It’s about Connections – A Review of Sie, Pataraia, Boursinou, Rajagopal, Maragaryan, Falconer, Bitter-Rijpkema, Littlejohn, Sloep’s “Goals, Motivation for, and Outcomes of Personal Learning through Networks: Results of a Tweetstorm.”

Sie, R.L.L., Pataraia, N., Boursinou, E., Rajagopal, K., Margaryan, A., Falconer, I., Bitter-Rijpkema, M., Littlejohn, A., & Sloep, P.B. (2013). Goals, Motivation for, and Outcomes of Personal Learning through Networks: Results of a Tweetstorm. Educational Technology & Society, 16 (3), 59-75.

The reason I started a blog was to connect with others whose spouses or partners are serving our country either in the military, police, or fire industries.  I wanted to connect you with others that can provide support or resources, in order to make your daily life just a little more pleasant and simpler.  We all have resources and connections around us but are we using trust-worthy connections? Are our connections the same?  Do they help us grow?  Do they help us learn a little bit more about ourselves and the passions that we have?  Recently, I read an article and wanted to provide a review of the article to show that we all have Personal Learning Networks and how the power behind our networks can be stronger and encouraging to the learning we partake in.  Have you empowered your Personal Learning Network to help you learn and mature?

My article review

Social media is the number one way individuals review information today.  Social media are outlets for learning on topics related to both personal and professional areas. This poses challenges for learners because the information is so vast and overwhelming. Also, social media outlets are considered a format of informal learning because learners do not receive credits, continuing education credits, or professional developments merits. However, there are many advantages to social learning, such as learning from others, engaging in community practice, and partake in collaborative learning. The article went on to review other articles of literature to answer questions about professional learning including whom we learn from, how we learn, what we learn, and why learners engage in learning through networks. Social learning is a contributing factor when it comes how professional learning takes place.  This is where the article turns it focus to.  According to the authors, social learning occurs through personal learning networks (PLNs) and there are two approaches to PLN: top-down and bottom-up.  The top-down approach is when a learner partakes in a collaborative learning environment that helps motivate them to learn more or become less isolated about the work they are focused on. The bottom-up approach learners interact within their personal learning network and monitor, refine, and tailor their environment so that their interactions are learner-centric where feedback, advice, and engagement occur at a higher level.  The intention then turns to how the authors attempt to bridge the gap between the learner’s personal network learning and how workplaces and supervisors should recognize, value, and reward the learners for their engagement in the PLN.

In order to connect these two points, the investigation focuses on learners’ goals, motivations, and expected results when he/she use their personal learning network developed in social media as a key factor of education.  This research paper focuses on is based on an identified session and a brainstorm via Twitter, known as Tweetstorm. The team of researchers worked with a selected group of individuals attending a professional conference and asked them to use Twitter as a way of engaging in conversation and debate.  The researchers set the context, asked questions via Twitter, participants answered the questions utilizing the hashtag as a way to flag their response, the aggregated the information and analyzed the categorization of the information.  In total, there were 31 participants in the study. The advantage and disadvantage of Twitter are that due to its nature, Twitter is open to any who has knowledge of the hashtag session and participants only have a 140 characters to make a statement.  This may prove not to be sufficient response space and can include individuals who are not attending the conference. Based on the analysis, the article revealed several interesting findings. First, it showed that learners mainly learn from research collaborators (experts), friends (trusted resources), and external colleagues (experts).  Second, there are seven factors that play a critical role in an individual’s professional learning through the various personal learning networks.  These were identified as sharing, motivation, perceived value of the network, feedback, personal learning, trust and support, peer characteristics and peer value.  This emphasizes that information sharing is of great value in the workplace because it reduces duplication of effort and sits at the foundation of collaboration.  Furthermore, the article concluded within motivation, several factors played a key role, including different perspectives, social media and collaboration, reciprocity, intrinsic motivation, innovation, status and reputation, and networking strategies.  Overall, this study concludes that by connecting to the right peers leads to more creativity and expands the knowledge base in the virtual world and within each individual’s personal learning network.

From the study there is additional work and research that needs to be conducted because this research was based on a small sample size, and therefore, it will be important that further investigation will have a larger sample size and encompass various social media outlets such as Instagram, Facebooks, or SnapChat.  Also, the authors mention that future research will need to focus on the interplay between factors that influence the interaction between networked learners.

For me, the article reiterates that network learning can be a motivation for learning and the connections we make through our PLN should be balanced between information sharing and interaction with trustworthy and supportive followers.  This is why I wanted to build a network for a group of individuals that I care for and ensure that we surround ourselves with good information and trusted environment.

