Professional Learning Network
Teachers and librarians encourage students to become lifelong learners. Like their students, educational professionals undergo ongoing learning to maintain their certifications. They can attend conferences and workshops. However, they do not always need to wait for a planned event to continue learning. Other educational professionals are often one of the best resources to support learning. Educational professionals often form a Professional Learning Network (PLN) and help each other to gain insight, perspectives, and resources to meet specific interests and needs. In today's technological world, people turn to social media to develop a PLN. That is where Twitter comes in.
Why Twitter?
At first, I hesitated to create a Twitter account because I did not want another social media platform to take up so much of my time. However, the School Media Specialist at work told me she uses Twitter to network and find educational and library resources. In other words, she uses Twitter for her PLN. After some convincing, I decided to give it a try. I made a Twitter account and followed authors, librarians, and organizations. Below are some people that I followed and included in my PLN.
I quickly realized why educational professionals turned to Twitter to create a PLN. The Twitter network is a community of sharers. They are more than happy to concisely (tweets are limited to 280 characters) provide information on teaching strategies, best practices, educational tools, personal experiences, professional opportunities, upcoming events, and resources. They provide support and encouragement for those who are struggling. They also celebrate wins and victories. The best thing about Twitter is that it is available 24/7. People can decide how much time they want to invest in it and when they want to connect. Overall, Twitter allows people to connect with professionals around the country and the world.
Feel free to connect with me on Twitter @jessa_mendiola5. I am still figuring Twitter out, but I would be happy to connect with you.
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What Resources Did I Discover?
In my first week alone on Twitter, I already had a wealth of resources to explore. One of my favorites is Brian Buffinton's Tweet on Canvas Magic Media.
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I already use Canva for my professional and private life. I love how it simplifies the digital design process and offers customizable templates. I am even more excited that I can now create coloring pages with Canva. Canva uses Magic Media, a free online AI image generator that creates images using specific prompts - the more detailed the prompts, the better. Canva Magic Media provides unlimited coloring pages for my students to use in the library. My students like to color and see it as a fun, relaxing brain break. I can also see myself teaching the students about the tool and letting them create their own prompts, which could develop creativity and self-expression.
Taking it a Little Further with Twitter Chats
Other than following people and interacting with tweets, I decided to push myself further by participating in a Twitter chat. A Twitter chat is an organized weekly discussion that allows people to discuss ideas in real-time. They occur at specific times and days and use an associated hashtag. They usually last an hour. When it is time to participate in the live chat, participants will go on Twitter, search for the hashtag, and follow along on the “Latest” tab. Again, these live chats occur at specific times, so pay attention to the time zone. I almost missed a few Twitter chats because they listed Eastern Standard Time. I am on Central Standard Time.
Twitter chats usually have a moderator(s) who decide a topic or theme for the chat, create questions, and guide the conversation using a Question and Answer format. Twitter chat begins with the moderators asking participants to introduce themselves. Once introductions are complete, moderators will post questions (Q1, Q2, Q3...) for participants to answer. Participants will respond and label their answers with an A and a number (A1, A2, A3…). Some participants choose to share resources and links with their answers. It is important to note that each tweet, whether questions or answers, must include the associated hashtag to ensure everyone in the chat can see each other’s contributions. As previously stated, Twitter chats are a conversation. Participants can interact with each other’s answers by liking, commenting, and retweeting.
#Satchat
I fully participated in a Twitter chat called #Satchat, which occurred on Saturday, September 30th, at 8 am ET. The main focus of the chat was "The Evolution of Education: What are the Changes You Want to See in our Profession?"
Below are three questions the moderators asked, my answers to those questions, and some of the interactions that I had with other participants.
Q1: What is one thing you want to see change when it comes to instruction?
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Another participant responded to my tweet by saying that trust needs to be built first, which I agree with.
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Q2: Leadership in education has evolved over time. What is one recommendation you would make to current and future administrators about being effective leaders?
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Another participant noted that we should not overlook staff who do not hold traditional education degrees. Another participant and I agreed by giving a shout-out to the support staff.
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Q3: Students of different generations have different interests and motivations. What are suggestions you have for improving student engagement & learning for current & future students?
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A few answers that the other participants stated are:
- Fewer standardized tests
- Build trust and relationships among staff and students
- Have more student-led learning
- Listen to students and include what they say. Give them opportunities to include what they are passionate about in their class work.
- Incorporate personalized learning
- Encourage work-life balance
As a reminder, each comment should include the hashtag #Satchat. Since I am new to Twitter chat, I forgot to include them in some of my interactions.
My Takeaways from the Chat
Even though this chat occurred very early in the morning, it flew by quickly. Everyone was willingly and freely sharing reflections and information in a short amount of time. I enjoyed the engagement between the other participants and me. I found more people to follow and create new connections. I also appreciated that the moderators for the chat published the questions in advance because it allowed me to think ahead. I admit I was nervous to participate because I have not been in education as long as some participants. However, the whole experience was very casual and welcoming. I felt comfortable tweeting with other teachers, graduate students, and administrators. It is also very nice to know that I can decide how involved I want to be and which questions to answer. Overall, I find that the Twitter chats are a great opportunity for educators to contribute to the conversation and provide support and resources.
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