Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i2VLdYm10742; Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:39:44 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:39:44 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <8E621BA187DA3B4499DE50AEAB85421B04A84B43@walexc01.phcs.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Marrapodi, Jean" <JMarrapodi@phcs.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1294] RE: listservs and learning X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 1930 Lines: 17 Jackie asked: <Jean, you noted that you participate in listservs as a means of keeping on the "leading edge" and for your own professional development. I understand both of you to convey a PD need for learning and/or discovery over time, is this correct? Can this need for informal PD be met in any other way?> In many respects, this is like reading a newspaper, magazine or journal. You are handed whatever the author thought was important, and pick and choose what interests you. The key difference is the commonality of the community of practice being so specific on a liserv/blog. The needs and skills are similar in the participants, so the topics fit the specific niche really well. You can meet this type of informal PD in association meetings and conferences, but I'm not so sure we'd count those as informal. I suppose I could search the web if I had a specific topic and call that informal PD. The advantage of the push technology of a listserv is that topics come up that I wouldn't necessarily have thought of. I might not take the time to take a class about a particular topic, but there may be an interesting trend someone is speaking about in a blog or in a listserv that I'd receive info on that I wouldn't have looked for. This discussion is a great example. I wouldn't have gone out of my way to look for things about professional development for AL/ESL teachers, though it is a perfect integration of two worlds I work closely in. The trick is to take what is useful and ignore the rest and not be overwhelmed by the volume. Many listservs have a digest form, which I prefer, when you get the days postings in one e-mail, rather than individually like this. Many are also archived in threads on a webpage so you can keep track of the topics. Lots of folks prefer to read things in order, so that works for them. Thanks for asking. Jean Marrapodi Senior Education Specialist Private Healthcare Systems
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