Professional Learning Network

 My PLN
Professional Learning Network

Image Source: Author via Twitter Account

What is a PLN?

Image Source: PNG Mind

    I have to admit, it was never my strong suit--Twitter--as I saw it as another social platform where celebrities gossiped about each other and started drama, and my generation used it to share said drama or repost memes. That may have been what turned me away from Twitter in the first place. It was a big social media platform when I was in high school, but it never truly appealed to me. 

    When I first read that one of our assignments was going to be based around Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) on Twitter, I didn't know what to expect. First, I wanted to be aware of what PLNs are and how they help out other educators. Once I completed my research, I realized that I was already part of a PLN, just not on Twitter. Facebook also consists of many great PLN pages with educators of all grade levels and from all over the country, as well as the world. They share many wonderful ideas, pose questions for other educators, and share uplifting memes/quotes throughout the week to support each other. As soon as I realized that I was a part of PLNs on Facebook, I couldn't help but wonder what a PLN would look like on Twitter.

First-Hand Attempt at Twitter

    Diving onto a new social media platform was challenging. I wanted to ensure that I was understanding the idea of Twitter correctly, and that I was using it to my fullest potential. I was glad to have the opportunity to take part in the Twitter slow chat with @nmzumpano a few weeks ago, as it helped me get an idea of what the chats were going to be like. I was unable to participate in the day-to-day chats in the beginning, but I managed to participate in the Thursday and Friday chat, which allowed me to familiarize myself with the structure of the slow chat.

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    The questions asked: What is one piece of advice you would give yourself if you were a brand new teacher once again? and What are you planning to do this weekend that isn't related to teaching or work? helped me open up with other Twitter users about my feelings toward teaching in today's society, as well as how I separate myself from my work on the weekend. Although these were not the types of questions I expected, I did quite enjoy responding to them and sharing my thoughts/answers with others. I also enjoyed reading other people's responses to the same questions.

Twitter Chat

    If I'm being completely honest, after participating in the slow chat, I still didn't feel like I truly felt comfortable sharing my thoughts with even more people on Twitter. Thinking back to my original worries about social media--how you always leave behind a digital footprint--I was worried that someone may find my answers and not be the biggest fan of them. This led me to only viewing a few chats that took place rather than fully participating in them. I shared a few posts here and there and even left comments on a retweeted post, but that felt harmless compared to responding to questions about education and my personal take on what is happening in schools today.

    Due to this persistent fear, I missed multiple opportunities to partake in some wonderful chats. Eventually, I came across a few note-worthy chats, and began building my following list of educators who are experiencing similar situations and/or feelings within the world of education. Slowly, but surely, I participated in a few chats. However, there is one chat hashtag, #TeachPos, that was led by @JillDuBois22 just last weekend that caught my attention. Her questions felt personal, and I knew that I needed to answer at least some of them and share my thoughts with others.

    While participating in this chat, I noticed that many of those who answered the same questions, shared the same ideas and feelings. I received a lot of positive feedback from other participants, which made me feel connected to this particular PLN even more.

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Biggest Takeaway

    Aside from participating in PLN Twitter chats, I also came across many interesting profiles of educators, principals, and retired teachers who share their ideas and resources to help out other educators. One of the resources I came across was a tweet from Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24) on four ways of tracking missing work. As someone who doesn't have an electronic gradebook (and uses a physical gradebook), it can be extremely difficult to keep up with students who have missing or incomplete assignments. I looked into a two of the resources that Stephanie mentioned and have been working on setting up a proper tracker that will help me (and my students) out in the long run.

    If anyone is interested, I would highly recommend testing out Student Tracker or Autocrat to help with tracking missing student work.

Image Source: Stephanie Howell