Unbelievably January is already gone into the ether so I need to get this post out before it gets forgotten in the bottom drawer along with all the other well intentioned posts. I have been mulling over my professional development to-do-list since summing up 2016 in my last post and a meeting with colleagues this afternoon clarified it. Before starting however it is important to acknowledge one of the key things I learned last year with regards CPD – I am a person who is fully dependent on concrete deadlines. This is therefore absolutely key to achieving all the items on this list.
Formal learning
The first quarter of the year will be taken up with two modules on my distance course at the University of Edinburgh. These two courses are both very different in both content and delivery.
Understanding learning is focused on the psychology of learning and is taking place within the VLE (Moodle) with most of the teaching based on class discussions stemming from core reading. As well as the digital I am embarking on a new learning skill of crocheting on which I will be reflecting.
Education and digital culture, in complete contrast, concentrates on posthumanism in an open blog. Despite the involvement of less reading, what there is very challenging. In addition, there was (and still is) a huge technical learning curve for me as we are using IFTTT (If this then that) to feed all our ideas and discussion triggers into our personal blog spaces. Commenting on other blogs is an integral element of the learning journey and with such rich content will be a steep learning curve on a topic very new to me.
The discussions afforded by the private and public spaces have a different feel for me. I don’t have a preference of one over the other at the minute but it is definitely interesting being able to directly compare and contrast them.
One of the exciting elements of the modules is the wide variety of assignment designs and I am really looking forward to dusting off my creativity magic wand.
On completion of these two modules I will be nearing the end of my second year and at this stage in early summer I will be asking myself some very tough questions about my next steps and will be turning to colleagues, both IRL and online in Twitter for help and advice, so be warned.
Formal CPD
Following my CMALT accreditation this month I would like to continue this journey and become an assessor. Throughout the process of writing and compiling my portfolio I gained so much from the review process from friends and colleagues. This gave me more insight into my own work than I could see myself at times. Therefore, whilst contributing back to the scheme I fully envisage that I will learn more from the candidates than they will learn from me.
Branching out further I plan to use the ALT CMALT mapping document to the UKPSF in order to transfer across to my application for Higher Education Academy fellowship. This mapping document highlights how each CMALT section maps to areas of activity, core knowledge and professional values. Whilst, I realise this document will help clarify the application process I have no doubt that it is going to require discipline and an external push to create a hard deadline for me. This I have already discovered will come from an incredibly supportive group of colleagues and a writing retreat is on the cards.
Bits and bobs
A whole list of exciting projects are also on the cards taking me in new directions and with new people. From LEGO workshops further to student engagement, new open websites to postgraduate content for distance learning, and new research avenues.
From a conference perspective I would love to travel to many but my narrowed down list of hopefuls are EdTech2017 in Sligo organised by the Irish Learning Technology Association (ILTA), ALTc 2017 Liverpool (at least one day) and Sheffield Hallam University’s #SocMedHE17.
Shout-out
As always I will dip into the #LTHEchat every Wednesday GMT 8pm for amazing, crazy fast professional development education based chats.
All the very best everyone for 2017 in the widest sense
Final note: I now realise that I have managed to write this entire post without including a single deadline which I said was the most important underpinning element of the whole list – what a winning start.
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