My professional learning network (PLN) is a way to connect to educators from around the world! It gives me an opportunity to collaborate with practicing teachers and see fun, new trends in the education realm. One great thing about PLNs is that I am connected with a tech-savvy virtual co-op that allows me to learn from her because she is a veteran teacher. I am able to practice various tech tools with concepts my co-op wants me to create. The virtual co-op experience with my PLN has displayed to me that being a lifelong learner is crucial in order to be a teacher of impact!
Who are My 10 go to People on Twitter? Why?
There are so many people on Twitter that have positively impacted my PLN. However, only picking ten people on Twitter, my "go to" people I follow are: Tom Murray (@thomascmurray), Tyler George (@GeorgeHistory), Dr. Joe Harmon (@DrJHarmon), Rachel Murat (@MrsMurat), Freemanpedia (@freemanpedia), Kristen Nan (@nankr1120), Dr. Sam Fecich (@SFecich), Phil Strunk (MrPStrunk), Tom Richey (@TomRichey), and Tim Smyth (@historycomics). I highly recommend following each of the ten Twitter profiles I mentioned because they all bring unique ideas to the classroom through social media. Some of the above people are content specific for me, while others are just great people with an abundance of ideas. I can see through documentation that each of them have brought great innovation to the classroom. However, the most important quality of these profiles is that they all continue to be lifelong learners, even as seasoned teachers. They know they can always improve their classrooms and be a better resource for their students.
How Have Twitter Chats Helped Me Grow as a Teacher?
Twitter chats have been essential to my development as a teacher. I see all the unique perspectives of practicing teachers, and I share some advice of what I would do in certain situations. The topics of chats I have participated in include replacing textbooks for tech tools and games, a mastery chat for practicing teachers, the topic of grading for Social Studies teachers, the effect of social media and tools on learning, and the topic of religion in the classroom. Each of these chat have helped me grow as a teacher because it forces me to think about either innovative, creative, or difficult topics. I can also see how practicing teachers have had successes in the classroom but also failures and how to avoid their mistakes. I know I will make mistakes, but limiting them will help my confidence in the classroom.