Most of the information I have read about building communities of practice makes it very clear that building a site rich with collaborative tools, inviting administrators and colleagues to share their strengths and seek to learn in a new way...does not guarantee that "they will come." I am beginning to realize that I might use my remaining time on this blog, especially until my class is over, to research the the steps I might make, albeit small steps, to encourage my colleagues to embrace this change.
Today I got email from Marian Thatcher, of OTAN, about the Google Teaching Acadamy in Mountain View, CA. Last year, staff from OTAN encouraged Google to include adult education in their definition of educators, and an adult educator actively took part in the Academy. As I have browsed the information about the academy, I believe it would be an extraordinay experience to learn more about these tools, and then as the program requires:
- Develop a "Personal Action Plan."
- Lead at least three local professional development activities over the course of 12 months.
- Actively participate in the Google Certified Teacher Online Community.
- Share the impact of their work with other Google Certified Teachers through an end-of-year reflection.
If anyone is interested in attending, you can link to this site for more information.
http://www.google.com/educators/gta.html
So, it started out as a frustrating day, but then via email - I was introduced to a new opportunity.
Don't forget to check out Marian Thatcher's Blog. The link is on my blog page.What do you think of Google Tools?
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