The document introduces a teacher's lounge for online and blended learning educators to collaborate through blogging. It provides an overview of activities done so far, including establishing a wiki and weekly online meetings to become bloggers and comment on each other's blog entries. The purpose is to build a community, share experiences, and provide the educator voice in discussions about online and blended learning. Participants are encouraged to join and contact the organizers.

1. Teacher’s Lounge: Collaborative
Communication for Online and
Blended Learning Educators
• Jonathan Oglesby, Rob Darrow, Kristin Kipp, Mike Shumake
• Bekci Kelly, James Brauer, Joy Nehr
• VSS: October 2012, #vss12
www.inacol.org

2. Introductions

3. Our Purpose
• To increase our knowledge about how to blog in a non-
threatening supportive environment
• To build a community of online educators who like to
blog
• To provide the online or blended
teacher/administrator/parent/student voice to the
ongoing state and national discussion about online and
blended learning (stories, experiences, etc.)

4. Overview: What we have done
• Series of activities to become a blogger
– Wiki: inacol.wikispaces.com
• Weekly online meetings, Wednesdays at 5
ET via Blackboard Collaborate
• Comment on each other’s blog entries
– Blog: inacol.wordpress.com

5. Wiki: inacol.wikispaces.com

6. Blog: inacol.wordpress.com

7. Individual
Experiences/Transformations
• From non-blogger to blogger

8. Logistics of Blogging and
Engaging Others

9. Focus: Voices of
Online and Blended Learning

10. Why is this Critical?
• Communities of Practice
• Professional (and Personal) Learning
Network (PLN)
• Professional Development

11. How to be visible?

13. Please join us!
• Email Rob: rdarrow@inacol.org

14. “Whip Around”
(Final
thoughts/comments by
everyone)
Hockey Circle Panorama Planet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/29143375@N05/5294224165/.
CC attribution.

15. Contact Information
Key Links:
– Wiki: http://inacol.wikispaces.com/
– Blog: http://http://inacol.wordpress.com/
•Rob Darrow, (rdarrow@inacol.org)
•Jonathan Oglesby, (joglesby@inacol.org )