DigiLit Sunday: The Digital Maker Playground

Photo:  Pete Proedohl

Professional development is no longer confined to physical spaces.  A myriad of opportunities are available for professional learning across social media, through blogs, and in online learning spaces.  Educators are busy so opportunities to learn in different spaces and at a variety of times opens new doors.

Julie Johnson and I are hosting the digital playground for educators in our district and around the world to connect and learn from one another.  The Digital Maker Playground is MOOC-ish digital maker space where participants gather to share and learn together.

Teachers work together
during the Live Workshop.

The Digital Maker Playground
The Digital Maker Playground, #P2Lmooc, is a unique opportunity open to everyone near and far. All educators are invited to play with us as we explore new tools, create and compose projects around themes, as well as share and collaborate with one another.  The Digital Maker Playground is located on Google Plus where participants can ask questions, discuss topics, and share makes.  The goal is to allow time to consider meaningful digital composition while providing opportunities to connect with other creators.

The course takes place across April and May with a new make every other week.  Currently the community has over 50 participants from local districts and around the globe.  The course is free and open to anyone who would like to participate.  You are welcome to join the fun.

Our Makes 
Our first make was sharing our maker space with one another.  A variety of tools were utilized to share our spaces.  (You can view the maker spaces here.)  This week our next make will be posted in our Digital Maker Playground.    The next make is about lifting a line from literature and finding a way to share it with the community.

Our first live workshop.

Every two weeks, Julie and I host a live workshop for those who would like to attend.  Our first workshop was two weeks ago.  We were excited to have so many people join the workshop from our district as well as neighboring districts.  The time is for participants to work, ask questions, and puzzle things out together.  It was fun to watch everyone work together and share what they know.

Professional development is no longer confined to one space and one time.  Opportunities like this allow us to learn and grow together in a supportive learning community.

As part of a continuous collaboration among educators interested in digital learning, Margaret Simon hosts a weekly Digital Learning round-up on her blog:  DigiLit Sunday.  Stop by Reflections on the Teche (today's link-up) to read, discover, and link.