What is a PLN and why is it important?
A PLN, or Personal Learning Network, is a way to connect you with other teachers and collaborators around the world. PLNs can be through social media sites, like Twitter and Pinterest; other teachers, resources, and tools can also be a way to have a PLN. By using your PLN, teachers can collaborate, communicate, grow, learn, and discover new ways to best further the learning and success of all learners. PLNs are great tools to have; you can collaborate with other classrooms on virtual projects, learn new ways to help students through situations, you can gain new insight about current tech tools, get feedback from other teachers on your instruction, and many more ways as well. When using a PLN, it is very important to branch out and maintain a growth mindset, focusing on how you can become a better teacher. You can use your PLN to interact in so many different ways, like Twitter chats. PLNs are very important because it connects to the global world and facilitate a growth that is necessary in the education profession. As a teacher, you should be striving to learn, and by using a PLN, you have access to one of the best and current ways to learn. By not using PLNs, teachers are doing themselves and their students a disservice because they are being deprived of tools and learning that can benefit all.
How my PLN has helped me, and how I can use it as an educator?
I have learned so much from my PLN. On Twitter, I have participated in ed chats with other teachers around the world. These chats have not only helped me grow my support base of other educators, they have helped me grow as a educator because I am learning directly from the field. I am seeing how teachers work and teach in the classroom, what technologies they are using, what struggles they have, and what kinds of innovative thinking is occurring through these chats. Again, one thing that is absolutely important to have when using PLNs is a growth mindset. If you are not open to learning and developing as a teacher, you will not gain anything. You will be wasting your time and gain nothing. The goal should always be to improve your instruction to best help students learn and be successful. With my Pinterest, I have also been able to learn so much. Pinterest has given me different ideas on how I could implement different models, ideas, activities, and resources that I would never have known about without it. PLNs allow for you to have a great tool for learning and implementation in the classroom. When I become a professional educator, I hope to be able to use my PLN to continue the growth and learning that I have already started. I hope that I can continue to be involved in Twitter chats and grow from the great insight they give me. I plan on using Pinterest to gain ideas for future projects, activities, and models that I can implement into the classroom. My PLN will be one of my biggest "go-to's" for gaining feedback and ideas. From my PLN, I can learn about different tech tools to implement into class as well. My goal is to be involved and to keep growing. By using my PLN through Twitter chats, posting my blog entries, continuing my tech tool write-ups, engaging in global projects, and collaborating with other teachers, I know that my PLN will be a major part of my classroom. I plan to continue to grow my PLN through these Twitter chats especially, as I have already added some very cool teachers and people. I hope to keep learning and engaging with them. Lastly, I think that it is important that I continue this for the sake of my future student's success, and I am able to demonstrate the qualities that I have developed from my PLN to them so that they can do the same.
My Twitter chat participation
#Ditchbook participation on 12/7/2017 |
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#12daysoftwitter challenge participation from 12/4/2017 - 12/19/2017 |
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#SSTLAP participation on 11/30/2017 |
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#Ditchbook participation on 11/30/2017 |
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#Gratitudegcc Challenge participation from 11/14/2017- 11/30/2017 |
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#KTIChat participation on 10/4/2017 |
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References:
- (2017). 2.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 7 December 2017, from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DH9cONnxxfg/Twtt_tIeESI/AAAAAAAAB0U/lqbXK6of3D8/s1600/edupln.png
- Danielson Group. (2017). Danielsongroup.org. Retrieved 7 December 2017, from http://www.danielsongroup.org/