Deirdere,
Thanks for starting this topic. It sounds like an interesting wiki. Is it public or private? Would you mind sharing it with me.
For the past couple of years I've created wikis to go along with presentations that I give so that attendees can access the resources that I mention later.
I have a couple of examples of VPD that I'll share. First, a number of years ago, while working on a degree in journalism I become a section editor for my university's newspaper. When I started I hadn't yet taken the graphics course where we learned desktop publishing, so I learned on the job from my fellow editors (one in particular). I then passed that knowledge on to not only future editors, but also classmates when I eventually took that graphics course.
The second example is when I went to work at my current job. My colleague in the next office and I regularly ask each other questions about needed solutions to problems (design issues, what technology may help, etc.) I share that knowledge with instructors that I work with and colleagues at other institutions through e-mail, blogging and Twitter.
I learned far more in these two examples than I ever have attending a conference or workshop.
Heather Ross
Posts made by Heather Ross
It really is interesting to look at some online communities and see them thriving while others either whither and die or never seem to get off the ground at all.
I think that having some kind of a face-to-face component (which you can do with many workplaces) helps, but not in every situation.
It would be great if there was some magic formula.
I think that having some kind of a face-to-face component (which you can do with many workplaces) helps, but not in every situation.
It would be great if there was some magic formula.
David, so glad that you could join us for this.
I completely agree with you about F@F being the most effective medium of all. The technology that we use makes easier for students who want / need flexibility in when and where they learn, but asynchronous or even synchronous at a distance is not as good as F2F (in my opinion). When you're not in the same location you miss our on the "break-time" conversations and the details of a conversation that emerge from body language and proximity.
This is an odd thing for me to say considering that I spend my days designing purely distance courses.
I completely agree with you about F@F being the most effective medium of all. The technology that we use makes easier for students who want / need flexibility in when and where they learn, but asynchronous or even synchronous at a distance is not as good as F2F (in my opinion). When you're not in the same location you miss our on the "break-time" conversations and the details of a conversation that emerge from body language and proximity.
This is an odd thing for me to say considering that I spend my days designing purely distance courses.
I suppose that I should answer the questions that I posed.
Where do you work and what is your position there?
I'm a Course Designer (instructional designer) for the Virtual Campus at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST).
Through what methods do you receive / take part in professional development?
While I usually attend at least one conference per year, most of my PD is informal. I read blogs, follow people on Twitter and learn a great deal from the colleagues that I work with. I should be reading more journals that include research, but I never seem to get around to it.
What methods are working and which ones aren't?
As I said in response to an earlier post, the most useful part of attending conferences is the time between sessions when I can chat with people face-to-face (while I see a lot of value in online communities, face-to-face is still my favorite). Learning from colleagues in my workplace has always been the most valuable form of PD for me because I can usually immediately apply what I learn.
This conversation is already shaping up to be a good one. Thanks for joining in.
Where do you work and what is your position there?
I'm a Course Designer (instructional designer) for the Virtual Campus at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST).
Through what methods do you receive / take part in professional development?
While I usually attend at least one conference per year, most of my PD is informal. I read blogs, follow people on Twitter and learn a great deal from the colleagues that I work with. I should be reading more journals that include research, but I never seem to get around to it.
What methods are working and which ones aren't?
As I said in response to an earlier post, the most useful part of attending conferences is the time between sessions when I can chat with people face-to-face (while I see a lot of value in online communities, face-to-face is still my favorite). Learning from colleagues in my workplace has always been the most valuable form of PD for me because I can usually immediately apply what I learn.
This conversation is already shaping up to be a good one. Thanks for joining in.
Hi Deirdre. So glad that you could join us.
Your comment about face-to-face conferences is something that I have felt for some time. The most important learning that I experience at those conferences occurs between sessions when I have the chance to speak with colleagues who I don't often get the chance to see.
Your comment about face-to-face conferences is something that I have felt for some time. The most important learning that I experience at those conferences occurs between sessions when I have the chance to speak with colleagues who I don't often get the chance to see.