For Busy Fall Nights...Weekly Meal Plans to the Rescue

The fall is arriving this week, literally September 23, this means school is in full swing and sports have recently started up.  This also means that our house is in full-swing.  This fall, our household is only playing two sports.  I am coaching my youngest son’s soccer team (Under 5) and my oldest son is playing flag football.  Thankfully for U5 soccer, we only practice once a week but my older son practices twice a week for an hour and a half. For a firefighter household, some weeks are better than others because when you have two parents to orchestrate the busy night with, you can manage to get to practice and still have a good, healthy meal to come home to without the house looking like a tornado hit it.  However, this isn’t the case all the time.  For instance, this week my husband’s schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, which means that he is not home at all during the week for the morning routine.  I must prepare all lunches, get the kids ready and out the door for school, and make sure I have left the house a disaster.  Also, I must have dinner ready at night on nights when practices are scheduled.  In my opinion, this is the worst schedule out of the whole set.  Now, I know this schedule in advance, so I try and organize our weekly dinner meals into two categorize – crazy night and non-crazy night, because let’s admit I’m not superwoman and going out to eat seems so much easier, but we need to eat at home because it is what is best for all of us.  This is when I look to Pinterest and other blogs sites for quick meals that I can either throw in the crock pot before I leave or a one-pan meal dish in less than 30 minutes.  These are great resources and take away the pressure to think of something on your own.  I subscribe to a blog A Dash of Sanity that sends out a weekly meal plan to my email.  The weekly meal plan includes main dishes as well as desserts.  These meal plans have a good idea or two that I can use for the week.    So, I wanted to share this wonderful resource with you.  Take a look and see if you could use any of these meal ideas for your crazy week.

For our love of serving this country,

Nicole

Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial

Every year the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial honors the sacrifice made by IAFF members -- professional firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical personnel in the United States and Canada – who gave their lives while serving their country and community.

The Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, located in the shadow of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, honors the sacrifice made by IAFF members who have given their lives in the line of duty. The annual ceremony remains an uplifting service for the families, friends, and loved ones, celebrating the lives, heroism and accomplishments of our union’s bravest of the brave.  This year the memorial takes place on Saturday, September 19th.  

“Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial” by Mark Treglio

This year, my husband has been asked to attend along with the other new hires within the past year.  This opportunity allows the new firefighters to see this beautiful and reflective ceremony while also gaining perspective of the dedication and heartache of when a firefighter falls.  I was pleased to see my husband’s organization take the initiative to have the newbies take part in this ceremony as a way to engage in the community, support other men and women who have fallen, and see the family and network that is throughout this country that stand behind firefighters and paramedics. 

                                                                                                         “FireFighter’s Memorial” by Adam Fagen is licensed under CC BY2.0

As his wife, I find it comforting to   know that this organization honors the men and women each year who have served our country. I find it consoling that families partake in this ceremony surrounded by others who support and honor them. I find it heartening that a community feels like a family and a family that makes you a part of a greater community.  This is a blessing that my husband has joined this family and we can celebrate and pay reverence to our family members.

The IAFF is the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire and emergency services in the 21st century. The IAFF represents more than 300,000 full-time professional firefighters and paramedics in more than 3,100 affiliates. IAFF members protect more than 85 percent of the population in communities throughout the United States and Canada. The IAFF is also one of the most active lobbying organizations in Washington, DC. To learn more visit IAFF Fire Fighters.

In Remembrance...9/11

Today is a day of reflection.  For most of us, we remember where we were, who we were with, and what we were feeling when we heard the news about the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  I was sitting in history class in the Clark Bldg on the CSU campus.  We were watching a video online but the video didn't work, so the TV was on with the news airing.  This is when we saw the story unfold.  We sat there in bewilderment.  Is this true?  Is this happening?  Who could do this?  All the questions so many of us asked.  I remember how sad I felt.  I went home that day and gave my dad, a fireman, and wrapped my arms around him and told him how much I loved him.

Today, 14 years later and now the wife of a fireman, my thoughts are different than previous years. Yes, my own dad was a fireman but I never associated the risks he took on every day because he was my hero.  In my book, he was invisible, nothing would ever happen to my dad. To be honest, I still feel that way about him.  Mr. Incredible!  But now with my own husband, the dad of my two sons, I feel different. For example, ironically, this morning at 1:30 am, Josh was dispatched on a fire in the foothills.  There was a house fire.  Josh was first in and the crew was quickly supported by other engines not far behind.  Thankfully, the family was safely outside but yet the firefighters attacked the fire until it was diminished. Sadly, the family lost their home.  There was significant damage to the home.  Even though, I was asleep and didn't know about this until I woke up, I couldn't help but think about the women and men who were asleep on the morning of 9/11 thinking their spouses and partners were safe.  Imagining they were making breakfast and tidying up before they came home.  Yet, they didn't.  They were first in and last out.  They risked their lives and they knew it was their job to be there for those who had their worst days.  For those individuals who turned on the TV and saw the tragic event unfold, thinking about their loved ones.  Praying for them to come.  I sit here today, knowing that those firefighters did not return and left their families alone doing the very job that they were intended to do - serve.  I think about the families and the sacrifice they made for our country and honor them on this day for all that they did, for the support they gave their firefighter and the strength they have today to carry on their memories.  I salute the women and men who stand behind the firefighters, policemen, military personnel who serve our country because in our own way we are serving our country too.  God bless!

