The 5th Annual #cyberPD Event

Yep, it's time.

It's time to determine the book that will be read for this year's #cyberPD discussion.

#cyberPD Beginnings
If you're a professional book junkie, like I am, you're probably already planning the books you will read over break.  My guess is that your list is longer than the time you'll have to read them all.  There are so many new professional books to be read.  Reading professional books helps me to improve the work I do with children, but reading a book with other educators increases that learning exponentially.  That's why I love #cyberPD.  (More about #cyberPD:  Growing Professional Learning Conversations with #cyberPD)

It started with book stacks.
I think this is the tweet started
the conversation in 2011.

In 2011 Laura Komos, Jill Fisch, and I were having a conversation about professional reading.  We had many of the same titles planned for the summer, but wanted to be able to learn and talk about them together.  Though we lived too far apart to meet over coffee, we began to wonder if there wasn't a way we could learn together.  After some discussion, we decided that not only could we find a way to discuss a professional book together through our blogs, but that we could grow the community.  We chose a book and asked others if they'd like to join.  The response was amazing.  Many people joined the first #cyberPD, but I don't think any of us realized how much we would learn in this unconventional format.

#cyberPD Featured Titles

• 2011 Conferring:  The Cornerstone of Reader's Workshop by Patrick Allen
• 2012 Opening Minds by Peter Johnston
• 2013 Who Owns the Learning by Alan November 
• 2014 Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller
• 2015 To Be Determined  

What's New
Fast forward to 2015.  This year will be the 5th anniversary of #cyberPD.  Since 2011 things have changed a bit.  Michelle Nero joined our host team.  Our community has grown.  Jog the Web, the hub of our previous conversations, has disappeared so we've moved to a Google Community.

In the past participants have needed a blog to fully participate in the conversation, but with the move to our Google Community it will be possible for participants to respond in greater detail within the community if they do not have a blog.  We're excited about that because it provides an opportunity for those who do not want to commit to a blog to still join the conversation.

Getting Started
The #cyberPD event always begins with sharing our book stacks.  Though #cyberPD doesn't begin until July, we like to pick our title at the beginning of the summer so we can save the book for the community conversation.  So what's in your book stack?  We're hoping you'll share the professional titles you plan to read this summer on our Google Community.

Laura, Michelle and I will look through stacks, and then choose the title to be featured in July's #cyberPD event.  We hope to have the title to announce by Saturday, May 30th.

Join Us
Anytime:  Join #cyberPD Google Community
By May 25th:  Share your book stack
May 30th:  #cyberPD book announced
July:  #cyberPD conversation  (3 weeks, with one reflection each week)