Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Professional Learning in the Digital Age #EdChat

While at #ASCD13 in Chicago, I was able to get my hands on a copy of Dr. Kristen Swanson's book Professional Learning in the Digital Age. I am really glad I did.

The focus of the book is on User-Generated Learning. After defining UGL, Dr. Swanson covers Curation, Digital Footprints, Reflection and Contribution. It's not the fact that Dr. Swanson provides research to support her case, it is the fact that she provides real examples from educators that really makes the difference. I'm not a big research guy, but I do take stock in real educators sharing real stories and that is what stood out to me with this book.

Dr. Swanson does a great job of making all of the information accessible to all educators and even provides a handy checklist at the end of each chapter for readers to follow to help them get started. Little things like this are so important for busy educators looking for the best way to get started doing something that is foreign to them.

The book also has great resources in the back of tools and people to connect with on Twitter. I was shocked to see that I was a suggested follower. That proves Dr. Swanson has impeccable taste. :-)

If you are looking for a great book, filled with great tips and real life examples from educators talking about the value of User-Generated Learning, Professional Learning in the Digital Age is the book for you.

You can find the book on Amazon here. I know you will enjoy the book as much as I did.


Amazon book description:

Discover how to transform your professional development and become a truly connected educator with user-generated learning! This book shows educators how to enhance their professional learning using practical tools, strategies, and online resources. With beginner-friendly, real-world examples and simple steps to get started, the author shows how to harness information from physical and virtual communities and become a lifelong learner in the digital age.

This book features:

- In-depth explanations of curation, reflection, and contribution
- Guest appearances from digitally connected educators
- Simple to-do lists to help you get started
- Handy appendices with resources for further learning, and so much more!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for your kind words, Nick! Our stories are what connect us, and it is important that we all tell our learning stories. ;-)

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