A Little Less Conversation; A little More Action Please

It's the hook on my favorite Elvis song.  I remember first hearing it watching a Nike soccer commercial and playing it over and over and over again.  The video was great but it was this catchy one line that I always remembered, and would eventually fit so nicely as the title of this blog post. For someone who couldn't play two notes on any instrument, music plays an interesting part in my life.  I seem to connect on a very deep level despite my shortcomings when it comes to musical talents.  Music has that ability; the ability to tap into our feelings and emotions at any given moment and really strike a chord (pun intended).  The hook to this Elvis hit, nails my feelings towards the educational scene at the moment.  Head to any social network at the moment and you will find many examples of knowledge, tips, suggestions, or catchy one liners.  Though these micro-bites may provide you with a great new resource, an interesting read or conversation, or a bit of inspiration when your down, they do little to actually advance the work of educating our youth. I am certainly no stranger to spending time on social media and drinking the Kool Aid.  It's easy to spend time in the echo chamber and sound like you are making the difference.  The only problem is that talking the talk doesn't mean you're walking the walk.  That is not to say educators should spend time collaborating and communicating via social media platforms, but rather there needs to be a balance between the theoretical and the practical.  After spending a lot of time learning, communicating and growing through the use of social media and various web sources it's time for a little less conversation and a little more action. It is critical that we don't not stop sharing the work that we do.  Sharing is an excellent tool for reflection and the rapid spread of knowledge through channels like Twitter means that good ideas move faster.  My argument here is that at some point we all must get our heads out of the clouds and get down in the dirt. As the new year approaches I am laser focused on executing on much of what I have learned through the web.  That being said, with our school heading deeper into our digital transformation, my colleague and I, have set about redeveloping our professional learning pedagogy.  As we move towards student-centered learning we must model these expectations through our own professional learning.  This shift in our PD is designed to provide teachers the chance explore new topics and implement these ideas into their classroom instruction.  Coupled with the development of computer enhanced pedagogies, our classroom presence is meant to serve in a coaching capacity so as to better support teacher development and technology integration.  Beyond the classroom I am very excited to begin my work towards my doctorate specifically for the opportunity to engage others in conversation and work that will help promote my understanding of schools processes, learning trends, and in general developing stronger leadership skills. This year for me is about a having a little less conversation and a little more action.  What learning are you going to integrate and implement into your work as an educator this year?