Keep Learning!

What do you do on a regular basis to keep pushing yourself to do better? Do you read? Attend Conferences? Back in school? As educators we ask our students to learn on a daily basis and grow their minds—what do you do to model it and grow yourself?

I started my EdD program this year and in the first couple of quarters have already been pushed harder than ever before in my educational career. I have learned a lot already and see by the end I will truly have learned a lot about educational leadership, educational technology, and myself as a leader. I regularly attend conferences, and recently spent a Saturday morning with 400 other educators at the MDUSD STEM Symposium held @valleyviewjags There was great learning and a keynote by CUE interim Executive Director @jcorippo By lunch, I hopped on a plane to Chicago with my buddy @awelcome to attend #ICE18 and present on Monday a session for admin.

I push myself to stay current, learn from others, and keep learning any chance I can. I never want to fall in a rut and plateau. Two ways I daily learn are via @twitter and @voxer. Being connected and learning daily from educators around the country is powerful and can be done in a short amount of time. In the end, I have chosen ways to be a life-long learner and push myself. Take a moment, look in that reflective mirror: do you push yourself to learn? Do you share what you learn with others?

As a role model to students, find a way, and articulate to others how you are learning and pushing yourself to be relevant, current, and learn regularly. There are numerous ways to do learn and it does not have to eat up time and take you away from the necessary balance needed in life. Here are some simple suggestions that don’t require going to back to school:

1)    Read, read, read. It can be just a few minutes a day. Tell your kids and colleagues what you are reading!

2)    Twitter—one of the most powerful PDs that in a just a few minutes you can gain new learning. If you haven’t done a Twitter chat, choose a short one and try it out. #BeTheOne is a quick 15 minute chat on Wednesdays at 5:45 pm PST. #kidsdeserveit is on Wednesday at 6:00 pm PST and 30 minutes.

3)    Voxer—there are a plethora of Voxer groups focused on certain topics. It is great to hear other educators from around the country weighing in and dropping in resources into a chat.

4)    Attend an Edcamp or mini-conference—you don’t have to stay all day—often I now only go for a few hours in the morning, especially when on a weekend and head back to family the rest of the day.

5)    Read blogs and listen to podcasts—there are amazing short blog posts on almost any topic and short podcasts that you can listen to when driving. Blog yourself and share with others and it will be reciprocated.

Whatever you choose, what is important, is be a continuous learner and share what you are learning. Make the few minutes a day just like exercise and family time. Commit and make it happen!