Personal Learning Network

My PLN Pre-Map:

Before the course, I didn't know what a Personal Learning Network was, and it didn't extend beyond my family, and my previous jobs and education. I wasn't very active on social media at all. The only form of social media I had was Facebook. So, my pre-map didn't contain a lot of learning networks. Since this course I've added a lot more to my Personal Learning Network, and I believe it will really help expand learning for my classroom and myself.

My 10 New Learning Networks:

1) Twitter

Before this class, I thought Twitter was just another way to connect with your friends, but Twitter is an excellent way of making new connections with teachers and people of other professions. Getting connected outside of Facebook is new for me, but I believe it will prove to be helpful as I start to look to present myself in a more professional light.

2) Pintrest

In this class I learned Pinterest is a great way to find resources online for the classroom. On Pinterest, you can find a lot of people who post great resources and ideas for education and technology.

3) Zoom

After being introduced to Zoom for the first time by my professor, I knew it would be a great tool in my arsenal when I begin my journey as a teacher.  Zoom is an easy-to-use app that allows people to video chat one another anywhere. It is a great way to get students involved when they are unable to come to class, bring other teachers to talk with the students, or to just do a fun activity.

4) Followed on Twitter

After acquiring Twitter, I felt it was important to be constantly updated on what is going on within the education world. In order to do that, staying connected to the US Department of Education is a must. Education Week is a newspaper website about all of the newest ideas, innovations, and concerns in the education field, and it is a great way to find new and inventive ways to teach.

4) Ted Talks

One thing I have noticed a lot during my time at UNI this semester is the use of Ted Talks. I've noticed a lot of teachers use this website as a source of information and to induce innovative thoughts. I feel these talks are great ways to expose my future students new ideas and current events which can help them in writing and critical thinking.

5) Followed on Facebook

I joined an English teaching community on Facebook. As shown in the screenshot, they are other English teachers who share their own personal experiences teaching, and there are over 90,000 members all over the world. This will be a great way to get connected to all kinds of people.

6) Followed a Blog

Alex Quigley is an English Teach who created the blog "Hunting Education", which is a great source of information on teaching strategies, and course material. Adding Quigley to my personal learning network will help keep my teaching from growing stale.

7) Followed on Pinterest

When I got Pinterest, the first thing I followed was the education topic. More specifically, I followed the Language Arts portion of the education topic, which is filled with resources, assignments, and posters to help English teachers. This is a great tool to enhance my classroom when I'm off on my own.

8) Lynda

I took a look at the suggestions on the INSTTECH elearning page, and I found Lynda, which I thought was really cool. It's a online collection of courses you can take to improve your skills, whether that be time management, or photoshop, or something else. I choose to do a leadership course, because it connected well with being a teacher, and it is an overall a good skill to have.

9) NCTE

This semester I decided to become a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, which is a great resource as a teacher, because there are plenty of academic journals and recommended books that I have subscribed to. Unfortunately I have yet to get the membership card for the subscription, but the choice of joining has also given a sense of professionalism to my future job.

10) Talks with Teachers Podcast

Talks with Teachers is a podcast hosted by Brian Sztabnik, a high school English teacher who gives great tips about how to improve your classroom. He also brings in guests from teachers all over the country to tell their stories and give teaching advice. The one in the screenshot is when he brought in Shanna Peeples as a guest to give her story and inspiration for aspiring teachers.

My PLN Post- Map:

I learned a lot through this course, and gained a lot of new outlets to learn from and to communicate through. There are so many tools, platforms, and other networks to explore and learn from. And through my new personal learning networks, my students will be able to expand their own. Which is an exciting thought.