PONderings

I just stumbled across a podcast from School Library Journal that speaks to providing PD to busy professionals in regards to Web 2.0. Helene Blowers created a tool through a blog entitled Learning 2.0 that encourages users to explore Web 2.0 tools on their own.

This model is described in Blowers’ podcast. In learning through this open and collaborative model, Blowers gives her students 3 pieces of advice:
 1) Give yourself permission to play
2) Make time for discovery.
3) Have fun.

These guidelines echo what we are trying to accomplish through our regular lunch-hour get togethers entitled Lunching with Laptops. Our last meeting demonstrated the need to spend time to discover, to play, and to have fun. One other crucial element is that of dialogue. The forty-five minute period had no set agenda; rather, it was led by the group discussion. It was valuable to have time to voice and to collaboratively address questions.

As social beings, we need to set aside time in our day to chat and to enlighten, to laugh and to commiserate. We need affirmation and guidance. When we design workshops, we need to provide those ”side effects”.