A beautiful tribute was featured in the Coloradoan today.  My husband was one of the men standing strong in honor of all of the lives lost on this historical day.  See the pictures here: http://www.coloradoan.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/09/11/photos-poudre-fire-authority-remembers-911/72060830/

Continuing to learn...Many Pathways to Explore

Prior to my husband becoming a firefighter, I decided to return to school and earn my master’s degree in Organizational Learning Performance and Change (OLPC).  You may be thinking, what is that?  I know it has taken my husband over 4 semesters to even remember the degree name and is still not quite clear about what my degree means. OLPC is focused on human resources and organizational development, an area that I am truly passionate about and I wanted to grow both professionally and personally.  Once he started working, this meant that he was gone for 24 hours and being a single mom kicked in.  This new career move for my husband was not going to stop me from pursuing my degree, it just meant that I would have to take a little longer to complete the program.  This also meant that my study habits had to change from when I earned my bachelors.  Some weeks, studying can be difficult because both boys are in sports and have practices that I shuttle them to and from and then we have dinner and my 9-year-old has homework to finish and at that point a typical bedtime routine.  It is not until after my boys are in bed and I have picked up from the evening that my studies begin.

As I sit here watching a TED Talk video by Will Richardson and Seth Godin for one of my courses, they are discussing about the ways individuals are learning differently today from when I was younger and very different from when my grandparents completed primary school.  Students have access to YouTube tutorials, blogs, TED Talks, free online courses, also known as MOOCs, which allow students to have greater access to information and seek knowledge from all around the world.  Students are able to explore the depths of inquiry by connecting with individuals who provide feedback, thoughts, and engage in online discussions.  Students are able to learners of various topics without having to enroll in school or an actual course but rather by navigating the internet to find information that pertains to a particular topic.  Look at us, you are reading my blog about how I navigate being a firefighter’s wife.  You may not be married to a firefighter just yet and want to know what to expect.  You may be a wife or husband and just want to feel a part of a community and to hear about the struggles others are facing.  We are learning from each other.  We are exploring inquiries about the doubts we have, or seeking tutorials on how to make 30-minute meals, or looking for some inspirational scriptures that nurture the soul. Whatever you purpose may be, we are connected. 

These connections have transformed the way our children and our children’s children will learn and we must be willing to use these various initiatives to cultivate an education system that allows for these influences to penetrate the curriculum and pathways to success.  To the power of continually learning and improving who we are.

About Me

I am no stranger to living in the world of firefighting.  My father has been a firefighter for 37 years and I grew up living the lifestyle of a fireman’s daughter.  Man, did I love it.  My dad was the coolest, everyone loved firefighters.  When my dad and the other firemen would come to school in the fire truck to teach us about fire safety, the kids thought I was the coolest kid in the class.  When my mom would take us to the store and a fire engine would be there shopping for the night’s supper, we would chat with the firemen and everyone would stare.  When I went to high school, it was still cool to have a fireman as a dad. I would take friends over to the firehouse for dinner and hang out.  However, this also meant that firefighters knew me, so if I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be usually my dad would receive a phone call and I would fess up and be grounded.  When I married my husband 13 years ago, he was an electrician but he knew that he was supposed to contribute to this life differently.  So, one year ago he applied and was accepted into the spring 2014 fire academy at Poudre Fire Authority.  Now, I am a wife of a fireman and the lifestyle is a little different.  I am now responsible for the household 24-hours a day and sometimes longer if my husband is running late on a call or is called in for overtime. I am a single mom to two beautiful boys on some days and nights and will spend holidays alone and acting as Santa Clause without the support of a partner.  I look back on my childhood and cannot believe that my mom has done this and is still raising five kids and our families.  How did she do it all these years?  How did she hold the household together?  How can I be like her with only two kids?  Why were there not more places for spouses, partners, and families to share resources and support one another?

I want to share my life experiences from planning birthday parties, finding good daycares and schools, and how to maintain a strong faith in God, your marriage, and this profession that is so demanding.  I hope through my blog posts, we can grow together and become stronger supporters to the men and women behind the boots.

My Sharing Purpose

As a wife of a firefighter, I want to provide encouragement, support, and honor to the spouses, partners, and families of firefighters. I want to enrich and highlight the blessings of being a part of the firefighter family by sharing resources, supporting one another during emotional times, and sharing my personal experiences for others to feel like they are not alone.