Someone in my PLN remarked this week, "We as teachers need to be responsible for our own PD." I couldn't agree more. We have to actively seek out professional growth opportunities and pursue best practices for teaching our kids. The problem is, how do we convince teachers to do this? If we worked in any other profession, our jobs would depend on it. If I worked for a corporation, I would have to do my job to the best of my ability in order to keep it. I also realize that in that same corporation I would work to achieve promotions and pay raises. Is this what we are going to have to do for teachers? Is this where the argument for incentive based pay comes from? I understand that it is frustrating to think that our very careers depend on the successes (and sometimes the moods) of students taking a standardized test. At the same time, how do we measure our success as teachers?
We have the most important profession in the world in my opinion. No job can exist in the future without coming through us first. We are turning out students who will work in the mills, who will be our physicians in our old age, who might find a cure for cancer. How can we be so satisfied with mediocrity? It is up to us to create students who are driven, self-motivated, who enjoy learning because it is a life-long process.
I think it is well past time for every teacher to take a long look in the mirror and examine themselves as teachers and as professionals and ask themselves..."Why did I become a teacher?"

I came across this project and thought it was a fantastic idea for encouraging service and giving in our students. If you have students who just like to play simple game, show them this video and explain how they can make a difference. There was also a very interesting activity that could be used to incorporate google docs.

Developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) can sometimes be a full time job. I am proud to say that mine is coming along quite well, but I have to stop and honestly reflect on where I am in this adoption process. For me, it was and is an evolution. There were several steps involved to get to where I am now, which by the way is no where near where I hope to get to.
At a technology conference, I was introduced to Skype and, by chance, Twitter in the same session. I was immediately engaged by Skype and the possibilities for use in the classroom. I went home and started looking around for people who used Skype and stumbled across a Ning called Classroom 2.0. For me, this was the jackpot. I found people here discussing things that I could only dream of implementing in my classroom. I met a couple of people through this network who were interested in using Skype, but I still had a long way to go. I also began to play around with Twitter. I followed a couple of people that I had met on Classroom 2.0. I have to admit that Twitter was really tough for me. I almost gave up more than once. I felt like the new kid at school and none of the cool kids wanted anything to do with me. Thanks to a few kind souls, my network began to slowly grow. I learned to contribute when I could and to absorb as much information as possible. Today, it is my single most valuable tool that I have for finding new resources to use at school.
Through Twitter, I came across Syliva Tolisano's Around the World with 80 Schools project. This really set me on fire with Skype. I loved it and my kids loved it. I also found my way to her blog, which led me to want one of my own. This is kind of where I am today. I am more of a consumer than a creator. I absorb and use great ideas from those gracious enough to accept me into their networks. I fully intend to repay the many favors as my experience and confidence grows. I am constantly awed and thankful for all the great people and ideas in my PLN.