Personal Learning Networks
A Place To Collaborate, Share, and Learn
Why Are PLN's Important??
Someone once said that you stop learning the day you die. Thanks to the "flattened" world, we are able to learn and share ideas like never before. If I have a colleague on one of my PLN's that has just come up with the most novel idea ever, that idea is no longer trapped in his or her circle. It can be shared with the rest of the world in mere moments. All we as teachers have to do is be willing to be a part of this wonderful journey. Joining and actively participating in PLN's will not only help you as a teacher grow professionally, it will help your students to become thinkers and life-long learners.
Collaboraton is the key!!!!
Twitter.........A great place to share and learn.
If you haven't joined twitter, watch this video and see all of the opportunities that await you!! Lets connect....bobbywaddell1
Using Twitter to Build a PLN - How Twitter Inspired One SDW Teacher
The Future Of PLN's
PLN's are here to stay. The use of social-media is only going to increase. With that increase will be even more educational ideas shared among colleagues. I predict school systems will begin professional development ( if they haven't already) that will teach good uses of PLN' s the same way that this class does.
My Future With PLN's
As time progresses, I hope to evolve from someone who primarily borrows ideas from others into becoming someone who publishes ideas. Contributing to my PLN's is my next step. I continue to gain great ideas from colleagues and I plan to share some of my own. "Connect, Collaborate, and Share" should become the mantra of all 21st century educators and through PLNs this is incredibly simple. Teachers can talk freely about what strategies or lessons work and which ones do not in a non-threatening environment. As I see it, teachers are communicators by nature and PLNs are great vehicles to really reach out and tap into the creativity of others.
Students' Future With PLN's
Students will continue to grow through the use of Social Media/PLN's. Students are already using this technology to connect in their personal time. They are very savvy users, and we should take advantage of this and connect students around the world. That way they can collaborate globally and gain valuable insight into how other children approach and solve problems that affect all of us.
The Educator's PLN is one of my new favorite PLN's. You can log on everyday and find a new and wonderful idea to share with you students. I teach math and science and I can easily access ideas for lessons from other teachers from across the country. Teachers can also discuss relevant topics facing educators today...from technology integration to common core and accountability.
Pinterest is new to me, but the more that I explore the site, the more I am liking it. I used to think Pinterest was just a site for "frilly" girl activities, but the more I look at things, I am stumbling across activities and resources that I can use. Pinterest has great ideas for interactive math/science notebooks...something that I am very interested in using next year with my students. Pinterest has boards for everything, not just education. I play the banjo in my spare time and Pinterest provides links to all kinds of things that I can use to enhance my musical experiences. Pinterest is well worth a look...even from guys like me.