Whether it's coming up with and sharing new ideas, seeking help and ideas, or simply searching for resources, collaboration is key in the education world ... and that's why PLN's (Professional Learning Networks) are so important.
One of my favorite PLN's is blogger. I blog on my personal account about life in general, and I love following other blogs both for my personal interests and my education interests. So many wonderful ideas can be found in other people's blogs ... so much insight can be shared ... and so much can be realized by typing one yourself! I also think blogging is a great introduction to PLN's in the classroom. You can set so many controls on them that it is a "safe" way to introduce students into the world of online collaboration.
For personal connections I love Facebook as much as the next person ... I use it to keep up with family and friends around the world. However, for professional/educational connections I am falling quickly in love with Twitter. I love seeing what other people are thinking about, looking at, and researching! I love that twitter gives me the ability to glance through things quickly and bookmark them for later when I have time to really read. Here is "The Teacher's Guide to Twitter" ... an article I love.
There are many, many PLN's out there in the wide web world ... the trick is find ones that you like! For me, the next step is implementing them in my classroom more. Anything I love this much for myself is definitely worth incorporating into my classroom for my students more and more! This article, "5 Personal Learning Networks for Educators" has a list of PLN's that I will be checking out - for both myself and my students - soon!
What is your favorite PLN to use yourself?
What is your favorite PLN to use with your students?
What is your favorite PLN to use with your students?
I agree, so many resources and tools can be found on blogs. I also enjoyed the article, The Teacher's Guide to Twitter" - it breaks down categories, hashtags (#) and definitions of common "tweets." I am still getting used to using Twitter but I find it to be very "real-time" and love how you can search for a specific topic and get many, many sources. My favorite PLN to use myself is Google Hangouts and I would like to use in the classroom as an additional resource outside of school for students who have needs and questions at home. Google hangouts are a virtual chat room and can be used on a computer or mobile device. I would love to incorporate this into my classroom next school year, now that our district is in our second year of 1:1 and the students feel comfortable using their netbooks. I will keep you posted!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Facebook is good for personal connections. I am finding that I really like Diigo as a part of my PLN. I was introduced to this bookmarking tool a couple of semesters ago and since then I have linked up to groups where I can obtain new ideas and read up on discussions within the groups. So far this is my favorite. I am looking forward to beginning a Twitter account. It seems kind of weird to say but I do not have one yet. Yes I know call me crazy, but after this course I know I will have a Twitter and I am hoping to find that it is as resourceful as everyone says it is.
ReplyDeleteI just posted a video link under my Blog and post for this week. It opened my eyes to what sort of PLN do I have for my students. The video goes into quick and easy ideas for PLNs and the one I am liking the most is a classroom blog. Parents and students can blog and post. I think it could be great interaction for parents, students, and teachers to all blog together throughout the year. Something to I am pondering going forward. I am NEW to the blogging and Twitter world- so far I am catching on to Blogging more than Twitter. I still don't "get" Twitter! But I figure it will come with time!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I like to write, I have never been a blogger, but I love to read blogs! So good for you for getting out there...
ReplyDeleteI think it is neat that you have been blogging for a while. I enjoy writing, but haven't bogged prior to this class.
ReplyDeleteI had a personal blog prior to this class, but it has been awhile since I have actually blogged. There seemed to be a group of friends of mine that we used to keep in touch by writing blogs........ I guess the facebook has killed our blogging world as we don't do it much anymore!
ReplyDeleteI also think it would be awesome to incorporate some PLN's in the classroom with students. I am just not sure yet what would be a good one to use. I have set up a KidBlog account so maybe I could start there! I like the link with 5 PLN's for educators. Thanks for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteI have come to love reading blogs through Pinterest. There are so many people out there who have already figured things out and are willing to tell the world. This class will give me my first blogging experience. I have never been the type of person to write out what I'm thinking, but I love to read about others. I really enjoyed the link about 5 Professional Learning Networks for Educators. I'm interested to dive into a couple of them to see what they're really about.
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