When I read this piece about Blogs, Wikis, and Professional Development for teachers off the ASCD website this summer, I was rolling along, feeling comfortable enough but not really moved in any significant way, and then I hit this paragraph:
With the investment of a bit of time and effort, I’ve found a group of writers to follow who expose me to more interesting ideas in one day than I’ve been exposed to in the past 10 years of costly professional development. Professional growth for me starts with 20 minutes of blog browsing each morning, sifting through the thoughts of practitioners whom I might never have been able to learn from otherwise and considering how their work translates into what I do with students.
This learning has been uniquely authentic, driven by personal interests and connected to classroom realities. Blogs have introduced a measure of differentiation and challenge to my professional learning plan that had long been missing…
What’s more, the readers of my own blog challenge my thinking in provocative comments day after day.
By far, the most frequent comment I hear about the Lounge is, “I don’t know where you find the time.” Admittedly it takes some time, but probably not as much as it seems. I do most of the week’s postings in a handful (three or four) of sittings, and then use the scheduler to post them. Plus, it’s all stuff I’m reading anyway.
Still, I know that there is more that I’d like to see become a regular part of the show. There are many things that I’d like to have be a part of my “professional development” that this has become. The question is whether anyone else is interested in those things, too. So, here’s a little poll to get at what any of youse would like to see show up in The Lounge on occasion. No promises, but I’ll do what I can.
UPDATE: This poll is set up so you can choose multiple answers. If you choose “Other” please slap it up in the comments!
The Harold Lounge 