The Professional Learning Network that has been established in our Mid-Level course has been a beneficial experience with minor drawbacks. Halfway through the semester, it is important to reflect upon this experience of using blogs and Twitter. One of the many benefits of the PLN is that it allows opportunities for us to share our insights, ideas, and resources that cannot be discussed in class due to time constraints. It allows us to extend our lessons and carry them outside of the classroom. It allows us to interact with our peers and see one another as colleagues and valuable resources. Some challenges that I have faced during the PLN assignment thus far include commenting meaningfully on others' blogs and establishing my twitter account and following everyone that I need to. As the semester went on, I realized that when I would comment on other people's blogs, I would basically be saying the same exact thing on each comment. I felt very repetitive and that I was not providing as personal and purposeful comments as I would have liked. It was difficult because the blog topics were the same for every student every week. I also am challenged in setting up my twitter account. I have set it up successfully but am still struggling with how to operate the site. I am finding it difficult to find followers, not only my classmates but professional tweeters as well. It will take time to get used to and with experience, I am confident that I will be able to successfully operate my twitter page.
The five professional blogs that I subscribed to are...
1. Free Technology for Teachers: this is perhaps my favorite professional blog. It provides a plethora of free resources and helps educators incorporate technology into their classrooms.
2. Jen Robinson's Book Page: another helpful blog that provides a plethora of literary works to use in your classroom. She shares recent titles of new books and provides reviews.
3.Resources for Teaching Reading: this blog won the versatile blogger award and is another beneficial resource for me as a future educator. There is plenty of information but the page is difficult to navigate since there is so much there. It is a little busy, disorganized, and crowded as far as format and ease of accessibility.
4. The Class Struggle: another informative and insightful blog. However, there has not been too many posts recently, which is a downfall to this blog.
5. Two Writing Teachers: this blog follows the collaboration of two writing teachers, working together to become better educators. In the process they are helping subscribers become better educators as well with the wealth of knowledge that they share.
The five professional Twitter accounts I follow are...
1. Marie Sontag
2. Liz Lovell
3. Steve Olivo
4. David Dale
5. Kate Messner
As mentioned previously, I struggled with finding appropriate professional twitter accounts that would contribute significantly to my PLN. I have not had sufficient time to explore these tweeters extensively yet, but in my limited exploration I found these people to be knowledgeable and resourceful. They are experienced teachers in the ELA field. Kate Messner is even a published author. David Dale writes short 299-word novels and I was intrigued by the unique way in which he writes and plays on words. Overall, these accounts were filled with resources and links to other helpful sites that can aid me in my journey to becoming a better educator. I am looking forward to learning more and explring more through my continued experience with Twitter.
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