The Connected Educator: Developing a Connected Learning Model
Chapter 2 of The Connected Educator focuses on connected learning communities and the roles they play and the importances they hold. In a connected learning community, there is a three-pronged approach to connect and collaborate, which leads to professional development. These three prongs are: 1) local community, 2) global network, and 3) bounded community.
A local community is a professional learning community that has a face-to-face structure focused on student achievement. A global network is also a personal learning network, in which there is a diverse group of people connecting to achieve personal growth. A bounded community is a community of practice or inquiry that is made up of committed individuals with common interests who want to develop deeper connections in order to create systemic improvement (Nussbaum-Beach and Ritter 28).
When working, especially to find creative solutions to problems, two minds is almost always better than one. “A driving force behind a community of practice is community knowledge, in which the sum of the collective knowledge is greater than the sum of the individuals’ knowledge” (Nussbaum-Beach and Ritter 34). A central theme throughout this chapter, and this book, is that it is important to acknowledge and make use of the different skills, perspectives, and ideas others bring to the table. There is always something new to learn, and by recognizing this, we are presented with the opportunity to grow ourselves and our practices. 
In my own future career as an occupational therapist, all of this can apply to me. Just by changing the word teacher to therapist and student to patient, it is clear to see how these concepts still hold weight. As stated by Nussbaum-Beach and Ritter, “Professional learning communities are about continuous improvement, shared leadership, and school reform” (29). As an occupational therapist, I will have to work with my patients to develop new methods of living effectively, and often times this may take some creativity. By developing strong relationships with my patients, I will be able to better understand their lives and therefore their needs, and through a global network, will be able to share and learn more ideas on ways to improve therapy sessions and creative methods to solve problems. Finally, by being a part of a bounded community, I will be able to actively engage in improving the way occupational therapists work and create a better future for both therapists and patients to come.
Source:
Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl, and Lani Ritter. Hall. The Connected Educator: Learning and Leadingin a Digital Age. Solution Tree Press, 2012.
Hi Jenna! I loved your blog post this week, especially because I am looking to become an occupational therapist as well. “By developing strong relationships with my patients, I will be able to better understand their lives and therefore their needs…” This relates to my blog post, as I talked in depth about the importance of diversity in OT. It is important to do whatever it takes to best understand our patients and give them the best help we can.
ReplyDeleteThe examples you provided for each level of professional learning community in relation to your career was very informative. I liked that you went into detail about how each community would educate you when establishing with how to work with your future patients and giving an in-depth look into how an occupational therapist operates.
ReplyDeleteJenna, I agree with your post about about a global learning network. because global networking tap into and share diverse, global perspectives on teaching strategies, educational issues, and technologies that create personal growth.
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