First, I explored many different education resources like Twitter, Facebook, Feedly and Pintrest. In my previous work experience I used these tools regularly. My experiment for this class was to see these tools through the lens of education. How would my use of them change? What seemed useful? What did not?
While others might use these tools in other ways that suit their needs, here are some of what I discovered worked for me:
1. Twitter:
In my prior work life, I have used twitter in conjunction with crowd sourcing sites to promote awareness and raise money. Twitter is also a fun way to "live comment" on events like the Academy Awards or the Olympics. It's also a valuable resource for tracking breaking news. Unfortunately, aside from Donald Trump, most businesses and high profile people who "trend" on Twitter have dedicated staff whose only job is to "tweet." Smaller players usually use Twitter to push their own wares. For these reasons, Twitter has not been an app that I really connected with or enjoyed using. I tweeted when my job required it, but not personally.
Looking at Twitter through a the lens of education, I feel less reluctant to use Twitter but it's still not my dream tool. I created a "teacher" profile and started a new collecting education related Twitter handles. I have been tweeting and following my feed for weeks. Ultimately, my conclusion is that Twitter is not personal enough to communicate with people with whom I have a relationship. Also, I wouldn't feel comfortable receiving tweets from parents and students on the random happenings in their life. Nor would I want my students and parents reading about my random happenings. Twitter is easily abused and hard to contain. A teacher friend of mine was stalked on twitter by a guy she dated once. Can you imagine her student's parents happening upon those hashtag chains?
In the classroom, I would use Twitter to follow breaking news and stay on top of local emergencies, but it would not be my primary way find topics on education or to communicate with those in my network. For example, there was a fire in the area and Twitter was the social media resource that provided real time information for those in the community. One day last year, we had a bomb scare at our local middle school. Twitter was how the parents throughout the district communicated what was happening and if the students were safe. We then took that information and communicated it through Facebook or by direct texting. Twitter is also a good way to keep up on other educators pushing their wares - new articles, books and products. In summary, for me Twitter is a one way road that I will use to receive information, but not communicate until I have my own edu-wares to push.
2. Facebook
I have developed a sizable group of teaching friends on Facebook. I have found it to be a great resource to share laughs and frustrations on a more personal level. Teachers need to commune and share highs and lows and Facebook, I have discovered is the safe place to do it.
Do I think about what I post now that I'm an educator, you bet! But, for me, Facebook helps us celebrate the good times. We share the good moments and it reminds us to celebrate them. We share the heartache and it reminds us to care for one another. Teachers sometimes friend parents with whom they have developed a special relationship, but mainly it's teachers friending teachers and keeping their pages private to "friends" only.
As I teacher, I think I would like to find a Facebook like App, like Edmodo, to use in the class to connect over assignments and happenings.
3. Feedly
My husband is a Podcast addict and has been hip to RSS feeds since their inception. It wasn’t until this class that I was encouraged to use Feedly. I love Feedly to keep up on the latest in Education. Here’s a screenshot of my Feedly page.
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| Jen's Feedly |
I can’t wait to read the article on inquiry-based learning.
4. Pinterest
By far my favorite tool in my PLN is Pinterest. I have a board called “Ideas for Classroom” where I have been pinning everything from classroom decorations to behavior modification tactics. If I can’t sleep at night, I love to troll other educator's boards and collect ideas. It is so easy to search for anything that you need. I can see using and contributing to Pinterest more than any other tool in my PLN.
5. Teachers Pay Teachers
Another part of my PLN is https://www.teacherspayteachers.com. I discovered this site through Pinterest after following a link to a lesson plan. Teachers Pay Teachers is a great place to find ideas for lesson plans and other tools created by teachers. The site is searchable by grade level or by subject matter. Here is an example of what I found interesting after doing a search for Common Core 5th Grade Language Arts:
I plan on growing my PLN as I meet new educators and happen upon new resources. Each connection I make leads to more connections. This connectivity is one of the greatest resources teachers have at their disposal. I'm very grateful that this class encouraged me formalize a PLN at the beginning of my journey as an educator. I'm sure it will be one of the tools I utilize often as a I grow as a teacher.
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