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Conversation & Reflection within a learning session ~ extending a learning session

!Summer Academy

2014

!1NKCS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Conversation & Reflection within a learning session ~ extending a learning session

!“Blog vs. Forum”

As a general rule of thumb in the world of online media, a “blog post” differs from a “forum discussion” in that a blog post is designed to give information, while a forum discussion is designed to elicit information from others. That said, both allow commenting to the original post, and on this network (especially for the purposes of Summer Academy) they really are interchangeable.

As a professional learning network, the main purpose behind The Incubator @ NKCS is to facilitate reflection, sharing, and learning via the conversation between educators. Although this network can be used 100% asynchronously (away from one another: not in the same room at the same time) perhaps a best-case scenario for its use is one of enhancing and extending your session beyond the time slot. Think about both reflection for and about learning. Ask yourself what you would like to see your participants think about and do during as well as after your session. With a little bit of planning, online discussion via The Incubator can truly enhance and extend almost any learning experience.

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When planning your session, ask yourself the following: Would I like the participants of this session to… !• Record and share their takeaways, aha! moments, and overall learning? • Log current or pre-understanding before the session begins in order to get a

baseline for learning and growth? • Share individual strategies that work to a common, collaborative area? • Connect to something in the real world in the days and weeks after the session has

ended? • Work as a team to find and contribute resources to a common area for all to see? • Create something new as a result of the session, post to a thread, and engage in a

virtual “gallery walk” by providing feedback to colleagues? • Co-facilitate feedback for all during the session? • Have an opportunity to continue a valuable discussion into the future… perhaps

even the entire school year? • Etc……. !Any and all of these modes of interaction are possible here. Once you have selected to go with either the blog or forum, you will find a small, minimalist “+” in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. Start here to create a new post (see image below). Simply click the + and a new window opens allowing you to craft your post, including the specific prompts for action from your participants.

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!Once your post has been published, commenting is open to all members of The Incubator. A key component of the comments section is that it allows for threaded discussion. A threaded discussion features the ability for any participant (actually any member of the network) to provide direct feedback to any individual who responds. This is opposed to only being able to provide comments directly back to the original creator of the post. This is an important feature in helping to facilitate a free-flowing discussion. !An example of this is evident in the first screenshot on the following page…

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enter title here

add links attach filesadd images

add TAGS, or keywords in order to find the post a year or

more from now

click to publish

add the main body of your prompt in this space: your information, suggestions, resources, prompts, & questions. remember, this can include hyperlinks, images, and document files.

!Notice how the L-shaped, light gray arrow and indented test denotes Penny Kittle’s comment as directly addressed to another commenter (J Brown) as opposed to the original prompt. By clicking either of the “Reply” links shown above, a third commenter could reply directly to either Brown or Kittle. This is a simple distinction, but it is one that makes online conversation of this nature much easier for all to follow. !

Other examples (links are underlined): !• This post is from a recent professional learning event. You’ll see that it includes

information in the form of a prompt, an embedded set of slides used in the session, a detailed call to action for participants, and the ensuing feedback and conversation from all involved. !• In a recent learning lab with Cris Tovani and Sam Bennett, participants were

asked to respond with takeaways and reflections. Notice now the call to action is simple and easy to follow, yet direct and with specific instruction. !• This thread is an example of using the space to collaboratively create share a set

of resources for future use. !• Tovani/Bennett cohort members stop to reflect on their long-term unit planning

prior to the start of the first lesson. Prompt asks for responses in “PMI” format.

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One final note !Do not be an absentee landlord. In essence, do not fail to interact in these discussions yourself. Emerging and important best practices in the enhancement of learning online deal with the role of the facilitator. If you create a thread without providing follow-up commentary, it will probably die a quiet death that day. A good rule of thumb is to never ask for any sort of interaction or sharing in which you do not intend to provide at least a minimal level of feedback. In short: interact. !In much the same way as students in the classroom, educators also expect and appreciate feedback on their thinking. Sometimes the best form of feedback comes from detailed peer-to-peer responses. However, try not to be completely absent from these online discussions regardless of the nature of their design. For better or worse, as the facilitator of learning in your session, you will often bring a different sort of weight to the conversation. This is not to say that you need to provide direct feedback to every comment made, but it does suggest that you should not be absent from the discussion. !Restate the learning you see. Ask for clarification, suggestions, or assistance. Validate risk-taking. Offer thanks or congratulations. Challenge a position. Ask probing questions. Try to push the thinking of your participants beyond the face-to-face session. You'll know you've designed and facilitated a valuable session if the thinking and learning extends beyond that initial day. Encouraging subsequent thought and conversation around whatever content or skills you are learning... is an excellent way to help educators bridge the gap from the conference room to the classroom.

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