Learning Communities
As I go through a Master's Program from Lamar University, they asked me to reflect on my experiences as a member of a learning community. I have joined a couple and I look forward to strengthening my connection with them going forward! Here is an answer I gave previously in a dicussion board.
2. Give an overview of the learning network joined. Give 2 reasons why this learning network could potentially be relevant to your place of work and professional life. Share what you are consuming and contributing to this learning network.
Since 2009 I’ve been a member of TATOA and its National chapter NATOA. This stands for Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. This is a group that educates and trains members to more efficiently serve local governments and the public. I’m also a part of their Facebook group which includes a more select membership of people who share their knowledge and experiences.
Going by the Edweek.org article I successfully achieved all three steps for building my own Professional Learning Network. In 2009 I was a know-it-all video producer for the City of Missouri City, TX. I did know that I wanted to expand my knowledge so I got a local library card and met other professionals that did the same job I did.
This learning network is relevant to my work and personal life because we meet at our yearly conference about video production and how it impacts Texas cities. I’ve lived my entire life in Texas and have done video production since I graduated college in 2003. I’ve even won awards from this organization for my video production skills. The best part about submitting my work for an award is even if I don’t win they still provide the judge’s notes so I can review what I could do better the next time.
The second reason this learning network is relevant to my work and professional life is that we regularly chat. Having a few Facebook posts to look at pushes my thinking. One example is the use of the helicopter drones to get video. I was unsure about the potential impact it could have until other members of our group would buy a drone and post reviews about their ease of use and ability to get interesting video footage.
We were able to narrow our group to about 20 of us that produced videos for city governments across Texas. We communicated through email and phone calls to encourage one another and highlight our best work.
Right now I’m consuming a lot of my knowledge through this educational course and the magazine HD Video Pro. When I learning something powerful or simple I can immediately share it through my phone or work computer to my TATOA Facebook group. What’s great about today’s digital age is not only are we able to create digital projects but we’re able to learn digitally too. Luckily since I’m on Facebook a lot anyways, their posts popup at the top of my news feed. My colleagues and I post a lot of job relevant news articles about our business. This keeps me current because after I have read what they post, then I’ll click on the website’s banner and see what other articles are posted.
