I have been thinking for quite some time that I need to plan out a series of hangouts on various topics, but my process thus far is every few weeks a new idea would come to me and I would set up the event. The problem with this process is that it doesn’t ensure that the most important topics get discussed and the online communities of practice I participate within feel any ownership for these sessions. Essentially, this doesn’t allow us to build anything together or create any momentum, whether within my district or within these much more loosely connected communities.

So, after thinking it through for the last week, I have decided to launch Project Roundtable, a 26 hangout session series throughout 2014 on the most important topics (collaboratively chosen and planned). Every other week, a group of educators will get together and try to answer essential questions or propose solutions to burning problems of practice.

So, while I am a firm believer in building structures and seeding communities, I am not in over-defining outcomes or prescribing what it is that each person might get out of the experience. With that in mind here is the Master Google Doc with all of the plans and ideas. I have seeded the process and each week with a tentative topic. This document will serve as the central organizing place for the entire project:

projectroundtable

You can go there to make comments and start planning, but here is a quick overview of what I’m thinking thus far:

Project Purpose: This document is meant to outline all 26 sessions of Project Roundtable, representing a commitment to create an engaging facilitated session on a given topic every other week throughout 2014 utilizing the Google+ hangouts platform. These sessions are to be a model for personalized professional learning according to the needs of those within the communities of practice most relevant within Denver Public Schools, Colorado, and the wider world. These sessions are likely to change over time as the communities grow and shift throughout the year, however, so long as they are collaborative and based upon the needs, strengths and interests of their participants, they will still fulfill the promise of personalized professional learning.

Non-Purpose: This document is not meant to be a single person, school district or state’s idea of the important themes/topics of 2014, but rather as a starting point for collaboration. Please use the process outlined below to make contributions, comments, and ask questions.

Background:

This idea was born out of a few different projects within 2013:
1. The Fellowship for Open Spokes: http://openspokes.com
  - In this project, participants have recorded reflective practice videos about their own professional learning and the learning of students in their charge.
2. Blend-tastic Bombastic Personalized PD: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/112568347126839900241
  - In this community, participants discuss personalized professional development, and plan live events that help facilitate it.
3. InnEdCo Conversations: http://innedco.org/conversations/
  - In this project, educators from around colorado come together to discuss important learning topics.
4. Original 2 Roundtables (Proof of Concepts):
  - The ‘How do you Coach Blended Learning?’ Roundtable: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c1fup7j99fefcg400okupfalgvo
  - The Blended Learning for Principals Roundtable: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c8n7cv18tpljp9mdds2mp2qij40

Process:

Each session has a tentative topic set, but you may propose other topics by writing other options as numbered alternatives (each tentative item is #1).
- If you propose a new topic, please also highlight and comment on the option so all owners of this document are notified.
Every two weeks, a new Planning Document will be created from this template: http://goo.gl/FO9NSH
- You can create your own planning documents from this template if one needs to be created for a hangout you are helping to facilitate
You may comment on any topic (in the past, present or future) in order to propose a change or make a suggestion for a follow up.
- You may spin-off any of these roundtables into your own sessions simply by placing them on this document in the following format:
  - Session 1a (choose the session number you are spinning off of and then add a letter that hasn’t been used yet)
  - Week for chosen session
  - Proposed Topic
  - Proposed Roundtable Members and Facilitators
  - Proposed Audience:
  - Event Link:
  - Planning Doc Link: