Professional Wonder

As the school year nears closing, educators continue to find resources and avenues to explore their professional wonder. I am impressed by the hundreds of educators who aspire to seek knowledge and grow as learners each day on Twitter. Twitter chats provide excellent soil to plant seeds, share growth, and cultivate new gardens of thought. 

While not being able to join #G2Great on May 4th, I was fortunate to read the archived transcript and Dr. Mary Howard's Literacy Lenses post reviewing last week's educational chat with Cornelius Minor and Courtney Kinney.  You can access Mary's post here. I was intrigued by the way Mary synthesized the information from the #G2Great Twitter conversation, focusing on the theme of building a tapestry. She deftly wove her post together, providing the reader with a backward look on the chat and a forward plan to finish the year strong. 

For those who enjoy the journey of professional wondering like me, I hope you cultivate gardens of thought as you network and learn from other educators. By becoming a voice on Twitter, you can gather seeds of knowledge to support your journey and build your own Wonder Wall of quotes that extend your knowledge and assist you in helping your learners become unique voices in a diverse world of thought. 

From Mary's post and the thoughts garnered from Cornelius' and Courtney's nuggets of wisdom, I created a commitment statement that I will share with other educators as I continue to walk my journey as a wonderologist.

Educators: 
Stand on the precipice of change.
Hand in hand, lift thoughts while
cultivating gardens of unique blossoms,
places of wonder-filled opportunities
where individual seeds root and grow.

With passion, cultivate and care-tend

your garden, recording each growth. 

Step back in faith, vigilant harvesters. 
Watch the fruits of your patient labor:  
each blossom spreading and standing 
tall in harmony with many others. 

Reflect within your garden quadrants.
Find the inspiration to start afresh
With yet another garden bearing blossoms.
You are the tillers of the soil of knowledge.
You are the cultivators of immense learning.
You are educators who finish the year strong!
©CV, 2017

I offer this to post to #DigiLitSunday where the topic is professional wonder. This topic stems from last week's #WonderChat where Dr. Mary Howard was the guest host discussing Instilling a Sense of Professional Wonder. 

Innovate-Collaborate-Inspire

Today, as we move through the 21st century, connectivity has increased, opening many channels that were not available before. Now, adults and students can communicate quickly and effectively through social media, expanding our reach to those around the globe. Global collaboration easily occurs through virtual platforms, as evidenced in the image below.

Photo from India shared at the #INZpirED Twitter chat
this past Friday night.

In addition, digital communities meet regularly and share ideas through tweets and blogs empowering educators and students to expand their own learning paths. The digital world has opened doors to innovative practice, inspiring inquiries, and engaged learning. It is in this digital world that ideas move from thought to actions and swell beyond local areas to regions and into global movements. 

On February 20, 2017, #NYEDChat will air at 8 pm EST to celebrate digital learning in preparation for Digital Learning Day 2017 on February 23rd. An invitation to all state chat moderators, parents, and students has been sent out via Twitter and Facebook. Everyone is welcomed to join #NYEDChat, the voice of New York State educators, to celebrate innovative ways that ignite active learning.  

What is Digital Learning? 
The Digital Learning Day site defines it as "any practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student's learning experience." Across the world, education chat leaders and participants explore digital learning as an integrated component of a student's day-an engaging practice that blends technology with content areas. In one-to-one environments, students can easily explore inquiries of choice, create projects based on information gathered, and amplify their voices through digital means. Beyond the school day, adults are provided opportunities to connect with other individuals in asynchronous, high-powered conversations, and professional learning opportunities that would not be accessible without digital means. 

Why was Digital Learning Day started?

The Digital Learning site states that #DLDay started as a way to actively spread innovative practices and ensures that all youth have access to high-quality digital learning opportunities no matter where they live." The short video below from Digital Learning Day 2015 provides a glimpse into the event.

On Twitter, educational chats discuss relevant and timely topics. Join #NYEDChat on February 20th to examine innovative, collaborative, and inspiring digital practices that allow students to become content creators and owners of their learning. Let's bring education leaders, teachers, parents, and students together to celebrate #DLDay with the understanding that it is "not about technology; it's about the learning." 

Tonight, I link with the #DigiLitSunday community of writers under the leadership of Margaret Simon to explore digital learning.