Professional Development Goes Rogue

David Cohen:

My last professional development experience occurred at a bar, with a pitcher of beer passed among participants at the table. Don't worry - no district funds were misspent. It was my second time joining an informal evening tweet-up (i.e., organized on Twitter) of Computer-Using Educators (CUE) in the San Francisco Bay Area. These gatherings go by hashtag #brewcue. There's an occasional afternoon version - same idea, more caffeinated - called #coffeecue, with gatherings popping up in a wider variety of locations.

I won't be able submit any paperwork from these experiences, won't be reimbursed or move up the pay scale - but I have benefitted from the experience. At my first #brewcue I talked with peers about how we manage paperless assignments and grading, and even had a chance to talk with someone working on the technical side of this matter, developing a product called Voice Comments. Then I heard about how different schools organize teacher time in different ways to promote technology integration. And then I listened in as two tech gurus shared their perspectives on how to make informed and cost-effective purchasing decisions that promote student learning and autonomy. And then I learned how students can use Minecraft in a variety of educational ways. As the parent of a California fourth-grader, I found the online California Mission Reports particularly interesting.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 12, 2013 12:46 AM
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