cpd23 - Thing 7 and professional organisations

I'm doing a further post about Thing 7 as when I looked back to what I had written last week it wasn't very good, in fact it was decidedly poor. So this post is about professional networks. The professional network that I belong to that I value the most is the Association for Learning Technology (ALT). I first became a member in 2007 when I moved from teaching to e-learning and decided to become an individual member as well as being involved as the representative of our institutional membership. E-Learning and learning technologies are the areas that I'm really interested in (immersed in, passionate about) and I'm glad that I have the opportunity to work in an area that I enjoy so much. ALT provides a wide variety of 'benefits' including events i.e. training events and conferences, information about learning technologies from people that are involved and are experts in the field, a means and a method of collaborating and sharing information and experiences and access to publications and papers. I have been a member of the Further Education Committee for the last 2 years and have gained a great deal from my involvement especially from the other members of the committee. I think it is important to try to play an active part in professional bodies and organisations mainly for the sake of the other members and the organisation as a whole but also because it adds validity and substance to your own practice.

I have until recently been a member of the British Computer Society. I was a member of the Teesside Branch and a member of the committee and attended meetings regularly. However it became a bit too techie and dull so I have lapsed but I might take it up again in the future.

I haven't joined CILIP as yet but will probably do so in the next few months. I do follow their activities closely and from an external or objective point of view the benefits of doing so are increasing.

Professional bodies and organisations do, I feel, have a responsibility to represent their members in a way that is relevant and open. I don't think it should be taken for granted that because you are qualified or working in that profession that you must join that professional body. The expectations of members and potential members are high and it requires commitment from both sides.

I am a member of the Institute for Learning (IfL) which is the professional body for teachers and trainers in further education. It was introduced three years ago? or at least that is when it became mandatory for teaching staff at our college to be members. The requirement was to complete 30hours CPD and to record it. There is a facility to use Reflect which is the Pebblepad e Portfolio to keep CPD assets which is good but apart from this the benefits are not apparent.