A Connected Learning Model

     

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    What does learning look like in a globally connected world? Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall seek to answer this question for teachers and educators in their work The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. In chapter two, Sheryl and Lani attempt to define and express a model for what they call "connected learning communities." These communities are online spaces in which professionals share experiences, research, tips, and information in order to achieve better outcomes in their classrooms. 

    One of the ways Sheryl and Lani build up to introducing their connected model is by providing definitions and examples to some current ways of learning. The pair spend some time defining personal learning communities, personal learning networks, communities of practice, and connectivism. As you can see, some of these phrases are "terms of art" in which their meanings change based on context. To illustrate, the writers argue the term "professional learning community" is the most muddled of the terms as it is used interchangeably with the terms "learning team, learning network, community of practice, and more recently, personal learning network and networked learning communities." To abate confusion, the writers define a professional learning community as "traditional school based structures in which staff...learn together with the goal of improving student achievement." The writers continue to define the other terms in relation to their connected learning model.

    Overall, the chapter is an introduction to this new form of interconnected learning. The chapter is designed to lay the groundwork for the writer's model and express the foundations of its beginning. It appears the writers have developed this model with the struggles of educators in mind. The book is a positive tool for educators to branch out into online communities with confidence.

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     I am not an educator. During the day I manage the calendars of two executive directors and their teams. My profession is a loose network of individuals who collaborate in person and digital spaces. Prior to reading The Connected Educator, I became a member of several LinkedIn groups for administrative professionals. I have applied two of the three prongs of the writer's model in my life. I am a part of a professional learning community, the American Society of Administrative Professionals, and a personal learning network, Association for Healthcare Administrative Professionals. My goal is to seek out a community of practice for administrative professionals. 

Nussbaum-Beach, S., & Hall, L. R. (2012). The connected educator: Learning and leading in a Digital age. Solution Tree Press.