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We are known for our innovative approach to professional development. You know, the year-long, job-embedded experience built around emerging, social Web technologies. And now, there will be even more ways for us to connect with each other.

Take a look below at What’s New for the 2011-2012 communities!

  • Connected Coaches: After much thought and reflection in creating the Connected Coaching philosophy, we are hard at work equipping 2011-2012 coaches as appreciative capacity builders. The goal is to have coaches work with our team members as a way to think deeply and learn to be self-directed, connected educators. The first Connected Coaches will serve in the upcoming Australian cohort with Dean Shareski and Lani Ritter Hall as co-directors of the new program. The first team of coaches include Marsha Ratzel, Chad Evans, Mark Carbone, Brenda Sherry, Zoe Branigan Pipe, and John Pearce. These folks and many more will be 21st Century Life Coaches to next year’s teams.
  • Fellows, but so much more: Next year, PLP Fellows, so designated for their experience and leadership, will work together virtually to develop 21st Century leadership skills and an action plan that will collectively enable them to leverage what they learn and return to their schools with a plan in place. Using the larger community of PLPeeps as a safety net to explore and test ideas, they will ultimately lead the initiatives once they return to their schools and districts.
  • Year Two Teams–Carrying on from our pilot this year, our second year participants with work on authentic experiences with experts in the field.
  • The Expanded Network: We can’t wait for this down the road. We will be using website more to enable cross cohort collaboration–not only member only areas but other places for social interaction with those friends of Powerful Learning Practice who learn with us, nationally and internationally.
  • The Hub: This will excite those of you who have been frustrated by the design of the NING. We will be replacing the NINGS with our own hub of activity, easily navigated and full of goodness in a Common Area. Finally, cross community collaboration between PLPers will be a click away.
  • Come Join Us Alone: If getting a team together has been difficult, next year we are also offering opportunities for individuals to participate in either the leadership community, The Leading Edge, or within our traditional communities. Depending upon the number, individual teachers and administrators will be grouped in teams using a Birds of a Feather interest approach or connected to a situated team that is geographically close.
  • Back in OZ : We will be working with 70 Australians on project based learning for the next few months in a project called Connect U. These are tech savvy teachers who will look at curriculum more deeply, and develop cross-curricular projects around 21st Century skills (while sharpening their own skills and building community).
  • Project Based- Can’t Get Enough: With vast experience on problem-based and project-based learning, Kevin Honeycutt will lead a team of PLP experts who will offer live interactive learning for our teachers.  They will learn by DOING actual work, some with their students as well.
  • E-Courses: The need is there. As more and more of us are teaching blended courses online, we want to share our experience. Teachers will be able to take a 15, 10, or 5 week course, which will help them design courses, manage assignments, and work with students in this emerging field. More E-Courses on a variety of topics, both philosophical and practical, will be offered.
  • PLP Symposium: Next year, we will offer an international conference that will be both face to face and online, which we hope sets the standard for blended conferences. There will be many opportunities for PLPeeps and friends to present and learn collaboratively. This will not be like any other online event you have ever attended. Stay tune for more details.
  • Voices from Learning Revolution: In looking for other ways to tap into the natural talents of our PLPeeps in ways that honor them and us, we created VFLR to enable in depth discussions about educational shifts. We love that it isn’t about us (PLP), but about the collective us (the educators and schools) who share a powerful vision about the future of learning.
  • Conversations from the Edge: Conversations from the Edge is a series of raw, honest and candid dialogues about education’s shifting learning landscape. Hosted by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Will Richardson.
  • Speakers Bureau: We have amazing people among us, so we want to share. We will also offer an application process, so people can be part of this new opportunity.
  • Build Your Own PD: The PLP experience is intense, but many people would like a taste of what we offer–not necessarily the whole year experience. We will offer shorter experiences in a variety of 21st Century topics. Let us customize a Virtual Institute for you.
  • Creative Ways to Learn: Finally, we will continue to offer some of the options we have already begun: TPACK Tuesdays, Pecha Kucha smackdowns, guest speakers, and great authors interviews–all for you!

Amazing opportunities we hope  you’ll want to take advantage of. Together we are building a space to connect and reflect, learn and share. Together we can and will change the way we do school.

 

image credit:By buck82

 

 

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Susan Carter Morgan

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