Professional Learning Networks On Social Media

Professional Learning Networks On Social Media

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            Social Media for Teachers can be a valuable tool for building a Professional Learning Network. These platforms can provide educators with highly effective and recommended research-based instructional strategies that are demonstrated or produced in various ways. Finding social media sites and people to follow that support evidence-based teaching practice is essential, and one must be selective of whose social media content they choose to follow. Educators on social media platforms will add valuable insight into becoming a successful teacher as there are many platforms emanating ways to increase student comprehension and understanding, countless innovative organizational concepts, lesson plans, and ideas for lesson plans. The list is endless, and it is all just a click away. Social media allows us to excel as educators by spending more time prioritizing student-centered direct instruction and optimizing our time with our students in the classroom. It also gives teachers and educators a place for community networking and building, as we all know that teaching is a demanding and challenging career. Social media platforms allow teachers and educators to work collaboratively with others outside their school walls with people worldwide. Social media enable teachers to share and discuss up-to-date educational research and trends, inspiring others and advocating for growth within the educational community and their own. 

            Kayla and Kristi from @teachers.tea on the "gram" became social media teacher influencers because they recognized many teachers' challenges in finding time to create high-quality curriculum-aligned lessons. They have created anchor charts, slides for teaching, student slides, exit tickets, projects with take-home notes, and materials teachers will need, all added to their slides. It's an easy click and teach. It empowers teachers to reclaim valuable time and energy they can invest in their students and families, alleviating the substantial burden of content creation. Kayla, a teacher of twelve years, and Kristi, a teacher of fifteen years in Edmonton Public, are collaborative team partners in grade 3. In 2019, this innovative duo decided to help other educators by making free resources for other teachers to use. They opted for Instagram as their platform of choice because they felt it was the most comfortable fit and what they already used, and the social network they've cultivated there supports their learning and fosters a nurturing community. They started building a unit with slides and reels in June of that year. They found that they get the most views from the reels they create and are the most fun to make. Since then, it has become their side hustle, and they love creating educational content. They feel the best conversations come from collaboration, and developing lesson ideas allows them to grow as educators. Utilizing backward design to come up with engaging lesson plans. "If I'm excited, the students will also be excited." 

         There are many positives and negatives when using social media as a platform to build your Professional Learning Network. As mentioned previously, social media allows many teachers to connect. The negative is that it opens the door to negative feedback, comments, and backlash. I loved Kayla and Kristi's go-to when they receive negative comments and interactions, "when they go low, we go high," and always give the 24-hour rule before responding. Another negative is that personal information is exposed online for all to see. Being very selective about what you post and disclose online is essential. With all the information and material online, misinformation can be easily avoided by always doing a fact check before incorporating it into your teaching practice. Social media can also be a rabbit hole with so much content you spend too much time trying to find quality lessons, and following a smaller amount of quality educators instead will alleviate this problem. Teachers must always follow the code of conduct when creating content and be cautious to avoid exposure to or engagement with inappropriate content. Always following the Teaching Quality Standards is crucial for maintaining excellence in education and teacher professionalism. 

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Exploring Educational Bloggers

Exploring Educational Bloggers

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    When exploring educational bloggers as a novice student teacher, I'm overwhelmed by the knowledge and resources I have found. I see the value each blogger delivers to the teaching community and how all these pieces of information can be added to my teaching practice to complete the puzzle. The Educators' ideas and creativity are boundless. It provides teachers with many resources, from interactive and engaging activities to helpful strategies, insight to be the best teacher, and help with classroom management. Bloggers and content creators understand the importance of a teacher's time and are committed to all teacher's successes. Having a community of educators benefits all, as it is a very challenging occupation, and we are learning that we cannot do it without a support network. I have discovered three bloggers whose content contributes value to me, my professional learning network, and the educational community.

       First, I would like to introduce Nat Banting, a master teacher here in Canada. He teaches at St. Francis Xavier University and the University of Saskatchewan. He has received several awards for his contributions to STEM math with his innovative teachings. If you need creative ideas for math games and activities, head to his blog at the math fair. His platform is vital for teachers teaching math, specifically high school math, with various resources. He has all areas of math divided into categories of topics in math and documents you can print off for free on his site. Because of his shared content and resources, it is a valuable platform for lifelong learning as a new student teacher and in my career. These mathematical resources will be beneficial if I teach math, especially in high school, but it has some fantastic ideas even for elementary. Nat Banting's site will be my go-to for all math-related lesson ideas from an expert Teacher.

        Secondly, I would like to introduce Patti, an Ontario Teacher who created Madly Learning. She provides a diverse range of resources in today's technologically advanced world. She develops relevant and evolving resources while fostering a culture of curiosity. Harnessing the value of inquiry-based learning, she has curriculum ideas for grades 4-6: science, social study, math, literacy, assessment, and differentiation. A valuable platform for lifelong learning as a new educator, as the resources offered on her site will be used. She can be found on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook and also creates videocast episodes for viewers to watch while they shop on her site for the content she has created.

