What a great way to share ideas! M.A.D. PD – it’s about Making a Difference in professional development! Thanks Peter Cameron and Derek Rhodenizer for getting this started and keeping it going into a second annual event.

This is a model for P.D. that could be applied to any setting or educational context! This opportunity could become a model for others to engage, share, provide resources and learn from each other. It shifts beyond the physical meeting spaces but can connect within face-to-face locations. Imagine learning from the wisdom of others – no hierarchies or status – just people who are educators – sharing together. Choice and voice are baked into the framework for the day!

The landing page [MAD PD] provides a video introduction to all the presenters – almost 100 of them. Many were using Flipgrid for the first time. Then, just before kickoff, a Master Schedule collection page was created (thanks Jennifer Casa-Todd and Jen Giffen) – it was my first look at how Awesome Table works. With this searchable list, it was easier to find topics of interest or presenters you’d like to hear. Best part is that this ‘gift of sharing’ will keep on giving into the coming year – it’s archived and accessible for all!

As I dipped in and out of the MAD PD sessions on Sunday, May 6th, I was struck by the variety of topics, the willingness of the presenters to risk in this open forum, and the supportive community surrounding this network of educators. If you’ve never experienced that in your teaching environment, take a look at the MAD PD hashtag (#MadPD) to see how others responded as the day evolved. There were many errors, glitches, and issues that arose throughout the day, but these did not stop presenters from sharing their ideas and resources. There were many who provided support and words of encouragement when the technology went wrong – read Diane Maliszewski‘s blog post where she describes her experiences [Fearful But I Finished! #MADPD and Hemming].

My own issue with technical issues was quickly resolved. As I set up a new YouTube live event with a new watch link, it was immediately posted to the spreadsheet by Jen Casa-Todd. The session notes for PLNs: Finding Friends and Fans in Affinity Spaces were adjusted at the last minute to include the #MADPD spreadsheet link since this is a great place to start building a PLN, with all the Twitter links available [slide notes are here]. Thanks to Lynn Cartan and Steven Secord for joining in. I was proud to support Madi Prinzen in her first PD presentation as a brand new educator  – risking in the open and gaining the rewards by sharing her knowledge with others. Her presentation is Connecting Globally with DHL.

Noa Daniels shared a quote that certainly wraps up the insights and impact of the #MADPD event for me.

So, let’s keep this MAD momentum going. Let’s keep sharing in the open! There are risks, I know, but oh so many rewards as well! What kind of difference will you make today?