Personal Learning Network

As one of our assignments, we are to create a Personal Learning Network (PLN). This is where we choose a question related to a certain topic and communicate with others to seek new information that could possibly be implemented into our teaching efforts. The topic I chose was based on the use of technology in the classrooms. I asked five different people how they used technology within their teaching curriculum. I received feedback from them with many great ideas.

William Chamberlin was the first person I communicated with on this subject. He gave to me the ideas of video streaming. He stated that he used it to stream video from his classroom. Using a web cam, he recorded his lessons and posted them on his class blog. This enables him to showcase student's work, share information and teach lessons. He gave the link Vocaroo.com to use as a reference site for audio recording.

Angie Moehimann was the second person with whom I came in contact. I asked her how she incorporated blogging with Reading. I had seen students' reading blogs posted on her class blog. She stated that she assigns the students reading time at home. At the end of the week, they are to post a response to her question in regards to Reading. For example, her question might be related to prediction or author's purpose. The questions always tie in with her lesson. Students blog their response. She then takes the class information and displays it on her whiteboards and uses it for group discussion. She gave me a helpful link to further inquire about blogging. The link is flyerspd.pbworks.com.

The third person I researched on this topic was Kelly Hines. I read her ideas on keepingkidsfirst.wordpress.com. She encouraged creating and using Personal Learning Networks. She also encouraged monthly "Make n Take" sessions. Each grade level hosted a "Make n Take" once a month. This occurred in one member of that team's classroom. This was an hour long sharing and questioning session on how technology was implemented in that particular grade level. By doing this, they were able to share and implement several great ideas in their classrooms. She stated that these meetings brought about wonderful results for teachers and their students.

The fourth person with whom I researched ideas from was Joe McClung. He encouraged regular posting on class streaming. This way, you can share with others the work your students are involved with, and hopefully pass on ideas to others. It is also a great way for the students to become involved with the creating and implementing of lessons. They also get to see feedback that comes to them by the many comments people post. This is a strong motivator for students. He also uses blogging to communicate the steps he is taking to enhance his career. On his blog, his gives many links and resources for all educators out there looking to improve their way of teaching with technology. He speaks of several things that he learns from other educators as well as classes his is currently attending. I received from him the motivation to communicate with others by blogging in order to hold myself accountable to always strive to learn and enhance my teaching abilities.

The fifth person I researched information from was Jarod Lamshed. Jarod placed emphasis on communication with parents through Twitter and Face Book. Using these social networking tools is a quick and easy way to stay communicated with the parents on what is happening within the classroom. He uses them to post his weekly updates. He also uses them to send personal notes to parents, and it allows a way for them to give quick feedback. He also uses it as a method of sending out any reminders that may be helpful for the parents.

Overall, I think I learned a great deal from these five educators. I am more knowledgeable about how to implement technology within my classroom. I am certainly more motivated to use it with both my parents and students. I also learned that it can be a wonderful resource.