I entered my Educ. 422 class on the first day of the 2011 spring semester with no previous knowledge of what PLN stood for and how to obtain one. Now I know it is the acronym for Personal Learning Network, and that it takes time and energy to create and solidify one's PLN, and if used correctly, a PLN is an extremely useful collaborating and learning tool. I have spent the last 12 weeks creating my own PLN. As a result, my PLN stems from Twitter, Diigo, Classroom 2.0, and The Educator's PLN. It consists of other individuals, stationed throughout the globe, who share my passion for teaching. My PLN is primarily connected to those who focus on early childhood education and how to use technology as an asset in the classroom. As a prospective teacher, I am very excited to enhance my PLN and use it to collaborate with other teachers and professionals passionate about education. I will be able to share ideas, ask for help, and collaborate with other like-minded individuals in my profession. My PLN will help support me as an educator!
TWITTER:
Twitter is and will continue to be a useful asset in my PLN. I follow individuals related to early childhood development, K-2 education, and technology. Therefore I receive "tweets" related to these subject, and more. These tweets often have web addresses to blogs, articles, resources, lesson plans, and art projects! It has become a useful resource in my PLN. In fact, I was wanting to connect to Kindergarten Teachers, so I tweeted about it. Before I knew it, my PLN was supporting my exploration by telling me who they follow for support and information! In addition, I am able to use Twitter to ask for advise and collaborate in chats. For instance, on April 6, 2011 at 5 P.M. PST I observed #ntchat. On this day, #ntchat "chatted" about using poetry in the classroom. This was my first chat I had been a part of and although I did not "tweet" myself, I observed individuals posting their favorite quotes, asking for resources on how to implement poetry in the classroom, sharing ideas and successful lessons, and stating the many ways in which poetry helps students succeed. It was a very positive and motivating space. Those who wanted to collaborate where present, and you could see the enthusiasm in the chat-room. I am excited to participate in other chats and see the ideas flow!
DIIGO:
Diigo is a very interesting tool and I am fascinated by it. I love the fact that I can be at any computer, log into my Diigo account, and have "my" wealth of bookmarks with me, in addition to having the ability to connect to others' bookmarks. For me, it has become a research tool, similar to Google. By adding Diigo to my PLN I am able to network, research information, resources, and collaborate with others in the Diigo community. Within my Diigo account I have tagged #PLN to digital discussion forms and articles that support and explain PLN building. These tools have helped me understand what a PLN is and how to create one. Now that I have tagged them with the hash tag #PLN, I am able to share these useful resources with others who desire to find information about building and using a PLN.
DIGITAL DISCUSSION FORM:
The digital discussion form is new for me. I joined The Educator's PLN and Classroom 2.0. There is such an abundance of information in these forms, I often become overwhelmed and nervous when looking at the web page, but I am excited and confident that the more I use this amazing tool, I too will be able to contribute to these discussions.
On The Educator's PLN I watched a video Professor Daniel Willingham had created that stresses that teaching content is teaching reading. This is a 10 minute video with no voice, only visual aides and writing. It critically evaluates the importance of a deep knowledge base in order to be a successful reader, while visually capturing the audience with relevant photographs. It was a great piece of critical thinking and in turn made me evaluate what is being taught in the classroom, and reconfirmed the importance of introducing reading materials that teach about the world, in addition to lesson plans that take time to introduce and allow for exploration in all subjects. This broad range of information will allow for a deep knowledge base, which in turn will present content knowledge to reading materials. I was very please with what I watched and am excited to belong to a PLN that presents films and other resources with such critical thought.
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