What are Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)?
The first thing that came to my mind when introduced to PLNs was how the high school I work at has a variety of professional learning committees. I soon realized that professional learning systems, professional learning networks, professional learning plans, and professional learning committees all have different names but have the same concept in mind. They are all learner driven and allow educators to explore topics that are specific to their needs. For instance, in my professional learning committee we are focused on implementing restorative justice into our teaching practice. Our committee formed because we are all passionate about this topic and work together in order to research and share ideas with one another. PLNs consist of people working together, sharing ideas, and analyzing resources. Another PLN that I'm a member of is Pinterest because I use this website to explore educational topics I'm interested in and share my own resources. It is a great form of collaboration and helps me grow as a teacher. However, with this graduate class I've now become a member of two new PLNs, Twitter and blogging. Both of these experiences have been out of my comfort zone, but I have found them beneficial to my growth and development as a teacher.
Resources found through Twitter
I have never considered myself a big social media person. I had a Twitter when it first came out, but quickly deleted the account because I did not see the point or relevance to my life. However, giving Twitter another chance in a professional setting has been such an excellent experience. I always thought that since I'm a frequent user of Pinterest I would not need another type of PLN to find resources. The big difference that I have found between Pinterest and Twitter is that on Pinterest I search for topics that I'm interested in, but on Twitter I'm exposed to information that I would not have considered looking into.
Check out my new Twitter account!
As soon as I created my new Twitter account I started following a variety of educational organizations and fellow teachers. One of the first tweets I read provided a great resource that I'm excited to implement in my classroom next year.
AutismClassroomNews provided me the idea to create a 1-man down sub plan. I have been in situations this year where one of my co-teachers is sick and the school is unable to find a sub. This resource provides examples of how to create a plan for when you are short handed in the classroom. Instead of scrambling in the morning to figure out how to adjust the lesson, I will have a plan already in place.
Another resource that I have found by following and retweeting educational organizations is from
WeAreTeachers. They linked me to an article that provides examples of comments that are beneficial to leave on report cards in order to provide parents with an accurate and helpful description to help their children grow. I believe this is an excellent resource because it provides educators with specific examples and explains the importance of parent-teacher communication.
Participation in #edchat
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After becoming more familiar and comfortable with Twitter, I decided it was time to participate in a a live Twitter chat. This was my first time in a live chat and it was a lot of information to consume at once. I did not realize how many articles would be linked into each tweet, so I spent a lot of time looking at the resources and when I went back to the live chat I missed a lot of the conversations. For instance, one of the first posts explained how using the word "why" should be the most used word by teachers. I completely agreed with the comment, but it took me two minutes to reply after reading the article and the topic had already switched.
I then wanted to start a new conversation about an article I recently found on a debate about whether teachers should hug their students. I posed the question and then linked the article in order to receive feedback. I did have someone send another article that discussed the importance of loving students unconditionally that I found beneficial to the topic.
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I also participated in a conversation about 1:1 technology in the classroom. Although my school district does not have 1:1, I'm intrigued by the topic and have heard both positive and negative experiences. It was interested to receive another points of view on the topic and suggestions from teachers that have incorporated the technology beneficially.
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I then wanted to start a new conversation about an article I recently found on a debate about whether teachers should hug their students. I posed the question and then linked the article in order to receive feedback. I did have someone send another article that discussed the importance of loving students unconditionally that I found beneficial to the topic.
Great distinction between Pinterest and Twitter. You are also the second person to recommend 1-man down. Did you find the resource or see it on Amanda's blog? Thanks for also sharing the link to the report card resource. This is something that many teachers can use! You touched on one of the great things about Twitter chats- they remain available to go back to look at and explore later. Your post didn't say if you would consider participating in another chat. Would you?
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