#DPLA - Getting Started

I've shared here before about joining the community to begin the next phase of my digital pedagogy journey and attaining my Digital Pedagogical Licence (Advanced) from the Smart Classrooms Framework.

We had our first teleconference on Wednesday night and I've made contact with my assigned learning partners. The community seems to be rolling along and interactions through the course spaces and the twitter backchannel are happening pretty easily. I'll be happier when we get to webconference and I can see the people I'm talking too in real time - I found it frustrating not to put faces to voices during the teleconference.

I'm excited by the range of people I'm working with in the course - everything from prep teachers through to senior teachers and people not presently working in the classroom. So many different points of view, different experiences and areas of expertise! There's no way any of us are coing out of this without learning something new.

I'm slightly daunted by some of the expectations for our portfolios and the evidence we will need to show in order to meet the indicators for the #DPLA, but it's nice to be challenged. I've already had to reassess some upcoming units against the indicators and see how I can _meaningfully_ adjust some of my planned activities. I don't want to do something purely to force fit my practice with the indicators - and I certainly won't be forcing students to work digitally if it doesn't work for their learning style (in my opinion that goes against what we're trying to achieve with moves towards a 21st century education framework), but there are opportunities I'd glossed over - probably because I'm time poor at the moment...not that that's a good excuse if I'm looking at it from best for my students.

I've had an intense couple of weeks and I'm afraid some of my frustrations are showing in the #DPLA at the moment. I'm honestly not that negative all the time, #DPLA crew - and I'm doing something to adjust my attitude right now.

Right now though, I'm taking a night off...to a degree. I'm going to stay with a friend for the night so am happily walking away from the temptation of the marking pile, the virtual learning spaces that need updating, the reports that need writing, the blogs to read, the tweets to write. I am not disconnecting entirely though (surprise surprise) my ipod is fired up with the BBC production of Hamlet, I'm taking my elearning brain along because I'm being fed and housed in exchange for some ideas and basics and I'm sure I'll sneak a tweet or two from my phone ;)

A night away, a day of taekwondo tomorrow and I think I'll be in a much better frame of mind to tackle that workload and face the #DPLA with a more positive attitude.

Bring it.

The Importance of Risk

There are times when I question my sanity. I have problems with the word "no" - I know this, but I embrace it because it leads me down roads I never dreamt I'd end up on.

On top of an already full plate of responsibilities I've added membership to the Pedagogical Licence (Advanced) community in a step towards attaining the third (and top) level of the Smart Classroom PD Framework. Looking at the course outline and sample portfolios over the weekend I have to say - I think I'm nuts.

This is going to be hard work. In this case a couple of things stand out as daunting:

• Deep reflection is always hard. It's draining and challenging. The self-awareness that comes from it is always worth it, but the process is one I squirm about. I've always been the kind of person/student who is an over achiever, I'm never happy with scond best and reflecting on my practice opens me up for criticism and judgement. I've overcome my fear of not being "the best" to a large degree (otherwise there's no way I'd be able to blog as I do :)) but the level of reflection and deconstruction of practice expected of me for this aspiration and the sheer calibre of some of the others working through the course alongside me has me scared I'm not going to meet the standard...

Which brings me to the other reason I'm nervous:

• Being in an environment of self-confessed over achievers is generally an intense situation, with a good dose of competition (friendly of course) thrown in. A number of names in the course I know from the network, from conferences, from rumours and hearsay (all good of course - in fact generally glowing about what they are doing in their different contexts). For someone already worried about meeting standards the idea of being compared to some of these people is downright terrifying.

So why do it?

Because it scares me. Because I know it's going to be challenging. Because I know that putting my practice under scrutiny I will become a better teacher (and leader). Afterall,

"If you risk nothing you gain nothing"
~ Bear Grylls ~

For me that's the key to learning - taking risks.

I take a risk everytime my Sabum (instructor) partners me with a different black belt for a spar - and every time I learn something. It might be how that particular person puts techniques together, or how to avoid, or their weakness...more often its about my weaknesses and the areas I need to "fix". I also try to take risks in my classroom. That can be hard, the business of education tends towards being low risk, and often doing something different can be considered too risky, "What if it fails?"

What we really need to be asking is - "What if it works?" That shift right there will give us all the power we need to really transform education.

Licenced and All

A slide from my Drama Queensland presentation last weekend. I'm thinking of printing it out and putting up in my office as a constant reminder.