17 - Professional Learning Networks - 21 Things for the 21st Century Educator

Professional Learning Networks
Engaging in Professional Growth, Networking and Leadership

Belonging to a professional organization means participating in global learning communities, exhibiting leadership and technology skills to others, evaluating and reflecting on current research, and contributing to the effectiveness and vitality of the teaching profession, school and community. Here is a link to a blog post that explains the value of developing a Professional Learning Network, or PLN. The following links are to educational organizations in the area of instructional technology and media.

Pre-Assess your skills for this "Thing"

Before beginning this "Thing", complete the Pre-Assessment of your technology proficiency.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA SERVICES
International Society for Technology in Education
http://www.iste.org
Michigan Association for Computer Users and Learners (MACUL)
http://www.macul.org
Two Way Interactive Connections in Education (TWICE)
http://www.twice.cc

LIBRARY & MEDIA SERVICES
Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME)
http://www.mimame.org
Regional Educational Media Center
http://www.remc.org

Social Networking and Microblogging Sites

The influences of social networking and microblogging sites such and Twitter and Facebook have over 500 million active users "tweeting" and "facebooking" throughout the world. Twitter in April of 2011 had over 200 million accounts. These sites allow the user to post comments (up to 140 test characters in length). Responders can then a comment in reply. The use of these has grown, and is especially helpful for professional as well as personal networking.Google + (Plus) is another site that is attracting a lot of attention with its ability to put your contacts into "circles" of friends, professional contacts, family, etc.

Twitter

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What's happening?

For a tutorial and ideas for using Twitter in the classroom.
For a slideshow illustrating 33 ways to use Twitter in the Classroom by Tom Barrett

MACUL Space

MACUL Space is a great place to start if you would like to join a technology personal learning network. It is a place for past, present, and future MACUL (Michigan Association Computer Users in Learning) members to stay connected, learn from another, and gain first hand experience with powerful Web 2.0 tools.

Michigan LearnPort

Michigan educators have a great resource called LearnPort. Click here to access online resources for Michigan educators. Associations & Organizations, Audio & Video Presentations, Informational Documents,Lesson Plans, Newsletters, and Links. Create an account if you don't have one already.

LinkedIn is a social networking site designed for professionals to connect with each other to share information, professional conversations, and assist with job searches. Unlike other social networking sites, LinkedIn focuses on career exploration and growth. Many educators use LinkedIn to connect with other friends, educators, and people they know in the business world.

Aligned to the NETS-T:1.a, 1.b, 1.c, 1.d, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.a, 4.c, 4.d, 5.a, 5.d
Connections to Marzano Strategies: Cooperative Learning; Objectives and Feedback; Reinforce Effort and Provide Recognition

21 Things Hands-On Activity and Assignment:

1. Before beginning this "Thing", complete the Pre-Assessment of your technology proficiency.

2. Go to LearnPort and register for a free account. Check out the courses and other resources available to you. Capture a screen shot and create a reflection for your portfolio.

3. Sign up for a social networking site, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. In your portfolio, insert a screen shot and reflecton on the purpose and pros/cons of using these sites inside and outside the classroom.

4. Research and join the MACUL Space.

5. Research at least one professional organization in technology and media. In your portfolio, describe the purpose, cost and benefit of membership within the organization. Explain the unique skills and abilities you could contribute to the organization.

6. After completing all of the activities for this "Thing", take the Post-Assessment of your technology proficiency for this "Thing".

Post-Assess your skills for this "Thing"

After completing all of the activities for this "Thing", take the Post-Self Assessment of your technology proficiency for this "Thing". (This is part of your hands-on activity/assignment).

Additional Resources

1. MORE Community- The purpose of this community is to provide a way for educators to connect and collaborate on teaching to the GLCEs and HSCEs, creating lesson plans, and sharing information on how they use resources from MORE or anything else related to improving classroom instruction.
2. Classroom 2.0 -Web 2.0 Social Network for teachers
3. Google + might become the "next" Facebook. Watch this interactive tour to see how easy it is to add people to your "circles".
4. Education Related Professional Organizations : Use this list to find the professional organizations that are most closely related to your teaching assignment.
5. Join the M.O.R.E. community at EdWeb

Education Related Professional Organizations
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21 Things for 21st Century Educators by CCRESA, IISD, MISD, SRESD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Professional Learning NetworksEngaging in Professional Growth, Networking and Leadership