Please visit my new blog at http://lauradoggett.com

News.

Journey.

Shift.

Twitter and your PLN can move your career forward
Digitally connected educators are carving out new roles for themselves and challenging the status quo in schools: new approach to school leadership, sea change in CPD (positives) blurring lines in work/life balance if we are always switched on for learning
Teachers can have portfolio careers
Experiences shared, mistakes no longer made twice, decisions about procurement/ strategy so much easier with others’ experiences documented and discussed.

Putting yourself out there requires openess to new directions and opportunities
Thick skins required because there will be criticism.
Careers in e-learning are no longer just about ICT trained specialists or network managers.
E-Learning as opposed to ‘ICT’ or ‘educational technology’ -> what is the focus? (VLEs, learning platforms, Web 2.0 stuff?)
- starting with the learning and using technology as a means to an end, rather than starting with a great tool and trying to make it fit your objectives.
- not using jargon for the sake of it or to get ‘one over’ on someone.
- whole school champion for digital literacy (for students *and* staff)

“I am passionate about building capacity for outstanding teaching and learning through well-applied technology and staff development. As Director of E-Learning I would raise standards through the development of learning experiences that are engaging, motivational and promote success for today’s 21st century students.”

Highly Qualified Professional

I am an outstanding teacher, experienced middle leader and have the respect of my colleagues as a strong practitioner. I also have a pretty good understanding of technical jargon which will enable me to communicate well with the ICT strategy leader and ICT support staff. It is my strong belief that having a foot in each camp will enable me to build on existing strengths and improve standards here at Westfield, without alienating teaching staff who are less at ease with technology. This is especially important in the creation of the school’s new VLE.
I am experienced in training and developing others: in my previous post I was an NQT mentor and I have been trained to use coaching to raise standards by Fast Track and NCSL. Significantly for this post, I have been trained by Alite in Accelerated Learning and delivering CPD in schools which has really boosted my understanding of how to put CPD programmes together and deliver them effectively. After running a successful session on using Mimios in school, I am increasingly one of the people that staff turn to for support in using educational technology. I would like to develop this role much further as Director of E-Learning and will put in place a comprehensive and differentiated programme of CPD for staff.

Networked and Connected Learner

Through various social media¹ and professional networks² I am well-connected in the world of educational technology. I have a powerful global personal learning network of educators from early years teachers to University academics, senior leaders and consultants,  ICT specialists, journalists and web-designers who act as my inspiration, my critical friends and my means of maintaining cutting edge understanding of educational technology today. Such networks facilitate decision making and strategy as there are always colleagues happy to share experiences and opinions: we no longer need to make the same mistake as everyone else and can benefit from others’ hindsight. I have an increasing number of other E-Learning Directors in my network which will be a significant advantage.
I run a blog and I have had work on educational technology published in Tech & Learning Magazine (US), am now writing regularly for the Schoolwide blog (US) and was recently interviewed for the TES Magazine. My work on Twitter as a tool for teachers is also being included in a book about Web2.0 Technologies published by the International Society for Technology in Education which is coming out later this year. I was recently invited to write for the UK-based online magazine Teaching4Learning and also had my latest piece published on the Open Source Schools website. I plan to develop my writing portfolio and hope to share excellent innovative practice from Westfield on a global stage.

1 Twitter, Delicious, blogs, wikis and RSS (too many to list!), Flashmeetings (EdTechRoundup, and most recently the brand new MFL Flashmeeting),

2 NAACE, MirandaNet

I was recently interviewed by Meabh Ritchie from the TES about Twitter in education. The article was published in today’s TES Magazine. Alex Blagona, Ollie Bray and Josie Fraser all contributed too and I really hope it encourages UK teachers to take Twitter seriously!

Thanks to Meabh for a great article!

Click here to follow me on Twitter.

Click here to read the TES article.

I’ve just left a comment on Alex Blagona’s blog, following a great post from him about the latest hot topic in the UK; teachers overpreparing or scripting GCSE language speaking exams. Thanks Alex!

Welcome new followers! Great to have you on board, I know you will find Twitter useful and interesting.

If you’ve got yourself signed up and you’re not sure what to do next, these resources are for you!

1. Read Tomas Lasic’s How-to guide for Teachers. It explains everything!

2. Complete your profile fully.

Include a picture and a description. Add a link to a profile page or blog if you have one.

3. Find some interesting people to follow.

Why not try this twitter4teachers wiki - it has a list of educators categorised by subject and age group. Add yourself to the right category!

You can also use Twitter Search or Twazzup to find other people talking about the issues that interest you.

4. Share!

Other Twitter users are unlikely to follow you back if you haven’t posted anything. Why not share a project that you are working on, an idea or a question?

Looking for a vibrant new Wordpress.org theme? Look no further!

I have done a serious trawl for the most creative, interesting and appealing Wordpress themes I could find. My taste tends toward the bright, cheery and vibrant; so if lots of black is your thing, or you just love plain blue boxes you might want to move right along!

1. Rock-Kitty.net

This is a fantastic collection of themes. Whilst the organisation of themes is not as slick as some other sites, there is a varied collection of themes here that can easily be previewed and downloaded. The vast majority are free, but licensing does vary.

2. Wordpress themes

There is a really big collection of themes here. I think that a lot of them are pretty run-of-the-mill themes with blue boxes at the top and rounded corners. However, do a little digging and you will find some real gems!

3. Top WP Themes

This site was a great find. Themes are categorised really usefully (so you can search Adsense-ready themes, or designer) and there is some beautiful work.

4. BlogOh!Blog

This was my favourite site for really clean, simple designs. What’s more: the ‘Salient Features of this design’ detail really helps users find exactly what they are looking for.

5. Design Disease

These guys don’t have an enormous swathe of themes, but that doesn’t matter. There are eight themes here that are beautifully designed and deserve a look!

6. Six Revisions

This compilation list of 50 beautiful themes has been doing the rounds since last November, but it’s still tough to beat. It’s where I found my current theme, Notepad Chaos.

If you find a new theme that you love, or perhaps another great site for the list, why not post a link in the comments?

Please answer if you use Apple: “How does using Apple technologies make a difference to learning?” - you’ll be included in our preso!