domenica 7 agosto 2016

MMVC16 Vance Stevens and Teacher Professional Development

7th  August  2016
Day 3
Webinar  by   Vance  Stevens
Abundance in Teacher Professional Development: More than meets the eye


I could see the webinar online this Sunday: Vance Stevens -like many other important educators who were online this weekend-  is someone who works hard and he presented an interesting list of conferences and events online which are worth checking.

I was sure that the presentation would be useful and  engaging - I was not wrong as I have followed  him  in his events online -   you can find them on his  website :  https://learning2gether.net/ .  Lots of opportunities for discussing online on Sunday  and  many interesting people we can meet online and become  important in our life as educators. I cannot but say that my list of interesting web pages  has become longer and longer and I have bookmarked so many so far.  My Pocket is now full but  I am adding more !!
When I saw his presentation I could not but think about the many changes which have taken place in education: yes , I must admit that I am pleased to be living in this century and to be offered so many opportunities for learning thanks to the use of modern technology.  An event like  MMVC16 would not have been possible thirty years ago!!

 When I first entered the world of education I could only fly abroad in the summer or take part in conferences which were held in other cities in my country. I am a teacher of English and I wanted to learn more and be more updated.  But our life is also long hours spent at school and planning and  sometimes  you cannot leave  school to take part in conferences. The costs can be high: webinars and conferences online can really make a difference. What we have been offered can sometimes be cheaper than going abroad.




Today we have plenty of opportunities, most of them are also  free and we just  sit in front of our  tablet, smartphone or computer and then we become   part of a learning  community that shares and discusses ideas about  education, the use of  modern technologies and new projects.

This is fantastic as we learn together and can enrich our way of working and sometimes we can find solutions to our difficulties.

What was really interesting was his list of events which he  had collected for the next weeks and months:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/187pdWJxImKvaNoRTUjGw3dU78AXDCzWFtXAWhOBGWss/edit?usp=sharing

I have entered some of them in my  Google Calendar and I am going to check more and share any I have  found interesting and are worth  watching. It is sometimes hard to follow such events as speakers are in the USA, Canada or in the far East while I live in Europe  but what is really good is the opportunity of meeting  virtually and we can share lessons, ideas, and tips. Materials are uploaded online and sometimes we are given the opportunity to choose and to see  the recording!!

I cannot but say that  Vance  Stevens is doing a great job as he is providing us with the " tools" to get access to knowledge and to learn more.

After watching live the webinar  I wrote down some important events in my agenda:  one will be in September  - it is  a new event  EduPassions free web conference  on 3rd September 
weblink http://www.edupassions.org/
I am also going to follow more  Tweets  and follow important educators as the web is an important source of information about free events  which are  run by  people  like  Nellie  Deutsch  , Vance Stevens or groups of  teachers who are interested in sharing their projects and support other learners.

The future for me  

 I would like to work on projects in education so  I feel that working and learning online can support me by providing ideas. Among the chats we were suggested in the webinar we were given ELT CHATS , I checked online and found not much but then I googled the word and I could find this interesting article by  Shelly Terrell  about  hashtags for  ELT teachers:

 http://blog.esllibrary.com/2016/02/02/the-ultimate-hashtag-guide-for-english-language-teachers/


What would I like to research now?

 I will see what other educators have already published and I will start writing too about the new
 " motorways" that can help us develop as learners and teachers.


You can find here the slides which  Vance Stevens has  shared online with us.  A precious  document which I have shared online too.

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