My Professional Learning Network

As educators, the majority of our time is spent designing and implementing lessons, assessing our students, and reflecting on our teaching practice. “Many educators do not have the information, the time, or the incentives to continuously improve their professional practice from year to year” (United States Department of Education [DoED] & Office of Educational Technology [OET], 2010, p. 39). Furthermore, “our education system holds educators responsible for student achievement but does not support them with the latest technology the way professionals in other fields are supported” (DoED & OET, 2010, p. 39).

This week in CEP 810 we were asked how technologies can be used to support educators in their growth and development. I began to answer this question by brainstorming my own Professional Learning Network (PLN). I used an online program called Popplet to create a graphic organizer illustrating my PLN (pictured below). The purpose of my PLN is to recognize that I have a large, digital support group that I can learn from, teach, and collaborate with on a daily basis. As outlined in the National Educational Technology Plan, “educators will be supported by technology that connects them to people, data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that can empower and inspire them to provide more effective teaching for all learners” (United States Department of Education [DoED] & Office of Educational Technology [OET], 2017, p. 28).

I already expanded my PLN by creating an account on Twitter and connecting with my classmates and other users with similar interests. I created a Rich Site Summary (RSS) account, which allows me to subscribe to my favorite websites and receive daily updates all in one place (Attitude Group LTD, n.d.). Twitter and my RSS account provide me the opportunity to connect with and learn from others, locally and globally. Therefore, these online programs help me grow and develop as an educator. I am excited to see how my PLN grows throughout this course and in the years to follow.

References

Attitude Group LTD. (n.d.). What Is RSS? RSS Explained. Retrieved May 30, 2018, from http://www.whatisrss.com/

Capello, D. (2018, May 31). Danielle Capello (@misscapello). Retrieved June 1, 2018, from https://twitter.com/misscapello

Popplet. (2013). Popplet. Retrieved May 29, 2018, from http://popplet.com/

United States Department of Education & Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming American Education: Learning powered by technology. Retrieved May 30, 2018, from https://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf

United States Department of Education & Office of Educational Technology. (2017). Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update. Retrieved May 30, 2018, from https://tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf