• Write a “to do” list
• Fold a load of clothes
• Start supper
• Take a short nap
• Read a Newspaper
• Take the dog out for a walk

Now obviously this list could go on and on, and I don’t mean to belittle any of the tasks that I list above, as I frequently do any and all of the items I have listed daily.

This weekend I listened to the EdTech Posse podcast, and one f the reoccurring statements said was that many things just take fifteen minutes. What were they talking about? Professional Learning. In today’s world of connectivity, there is no legitimate excuse that teachers do not know about many of the newest applications, be it web 2.0 applications, open source software, or picture/video editors. There are MANY opportunities on the web to provide one’s self with self directed professional development, and much of it in just fifteen minutes a day.

So, where does one start? I recommend you begin with a reader, like Bloglines or Google Reader. Some people like PageFlakes too, though I haven’t experienced using it before.

Then collect a few blogs and a couple of podcasts. Start small, after all this is just supposed to take fifteen minutes. I would subscribe to the following:

Dean Shareski’s Ideas and Thoughts

Will Richardson’s Weblogg-ed

Wesley Fryer’s Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Liz B Davis’ The Power of Educational Technology

Doug Johnson’s Blue Skunk Blog

Seek out some local flavor too, like those in your district or state. I found many local ones by serching the words blog+South Carolina+education+technology (and even + library). Then add them by subscribing with your reader. Your reader becomes a one stop shop for professional learning.

BEST, these blogs DO NOT focus necessarily on the technology, but rather the learning and keeping it engaging for our students. Talk about think out of the box kind of people!

How?

Look for a bookmarklet that reads “subscribe here,” or just copy the URL in the “add” feature of your reader. Then select the choice that has rss at or near the end. Look to see if the blog also offers a subscription to comments. Shareski and Richardson both have healthy comments feeds.

Then visit your reader once a day, and spend about fifteen minutes learning, learning, learning. Soon you’ll realize just exactly what you can get from all this, and then begin thinking “how can I tap my students into this?” And that’s a whole new post for some other day.

Read this helpful piece too:
InfoTech Column
Due Dec. 20, 2006
Information Outlook, Feb. 2007 Issue
15 Minutes a Day: A Personal Learning Management Strategy
By Stephen Abram

Attribution:

Image: ‘FifteenMinutes‘
www.flickr.com/photos/94272988@N00/100273292