Kickstarting A New Initiative

I've been investing more of my internet time and blogging resources in getting the Joyful Jubilant Learning Network off the ground.  It is a grassroots effort among about a dozen people from around the globe who are dedicated to creating new learning opportunities through this communal venture.

If you haven't visited the Joyful Jubilant Learning site yet, why not take a moment and click on over.

As a result, I've been a bit scarce on posting here at studentlinc.

But it's not for lack of productivity.  Here's a couple of things that I've recently created/written over at JJL:

• Introducing The Learning Journal | Worksheet
  

  I envision this resource as a launch pad for thoughtful interaction, contemplation, and implementation of the learning process.  One of the things I'm discovering when a new idea comes my way is that I need a place to store that idea and consider what I can do with it.  The LJW is a simple form that can assist me in the process of moving from idea to action steps.

  Here's a brief overview of the various components of the LJW:

  • Learning Concept/Description
    This area serves as the launch pad for the rest of the document.  In this section you would enter the topic or idea that you are learning more about. It would also serve as a place to write down any learning goals that you might have throughout the process.  This area also includes a small window to write down any key words or concepts that are important.
  • Learning Notes/Diagram
    Many people are visual learners and find that they better comprehend information if it's drawn out, charted, graphed, or contains images. This section gives the learner an open space or canvas to draw and create.  It also contains a graph section as another creative space.
  • File. Topic. Tag.
    This section gives the learner a chance to identify key words or phrases that this new information could be labeled under.  People are becoming voracious taggers on the internet.  This process is incorporated into this pen and paper process as well.
  • Questions?
    With each new idea/concept, there are bound to be new questions that are raised.  This component gives the learner a place to jot those questions down.  Answers could be recorded on other portions of the page when they are discovered.
    
    Read more here.

The LJW is a FREE downloadable resource.  Download it here [36KB PDF]

I also wrote a piece about partnerships that I think is valuable to consider in most any team or collaborative setting.

• Developing Powerful Partnerships
  We're forming unique partnerships where the lines between student and teacher are blurred.  Where we learn while we teach and we teach what we learn and we learn to be teachable.  It's not simply the effort of one person, but the teamwork of many.  As this unique community evolves, I think there are some principles that have proven successful over time.   

  I believe that each of us already embody these principles in some way.  My hope is that by sharing them in this post, they serve as a foundation from which we will build, realizing that strong partnerships produce a valuable product.

  1. The most effective partnerships build upon trust, transparency, and concern for each other.
  This project is much more than coordinating post dates, planning events, talking through strategies and tactics.  It will find its greatest meaning in the relationships that are nurtured and developed.  We will be better as we know each other better, sharing in the time it takes to understand and appreciate one another.

  2. The most successful partnerships are formed in order to accomplish a vision or task.
  Realize that #1 and #2 are complementary.  As this project evolves, we will need to put specific dreams and ideas into tangible action steps.  When we start to run out of things on the horizon, we will begin to lose our motivation.  As my father-in-law tells me (he's 68), "when you run out of 'I just can't waits...' then you're done."

  3. Early on, our partnerships should have smaller, acheivable objectives.
  We don't have to tackle the meaning of life within the first three months.  When we start off small, we achieve small victories which give us momentum and an excitement to tackle something bigger.

  Read more here.

There you go.  Hopefully you find these useful in your journey to develop your own learning and leadership skills.