Anytime, Anywhere Learning #CE13

Picture it.

Your feet up.

Computer/table/whatever Internet-connected device you have in front of you.

Snacks handy.

You are ready.

The world (and learning) at your fingertips.

October marks Connected Educator Month. The idea is to help more educators look beyond the walls of the classroom and look to the brilliance of others to learn from and learn with. (Want to learn more? Read this.)

 In the spirit of CEM I wanted to highlight just a few of the free, learning opportunities happening...

Connected Educator Month Events-This month is full of activities put on by many different organizations. The CEM Events calendar is the place to visit if you want to join a virtual book club, find a Twitter chat or see what sorts of other virtual learning events are happening. There is so much to do. In fact there are events every single day. Some lasting only small amounts of time so you really can learn anywhere, any time.

2013 Reform Symposium (RSCON)- You couldn't ask for a better put on event. Starting Oct 11 and running almost 24 hrs a day for 3 days, this online conference features folks like Sugata Mitra, John Spencer, Chris Lehmann and many, many more. There are individual sessions and lots of smart panels too. (Including one that I am on talking about Transforming Education with Technology.Although I don't know how smart I am.) So many learning opportunities, you really do have to check it out to see just how awesome it is.

Library 2.0 Virtual Conference-While this one may not seem like its for everyone, secretly, it really is. The heart of any school is the library or media center. There is lots all of us in education could learn from our media folks. Check out the great collection of free sessions here too. Runs online Oct 18-19.

Global Education Conference-This free, week-long online event is going into it's fourth year and it's huge. Many, many hours a day for a week, sessions from around the globe on just about any topic you can think of, this event is one that you can definitely drop in on when you can. And when you do, you will learn so much your brain will hurt. Check them out Nov 18-22.

These events are great because any one can take part from anywhere as long as you have a connection.

But face-to-face learning is important too.

 I love Edcamps and the types of PD that take place there. The Edcamp Wiki Calendar has a listing of all the upcoming camps. Just in the next few weeks there are Edcamps in Chicago, Hawaii (Can I go?), Brooklyn NY, Green Bay, Mumbai India and more. Many of these camps have hashtags you can follow so while you may not be able to get to one of these in person, you can follow along. Be sure to check out the calendar for an Edcamp coming soon to you. Don't see one? Start your own!

Can't get to an Edcamp F2F? Check out Edcamp Online, an all-day virtual Edcamp. I can't wait to see and be a part of this one!

Bottom line, there is loads of learning out there in the next few weeks, ripe for the taking. So seek out something, learn something and share something!

Have an event I missed? Leave it in the comments below!

photo credit: slworking2 via photopin cc

What Snow Day? Staying Connected No Matter The Weather

Epic.

#snOMG

Snowageddon

Just a few of the terms I have heard on my local/national media and have seen on Twitter to describe the recent Winter Weather here in the souther United States. From Texas across the Gulf Coast and up the Eastern Seaboard, many students have not been in school since Jan 7. (Some before then.) Today is the second day in a row all of the districts in my area are out. And it isn't looking good for tomorrow either. Some places in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi might not make it back all week.

Now I am all for snow days. (Even thought I work 12 months and I still have to go in) I enjoy a good day of snow every now and then. As a classroom teacher, I hated them. I knew for each day out, I was one day behind and would take twice as long to catch up.

But now that doesn't have to be the case.

Many individual teachers and even some schools and districts don't let the learning stop on a bad weather day. They have come up with some creative ways to keep kids (and teachers) engaged even when the weather won't let them come to school.

But how do you do it? What do you use? It's easy!

Google Docs-Because of the real-time collaboration features in Google Docs you could set up with your students ahead of time a time that can meet on the doc to work out some practice math problems, respond to some simple science at home labs. You would have to have everything ready to go before the weather hits but as long as the kids know what to do, you can continue lessons and learning.

Facebook: Yep. Facebook. I know. I know. There seems to be a movement to ban Teacher/Student communication outside of school and school maintained platforms. (I get this. I do. There are bad people out there and it is to protect both parties, but seriously?) Let's face it. Most kids are in the space and many teachers are as well. On Twitter yesterday I saw unfold a teacher who planned to meet with their students for an hour or so via Facebook chat. In this case it isn't about the platform. It is about using what is already available.

Edmodo: As an alternative to Facebook, many teachers are turning to Edmodo, a Facebook-like platform that is a private classroom space where kids can chat, share files, videos, and more. I love Edmodo. My sister (who is in 6th grade and has been out of school for snow since last Wednesday) hasn't missed a beat because her teachers use Edmodo for out of class assignments. They sent a message of assignments to complete each day. And the teacher is available for several hours each day to answer questions. Weather or no weather they still have class. And the best part? Edmodo is free and so easy to use. Oh, and they just got parent accounts, too.

Ustream: If you are feeling brave, you could still hold class face-to-face. Ustream is free and all you need is a webcam and a mic and you can teach to your hearts content. Students can log in and post comments and questions. Or, better yet. You could get kids to do some of the video teaching. Adam Taylor is using Ustream today to conduct some PD for the teachers and administrators in his district. Cool idea. And so easy to set up and do.

CoverItLive: This is a simple, embedable chat application that could be put on virtually any website. Again, you could stream a lesson, show a video and use CoverItLive as a backchannel. Or you could just use it as a chat box to answer questions, post lessons or whatever. Easy to use and also free.

So a snow day or bad weather day doesn't mean that learning has to stop. Here are just a few ways. What are you doing or thinking? Got any other ways to stay connected even when Mother Nature drives us apart? Leave some comments below.

Stay warm!

Flick CC Image From Legofernis