I love learning.........

I really do love learning.  Tonight I took part in the Enabling e-learning BYOD webinar: How to use mobile technologies effectively!  After a full-on school day it is pure MAGIC to connect and network and learn with other incredibly passionate educators on a similar journey.  We were treated to a glimpse of the MAGIC of the Manaiakalani Project with Dorothy Burt and the Buy your own device; then Donna Smith from St Hilda's College in Dunedin shared their BYOD Macbook journey and ipad trial in Year 7/8; rounded off with a look at the Orewa BYOD programme with Mark Quigley.
What is the MAGIC in this type of webinar? For me there are so many MAGICal components to it but I would love to hear yours:

• Choice of participation;
• Free of cost
• Relaxed and welcoming
• Relevant 
• Personal, with stories shared and journeys traveled discussed and shared
• Inspirational

I love that I can connect, in class and engage in Professional Development right when, where and how I need it.  I love that we can listen, interact, engage, chat, and learn.  I love that I can multitask while participating in a webinar.  I was able to tweet, take notes for this blog post, reply to a couple of emails, update my google calendar and stay on task with my learning.  I was discussing this with a colleague tonight and I see the future of blended learning as imminent.  Our learners interact, engage, multi task, learn, create and share.  They network, and socialise while learning.  Are we becoming more like our learners?

My key take aways from today's webinar are:

• Engage your community and keep them informed
• Learn from research
• Allow the learner their personal voice
• Engage with an authentic audience
• Expect creation
• Cater for the needs of all learners with a blended learning environment
• Be aware of issues of equity, discuss and learn from opportunities for all
• Ubiquity is essential
• Collaboration is empowering
• BYOD is simply allowing another tool to enter the arena of learning
• WWW - whereever, whenever, whatever
• Robust wireless, stable network and affordable devices are uniting to make BYOD an incredible option...

As I approach the end of the third term with a BYOD class I am in awe of the journey we are on and in awe of the potential.  What a privilege it is to be travelling this journey!