Virtual PD Hack: Sketchnoting Conference Recordings (and Webinars)
Like many other educators around the globe, back in March I quite suddenly found myself teleworking. As a librarian, I struggled with this, since so much of what I do is about connecting with teachers and students. I worked at our online student help desk, trained our teachers on how to use Zoom, restarted some of my book clubs virtually, and read a lot. But I wanted to find more ways to productively use my time, to get myself ready for that time when we all do get to be together once again. And I suddenly had a realization – I could watch recorded conference sessions!
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Watching recorded conference sessions
Like many educators who attend conferences, I never get to attend all the sessions I’m interested in. Sometimes my own presentations conflict. Other times the room is full or I have to leave early to catch a flight. I always make note of the sessions that are recorded so that I can go back and watch them later, but I pretty much never get around to it. Until now, when I suddenly have WAY more time on my hands.
Of course, this strategy works great with webinars too (and I’ve been watching a LOT of those). But there’s something very satisfying about actually taking advantage of the professional development resources that I pay for with my professional association memberships. And it’s almost like your own little conference where you get to choose which sessions to go to and don’t have to deal with crowded hallways or trying to get the wifi to work.
Add in… Sketchnoting!
Sketchnoting is a tool that I’ve loved and used for years now, but it’s like a muscle – it works much better with practice. And when you watch a recorded session, you can pause to make your sketchnotes look better. You can rewind and catch something you missed. Sketchnoting recorded sessions really helps me to focus on the content more, and I find that I retain more of it too.
(Bonus – if you need help learning how to sketchnote, this ISTE webinar is a great resource. Her book, Sketchnoting in the Classroom, is next in line in my professional development reading.)
More Sketchnoting Resources:
- The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde (my review here)
- How to Sketchnote: A Step by Step Manual for Teachers and Students by Sylvia Duckworth
- My Pencil Made Me Do It by Carrie Baughcum
- Visual Note-taking for Educators: A Teacher’s Guide to Student Creativity by Wendi Pillars
Webinar, Conference Recording and Online Training Resources:
(Note: Some offerings are free, others require a membership)
Have you been taking advantage of online PD these last few months? What strategies have helped you?