After discussing the benefits of PLNs in my graduate school course with others in the program, I began to explore different networks that others had mentioned and also revisit some networks that I had not been involved in for a while. One that I revisited was a blog site, Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell. She is the master of all things Google and I used Google Applications heavily in the classroom. By following her blog and listening to her podcast, I am able to implement new ideas into my classroom or solve a problem that I was struggling with because I didn’t have the right tools. This blog is what originally inspired me to become a Google Certified Educator. This is what PLNs are supposed to do. They are there to provide support when you need it and to inspire you to challenge yourself to be a better educator. Since following her blog, I have become the go-to person in my department for Google ideas and issues that need to be solved. It’s a responsibility I have enjoyed having. I love being able to introduce a new idea and hearing feedback from teachers who used it.
Being a part of Facebook groups also played a huge role in my teaching this year. I was in a new grade level and with the task of making everything digital, I needed ideas to keep from falling into using the same tools over and over again. By exploring some of these groups and Youtube channels I was able to create new interactive activities! One I was most proud of was my escape rooms we would use for test reviews! They were interactive and the kids loved them!
I would not have been able to do this without the support from the PLNs that I was a part of. During the courses I took, we formed our own sort of PLN by sharing ideas and giving feedforward throughout the course. Feedforward was constructive and led to taking my work to another level that I most likely wouldn’t have done without the suggestions and brainstorming of my peers.
Being a part of PLNs and giving and receiving feedforward are two things that are detrimental to growing as an educator and are two integral parts of a growth mindset.
Links:
Science Digital INBs - https://www.facebook.com/groups/289250915755421/
Bitmoji Craze for Educators - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2568655663438916/
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