Hi. My name is Marnie and I'm a PD Junkie.
I love learning.
I love the opportunity to attend {meaningful} PD - live, conference, webinar, recorded - anything. In fact, I just registered for another webinar being held later this week. Another because I already have one scheduled for tomorrow.
The question is, how do I "hold on to" all that I'm learning so that I can share it with others in my quest to help them bring their curriculum to life?
I talk about it. I talk about what I've learned with colleagues, family (thankfully my sister AND sister-in-law are both teachers, too) and anyone who could possibly learn from what I've learned. BUT I don't talk too much, I don't want to bore anyone!
One of the biggest things I've learned is that after each webinar, conference session, training, or any PD really, I have to press pause and let the synthesis happen. It's in that pause that I think deeply about what I've learned and how I can apply it to my job.
These days, it's so easy to step into the rabbit hole of learning and let yourself fall for each shiny new item that is shared. The challenge is in that pause. Is the tool one that will assimilate into what you are doing, or is it another thing that teachers will have to "do" during their already overstuffed days?
I recently got back from the MACUL conference (more about that another time) and went to only three sessions, but each of those sessions was so powerful I was mesmerized. As a PD junkie, it's easy to get sucked into going, going, going. I'm finally starting to become more discerning about how I spend my (valuable) time.
See, there are literally free (and low cost) webinars for educators DAILY. Yes, you read that right. If you look, you'll be able to find a new webinar to attend every weekday. That would be PD overload. Instead, find the ones that speak to you, that hold promise of something you're looking for.
I'm a PD Junkie, take it from me....!
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