JoAnn Mattson provided our class with a link to the K-12 Online Conference from October 2008.   Its theme was “Amplifying Possibilities”, and I certainly saw lots of possibilities just in this format of professional learning and sharing.  To view some of the offerings post-conference, you simply have to click on the schedule button at the top, and you will be provided with several choices according to the day they were presented.   I attended a workshop about  Trailfire because I didn’t even know what it was.  The page offered a bio about the presenter, April Chamberlain, and when I selected the audio, I was greeted with pleasant music and a soothing voice teaching me about this tool.  I really liked having this audio tool because I could pause and rewind as needed.

I learned that Trailfire is a free tool that allows a “guide” to mark a virtual trail through the path one  is researching.  Your trail can be public, private or shared with just a select group, and is shared via a web link.  It is a web-based tool that requires no downloads.  You can search for a trail (with a subject of your choice) through the Trailfire web site or your can access a trail from the link that is sent to you.   You can also create your own.   In order for this to work, you have download 2 easy-access icons onto your toolbar.  One marks the website as you are searching; the other allows you to view the Trailfire toolbar.   Marks are also interactive, and you can ask questions and make comments.

The second part of her presentation was an opportunity to actually follow a trail and to explore its features.  April had comments pop up throughout to lead your through and demonstrate how the tools works.  This second part helped me a lot because I wasn’t sure what was meant by the guide, and I wasn’t clear on the purpose behind the tool.  It seems to be another social networking tool where others can help you make sense of resources.   The guide is really the person who created the trail orginally and essentially leaves annonations about each website as well as directions about where to go from here.  These comments can be followed by others.   Others who follow the trail can ask questions and make comments along the way, too.   It’s another great way to network and share knowledge with others. 

The tool is not just for students.  The examples she showed were mainly meant for technology teachers, and she concluded her presentation by taking us to her wiki about Collaborative Web Trails.  Here there were more ideas about how to use this in the classroom and for your own professional development.  She also encouraged discussion and comments.  An instant network of like-minded professionals was born!

“Attending” this conference did not take much of my time, and I gained a lot of resources and insights from it.  The conference can be attended at times convenient for your own schedule, and you can learn at your own pace.   I would highly recommend this type of professional learning to others.  And I think I’m going to go explore her wiki and Trailfire a little more, too!