Passions are the Purpose
Last year, I barely knew what a PLN was. I was a member of a few, but I was more of a consumer than a contributor or a creator. Through my learning, I have spread my wings as an educator online. I am now heavily involved in several professional learning networks and contribute to them often; my virtual presence as an educator has grown significantly. I am in several teacher groups on Facebook in which I post and comment, joined several other more established PLNs such as DEN, created my own teacher Instagram account in which I post my own content and connect with other educators, created a store on Teachers Pay Teachers, continue to blog on my own ePortfolio website, created a class website for my students and parents, and read articles from various educator-specific media outlets. Being somebody that likes to talk through ideas, having virtual friends has been so helpful in helping me to grow as an educator. I have shared resources and ideas, asked questions, answered questions, looked for advice to handle situations that only teachers would understand, and formed connections and friendships. For example, I used a PLN to connect with an educator in Massachusetts to join our classes together for a “Mystery Hangout.” PLNs allow teachers to learn outside of their classrooms and have conversations about what we are passionate about and want to learn about (Richardson, 2007). When teachers are involved in professional learning networks, both teachers and student benefit. We tell our students that learning never stops, and PLNs prove that.
Being in the DLL program has been a PLN like no other. I have been able to talk to educators across the country about a shared passion – technology in education. Several courses before this one, a few classmates and I created a chat on Facebook. We have been there for each other to discuss resources and ideas, but also to discuss life and teaching when it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, helping each other through the challenges of teaching and learning. Through this particular course, I have learned about various digital tools, how to evaluate digital tools using rubrics, and most importantly I was given the confidence and push to share my passions with the online world. I can see my vision, my passions, and then train my brain to execute that vision by taking steps to follow my dreams (Dobrowolski, 2015). My main takeaway is that I can be the teacher that voices her opinion, tries new things, and shares my experiences with others. We are not confined to the four walls in our classroom. There are other teachers out there that could benefit from reading our thoughts, and we cannot be afraid to put ourselves out there.
References
Dobrowolski, P. [ProjectHappyWay]. (2015, March 27). Best Ted Talks 2015: Draw your future – Take
control of your life [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vl6wCiUZYc&feature=youtu.be
Richardson, W. (2007, December 7). Personal learning networks [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mghGV37TeK8
