Professional Learning Networks

Professional Learning Networks

Twitter Apprehension

I was in late middle school/early high school when Twitter first became popular. At that time, I was very interested in using Twitter to keep up with pop culture and to occasionally chat with friends. That phase lasted only a year or two for me and I haven’t been back on since. When I first read that I would need to be back on Twitter to find a Professional Learning Network (PLN), I’m pretty sure I let out a groan. At that time if you asked me what words came to mind when I heard the word “Twitter”, I would’ve said: politics, arguments, marketing, toxic, and time-wasting. I did not think that there was any chance I would find this exercise to be engaging, helpful, or valuable for me in any way…and boy, was I wrong! 

Image Source: Teach Thought 

Just a Few of Many Resources Found

My favorite part to have come out of this experience on Twitter are the resources that I’ve been collecting! I have been reading and retweeting several articles relating to teaching and education that I have found extremely helpful and eye opening. I have also found tools and resources that have already been used directly in my teaching! One resource that I found was TinyWow.com. 

Image Source: Tiny Wow

This website is loaded with hundreds of tools for editing and converting all kinds of files, and it is all free to use! I am constantly making my own worksheets for my class as well as finding/using worksheets from other teachers in my teaching. This website has all of the tools that I normally need to hunt around for, all in one spot! It has been a game-changer for me. I found this tool through Eric Curts (@ericcurts) by looking through tweets with the #edtech hashtag. After discovering this tool, I looked directly at Eric Curts's profile and have found so many more resources that I plan on using in the classroom. I now follow Eric Curts and look forward to continuing to grow my tech knowledge and toolbox through the content that he is posting.

Another resource that I have found through Twitter is a website created by The Pennsbury School District in Pennsylvania. They created a searchable database with more than 2,600 resources available for grades K-12. When exploring this website, I narrowed my search to K-2 and found almost 100 lessons ready to go in all content areas. I have already shared this amazing source with my teammates and we are planning to try out one of the virtual breakout rooms with our classes in the next couple of weeks. I found this resource by looking at the #educoach hashtags (after going down another Teacher-Twitter rabbit hole that led me there). This resource was tweeted by @TCEA and I made sure to retweet it so that I could keep going back to it. 

Image Source: Pennsbury

I have found animated images (or GIFS: Graphics Interchange Format) to be my favorite way to learn new tech tips. They are quick, simple, and help visual learners like myself really understand what to do. I have also noticed that some of the most “life-changing” tech shortcuts I use daily, I learned through a posted animated image on Instagram (and now Twitter). I found several tech tips in the form of animated images from @EDUCoachNetwork, specifically when they use the hashtag #TechTuesday. I would like to try and find more accounts that post tech tips and tech shortcuts or “hacks” through animated images. Comment below if you know of any good ones! 

Twitter Chats and PLNs

I enjoyed getting to explore Twitter chats and connecting with a PLN. I think in the past, Twitter chats have been more popular so I found it slightly difficult to find a Twitter chat that was happening at a time where I could attend. I did end up finding one by searching the hashtag #EDUChatList. I found a twitter chat for elementary math teachers (#ElemMathChat) that I was hopeful would connect me with other job-alike teachers to help me find resources and ideas. The twitter chat that I joined took place over a half-hour with 5 questions + 1 introduction question being asked. I was excited to connect with the hosts Jody Guarino (@jody_guarino) and Shelbi Cole (@ShelbiCole1), but was slightly disappointed that there were only a small handful of other participants to connect with at that time. I’m not sure how often I will be seeking out opportunities to participate in Twitter chats moving forward, but if I see one that I feel connected to I will absolutely join.

Image Sources: Blog Author's Twitter Profile

Now that I have found so many resources through Twitter, I know I will continue to explore and learn through this platform. I hope to use and share all that I’ve discovered with my team and my school’s tech teacher to see how I can implement these ideas into my classroom.