As our Powerful Learning Practice Network grows, we are doing some amazing things with communities of practice, e-learning, raising the voices of forward-looking practitioners, and more. With these and other PLP initiatives underway, we felt it was time to establish an advisory board to help us keep our work out on the edge of professional learning in the 21st century.

We’d like to introduce our advisory board to you, one by one, and so we’ve come up with seven questions for each of them so you can have a little peek into what they’re thinking and who they are.

Meet Claudia L’Amoreaux, 2012-2013 Advisory Board Member

Claudia L'Amoreaux

Claudia L'Amoreaux, PLP Advisory Board Member

I’m Claudia L’Amoreaux and I wear many hats. Edge-ucator. Participatory Designer. Future of Learning consultant. Parent. Family communications coach. Youth mentor. I’ve had incredible mentors throughout my life, especially my daughter, Zohara. I thrive on complexity. I’m happiest when I’m way down the rabbit hole researching a topic I’m studying, walking in deep nature sighting coyotes and bobcats, snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay, Hawai’i, cooking with family and friends, or singing. I’m passionate about participatory learning ecosystems.

Why did you decide to become a part of the Advisory Board at Powerful Learning Practice?

I appreciate the values of PLP–especially the focus on educators as learners first, teachers second. In joining the PLP Advisory Board and taking an active role in the PLP Network, I have an opportunity to collaboratively solve some of the many serious challenges we face in education today. How awesome is that? I look forward to co-creating the future of 21st Century Learning with such a committed group of visionary educators.

What are you up to professionally?

I curate the Connected PD Project, an experiment in “community-sourced” teacher professional development centered around NROC’s exciting open education resources. I am a Senior Associate with the Natoma Group, a consultancy focused on learning and technology in the developing world. I’m co-designing a pilot program with students and teachers helping NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) classrooms around the country collaborate online. I’m prototyping an Open Learning Network in my local community.  I am an advisor to Project Happiness.

If you had the power to make an immediate change to our educational system, what would you implement?

Put more emphasis on well-being and happiness than on grades and testing. Look at Finland’s school system, not as THE model, but as a model with insights to offer. They focus on well-being first and their students and teachers are excelling. The country of Bhutan is on to something with their move to put Gross National Happiness indicators above Gross National Product in importance.

What is your favorite quote and what does it mean to you?

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. –Alan Kay

Alan Kay was a maker long before #maker and #DIY started trending. The future is hands-on. I’m dedicated to collaboratively prototyping and iterating learning futures that place a high value on well-being, happiness, compassion, choice, self-direction and social justice.

Where can people find you online?

I can be found on Twitter as @ClaudiaInWorld and @ConnectedPD. On Google+, you’ll find me here: http://gplus.to/ClaudiaLAmoreaux. I can be found working on Natoma Group projects here: http://www.natomagroup.com. Occasionally, you might run into my avatars on the 3D Internet, usually at education-related events. You can see presentations I’ve given on learning in 3D here: http://goo.gl/gcyBd. I can also be found hosting web panels like this one for the International Journal of Learning and Media on the state of the Digital Divide, 2012: http://ijlm.net/node/13109

Any final words?

I feel so fortunate to be working at the intersection of technology and education today. I love the hard challenges. MOOCs, Twitter Chats, PLNs, Google+ Hangouts, week-long, global online conferences–there are so many incredible opportunities to find kindred spirits and do together things we can’t do alone.

 

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Christen Dodd

Christen is a Connected Learning Specialist for PLP. After earning her MEd. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Virginia, she began her career as a K-5 Computer Resource Teacher. She enjoyed collaborating with staff and creating technology lessons that engaged students, but caught “the bug” for presenting to educators on a national level. For eleven years, Christen trained educators both face-to-face and virtually with Verizon Thinkfinity. She also served as their Distance Learning Coordinator and Vice President of Professional Development. Christen has enjoyed working with Powerful Learning Practice since 2011 and continuing her work with educators, parents and students alike. Currently, she is also an instructional technology specialist at her children's JK-8 Catholic school.

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