Get the RSS feed | Grant Zimmerman Archives

Collaborate with Your Colleagues Around the World
by Grant Zimmerman


 

My Notebook in Partners in Learning network.This is a formal invitation to join the Microsoft Teacher Professional Development on the Partners In Learning Network.
To access the community, you will need to complete a very short registration process on the Partners in Learning network:
 
 
  1. Get a Live ID if you do not already have one.
  2. Enter five simple fields to complete your basic profile data. When you are finished you will automatically be taken to “My Notebook”.
  3. Once you have done this you can find the community you were invited to by either clicking on the community link in this email (above), or using the search box at the top of your “My Notebook” page.
  4. When you are in the community, click on the “Join Now” link.

 

AutoCollage and Songsmith found under the Resouces tab.Once you have joined, Microsoft rewards your enrollment in the best network for teachers, by giving you (only good for educators) the opportunity to download and own, free of charge (probably something close to a $70 value) AutoCollage and Songsmith. Click on the “Resources” tab to get the programs.
 
AutoCollage automatically creates photo collages. “Pick a folder, press a button, and in a few minutes AutoCollage presents you with a unique memento to print or email.” For this to work well, you do need to put your pictures into folders.
Straight from the PILN web site, “Songsmithgenerates musical accompaniment to match a singer’s voice. Just choose a musical style, sing into your PC’s microphone, and Songsmith will create backing music for you. Songsmith is a great tool for special class projects and foreign language assignments. “
How Do We Like to Learn
A little while ago, DLE ran a survey in which the respondents chose their preferred method for learning about integrating technology. The four answers were:
1.      I like to learn on my own.
2.      I like to learn with a small group of colleagues.
3.      I like to learn using scheduled Professional Development days either on site or off site.
4.      All of the above.
When you answer the question yourself, most likely, you chose selection four, “All of the above.” Answer number two came in second place, followed by answer number one, and then answer number three. Along with the obvious interpretation of learning styles, i.e., I’ll select the most appropriate leaning environment that matches the task and my learning preferences. This is why a community of networked teachers is so important to what actually happens in the classroom. Wouldn’t it be fruitful and rewarding to participate in an actual give and take of ideas and actions?
Partners in Learning network
Home PageRob Bayuk and his team at Microsoft helped assist with the newest innovations within the Partners in Learning Network. This is the engine for worldwide, teacher collaboration. Before coming to Microsoft, Rob was a high school teacher. He, as does Microsoft, understands what teachers need and want. The Partners in Learning Network is a community driven platform in which to share ideas and the details involved with teaching our young adults. For example, on the home page of PILN, two teachers from Indiana, Autumne Streeval and Harriet Armstron, using the idea of a Tic-Tac-Toe board, share a PowerPoint explaining the ideas and details of a student driven project on the Industrial Revolution. What could be better?
 
 
Microsoft Teacher Professional Development CommunityIt is important to join this network. Even if your only reason for joining is to see, what other teachers are doing and to download two marvelous free software packages AutoCollage and Songsmith.
Teachers using PILN post actual activities, just as I have done here at Digital Learning Environments blog. The Partners in Learning Network follows the proven ideas found in other professional networking sites. You sign up, log-in, and post your work. However, what makes PILN different and better is the specificity that is the foundation and driving idea of this community network. That is, PILN was built by educators for educators. People who have actually been in the classroom created this networking web site. It is the place to learn new ideas and activities along with sharing your ideas and products. The teacher and classroom oriented specificity is what makes PILN different and better.
Integrating Technology Professional Development
Workshops offered at Partners in Learning network.As we continue to talk about learning, the PILN “Community”, Microsoft Teacher Professional Development, offers four complete classes that match a teacher’s professional needs.
·         You can use the material for self-directed learning.
·         You can use the material to learn in a small group setting.
·         You can use the material to lead a larger group of teachers in a more structured Professional Development session.
·         On the other hand, all of the above.
 
 
The four workshops offered include a document describing the workshop, four videos that prepare you to participate and teach the workshop, and all of the class files used in the workshop. Individual manuals are ordered from Knowledge Network Solutions.
1.      Tools for Engaging All Learners in the Classroom.
2.      Using Collaborative Tools in the Classroom.
3.      Effective Communication Tools for Teachers.
4.      Classroom Organization Tools for Teachers.
Not only do you, as a teacher, get two free fabulous programs that are yours to keep, but also you get to network with other professionals around the world.
Grant Zimmerman is a Program Associate and National Faculty Member of the National Paideia Center at the University of North Carolina. He leads educators in Professional Development sessions on the Paideia Seminar and the Paideia Project. Grant is also a Senior Education Consultant with Knowledge Network Solutions—Leaders in Technology Integration in schools. You can reach Grant at gzimmerman@northcarolina.edu.        

 

Post new comment