      Lastly, Rundes Room is the Mary Poppins of bloggers. When you open the site, you have an abundance amount of creative content and informative blogs. What caught my eye was the post about hooks to capture their engagement and step-by-step tips for the first day. As a new teacher, this site will be my go-to when planning my first days and months. Runde's room is the Mary Poppins handbag in the education world, with endless free resources on her site. The value of wisdom she provides on her blogging site is significant. My takeaway from this teacher and what I found helpful as a novice educator is when she said that you must be intentional about every item in the room and that it must provide value to learning. As a student teacher, this influenced me to consider what I'm doing to be purposeful and meaningful to student learning. Let's optimize our teaching time by eliminating unnecessary fillers, which was another incredible takeaway from this blogger.

EDTS 325  #exploreeducationalbloggers    #bloggersineducation    #teacherswhoblog

Welcome to Mrs. Stork's Learning Nest - Blogging as an Educator

 Blogging as an Educator

        I welcome you to Mrs. Stork's Learning Nest. Gather close as we nestle into my first blog. I have to be a hundred percent honest, though the idea of creating a blog is terrifying to me. I prefer to have only my professors read and judge my written material. A blog exposes me to those who read it, and I feel vulnerable to people's judgment, especially knowing I will make many mistakes. I aspire to be an avid learner, continually broadening my knowledge and venturing beyond my comfort zone. As a novice student teacher, I recognize the value of blogging to reflect on my lesson plans, classroom management, and areas of improvement or successful aspects of my teaching practice. It is also a valuable tool to share and view the expertise of other educators, connecting with teachers worldwide—an opportunity to share resources and lesson plan ideas to an ever-changing curriculum will help in my classroom success. It serves as a valuable tool for accountability and encourages me, as a new student teacher, to adapt through thoughtful reflection. Gaining insights into effective lesson ideas and classroom management tools and fostering a supportive teaching community are valuable aspects of learning from an experienced blogging teacher. Teaching is a taxing profession, both mentally and physically. The more connections you have to resources from other teachers, the more support you have to be a mindful and expert teacher. Educators need a strong community of Teachers to thrive to help our students succeed. In The Planet of Apes, Cornelius says a great quote: "Individually, we are weak, but together we are strong." We must have all the tools, resources, and connections to build and embark on a solid teaching foundation.

        George Couros's blog post "4 Reasons People Don't Blog and Ideas to Help Change Their Mind" exemplifies my fears of writing a blog by giving insight into four reasons people are hesitant and why one should reconsider starting a blog. In full transparency, if not for this class and my having to write a blog, I would not have. My aha moment was when he spoke of not having time; this is my Achilles heal. I do have time if I make it a priority. Navigating a blog might seem daunting, as narrowing it down to a specific topic or niche can be challenging. For many reasons, it could be a helpful resource for teachers and novice teachers like myself. He explains to the reader why blogging is valid and how time is not the problem but a priority we must make. It has many benefits to the blogger, forcing the blogger to become a deeper thinker and learner. Another benefit is it creates an open door policy to our lives as educators as we do within the school. Every educator has valuable contributions to the education system, and our online presence will affect our learning, growth, and the students. 

        A blogging program could be a helpful tool for educators to embark on; as Kathleen Norris states in her blog "Ten Reasons Every Educator Should Start Blogging," the integration of literacy with technology in our teaching practice is a valuable tool we should be using in our classrooms daily—allowing the teacher to mentor students about internet safety and ICT skills and that we are all lifelong learners. Blogging also will enable an educator to get thoughtful peer feedback while reflecting on their practice and help deepen their understanding of the subject matter, helping them to become an expert teacher. It bridges the gap between school and home by having an open platform for students, parents, and teachers to all be engaged while also creating an open-door policy for your teaching practice. She states that students take particular pride when they know their work will be published on the blog and focus on the process more than the outcome when the work created is toward a genuine audience and creates a catalyst toward enhanced literacy skills. Helping shape a class identity while promoting self-improvement, and it's free. 

         A takeaway from Chia Suan Chong's blog, Modern English Teacher, that I received as a reflective blogger is that you will learn about your teaching methods, practices, approach, and ideas—at the same time, venturing beyond your comfort zone and engaging in discussions about unfamiliar subjects you're challenging yourself as an educator to think out of the box and demonstrate lifelong learning in your own practice. Blogging and creating blogs help you with your reflective teaching practice by making the abstract concrete. Unintentionally, you, as a blogger, will be learning new things and keeping a record benefiting your teaching practice. Blogging allows you to share and make connections while getting feedback on your ideas, creates reading material, improves your writing skills, and could help you make a career out of your writing.

#EDTS325 #lifelonglearning    #teachersblog    #bloggingeducators    #buildingeducationcommunities