Step 3: Discover Professional On-line Learning Communities

Professional online communities are locations on the web that you can communicate and collaborate with educators that have the same interest. In these wonderful places you will discover additional groups, discussions, resources, tools, webinars, and best of all other educators that can become part of your learning community. It really is a place online that you can hang out, learn, and share on just about any subject you desire. I have listed a few below that I feel will provide people and resources that will help you in strategies essential to the common core… take a moment to check them out.

• The DEN - This is a wonderful area provided by all the member of the Discovery Education Network. This free community provides numerous opportunities to discover new tools and resources while meeting and sharing with other energized DEN members.
• BIE – The BUCK institute for Education provides this area for educators to learn and collaborate in the field of PBL (Project Based Learning).
• Siemens STEM Academy – This community provides resources, outstanding webinars, connections, opportunities, and an engaging blog for those interested in STEM.
• Assessment For Learning – A place where you can learn and share about assessment strategies that help students learn.
• iEar – It is all about education and  iPads including  discussion and reviews by educators and students.
• Flipped Learning Network – An exciting community created by and for those educators engaging students in the flipped learning experience.
• Edutopia – The name says it best. Here you will find a wonderful community for those working together on what works… in education.
• MSP2 – The Middle School Science and Math Pathways community is a great place to discover resources, people and tools that will engage students in science and math while integrating the common core.
• Classroom 2.0 – You will discover a fantastic community engaged in exploring the educational world of Web 2.0 and classroom transformation and all it has to offer. You may need at least an afternoon!
• Educational Networking – While you have already found at least one community… take a moment to check this wiki that lists hundreds of education communities. You may wish to schedule another afternoon!

Step 4: Connect Students to PLN’s

As educators establish learning communities and networks, students must also have that opportunity. With this in mind schools must provide such places in a safe and nurturing way. In this way students learn to effectively share and learn from one another. The 21^st century skills that are emphasized in the common core come alive. All students can participate, not just those that are called on after raising their hand in class. As an introduction, I envision two different learning communities for students. I also remind you about this connection and the  common core.

“Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners …” and “Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others …” – Common Core Overview Document

Classroom and School – These are communities that allow for classroom collaboration, learning, and sharing… 24 hours a day. These communities can allow for a video of a class lecture, an online discussion, a poll, and the sharing of collaborative document. I share two such communities below. My explanation is brief and I encourage you to click each link to learn more. Also, remember to always read the “Terms Of Use” when using any web service with students. You should be in direct correspondence with your school district AUP. If you are ever in question, check with your school administration. Both of these listed communities provide educator learning communities. In Edmodo you will find them in Communities and My Big Campus lists them as Topics.

Edmodo – One of the fastest growing classroom based communities. This site allows for class discussions, polls, resource sharing, lessons, and small group collaboration. This digital extension of your classroom is available to students 24/7 in an easy to use relatively closed environment.

My Big Campus – This product has many of the same features of Edmodo along with some additional capabilities that include bundling for curation and filtered discussions. There is both a freemium version and a complimentary version that comes with the Lightspeed Filter. The difference is the extent of filtering.

Global Communities – Students must also have the opportunities to explore past their classroom and communicate with diverse partners across the city, state, country, and globe. I have listed several free communities below that allow teachers to set up such experiences. Take a look at each and discover what might work for your classroom. Also remember to always read the “Terms Of Use” when using any web service with students. You should be in direct correspondence with your school district AUP. If you are ever in question, check with your school administration.

• ePals – A wonderful place to find other teachers and explore projects that might fit your classroom needs. Note that while there are extensive free areas, ePals does have areas that do cost.
• iEARN – A wonderful organization known as the International Education and Resource Network. It is the world’s largest non-profit global network enabling teachers and youth to use the Internet and other technologies to collaborate on projects that enhance learning and make a difference in the world.
• Taking It Global – This community has a mission to empower youth with an understanding that asks them to take a stand… and act on the world’s greatest challenges.

Step 5: Discover Virtual Learning Opportunities

At one time going to a conference would mean using some sort of transportation to visit a location so that you could learn, share, and collaborate. This is an awesome experience and I highly recommend it. What if you could have more than one of these experiences a year… at no cost and with no travel? In fact, what if you could do it in your own home? It is now possible, in part because of the wonders of the internet. Whether it is a 30 minute webinar, an entire day seminar, or a week-long conference… there are virtual opportunities for you. If you happen to miss the live airing, remember that most are archived for anytime viewing. The best way to find a virtual conference is to Google “virtual conference” with your subject of interest. Take a look a small selection of possibilities below.

• DEN VirtCon – Discovery provides these periodically. They are always a outstanding experience and give learners great opportunities to learn and collaborate. This link provides one offered in Oct 2012.
• Learning 2.0 Conference – While it has already passed by… check the link for some great archived resources.
• iEARN Virtual Conference – A chance to learn more about global connections and opportunities for your students.
• FETC Virtual – Usually provided as a pre or post virtual extension to a conference held in sunny Orlando in January.
• Global Education Conference – This is an annual conference that is an engaging and unique multiple day event. Check out the next one or explore the archived past.

Hope you enjoyed this opportunity to define and reflect on learning communities. .  Also remember to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email and follow me on twitter at mjgormans. I have exciting resource filled posts coming your way. In fact, you might enjoy some neat secrets I have discovered for finding exactly what you want in Twitter and also a way to use Twitter with out an account.  Great for professional development!  I also appreciate your sharing of this post and any retweets. Keep up the amazing work and enjoy the wonderful world of 21st century learning and Learning Communities. It really doesn’t matter what you call them! Welcome to the Future! – Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com)