Part 1: Initial Reflection
I mostly discover new and fun teaching ideas on Instagram or Pinterest. I have made professional accounts on both Instagram and Pinterest to share ideas, but I have been shy about posting anything to share with others. I follow other professionals on my accounts to gain inspiration for everything from classroom management to science experiments and art projects. But, trying to find the information I want can be hard as it is so much to process. I do turn to these resources often to explore new ideas. Having a network of resources and people to whom I can reach out will be pivotal to my growth as a teacher. I firmly believe that one's greatest resource is their peers, and having a group of supporters is vital to achieving this.
Part 2: Connections
1. Caitlin Worth (Its.worthlearning)
a. Pinterest
2. https://teachingtoariot.com
a. Blog, Instagram, tiktok
3. https://x.com/mattbergman14
a. .Twitter
4. https://hellofifth.com/blog/
a. Blog
5. https://www.youtube.com/@janicenovakowski7578
a. YouTube channel
6. http://www.headoverheelsforteaching.com/
a. Head over heels for teaching is an Instagram that started as a blog, run by Joanne
Miller, who has been teaching for close to 30 years. She shares amazing learning
experiences that she has in her classroom. An example of one she did not too long ago
was a book "taste test," where she had her students read a few pages from a variety of
books, history fiction, graphic novels, biographies, and fantasy, and then write a small
review of how they liked the book. She puts amazing effort into transforming her
classroom for such lessons, for this one, turning her room into a café with feedback forms
on pages that look like menus. From this page, I hope to get inspired by the activities she
does in her classroom to make learning engaging and fun.
7. Todd Finely
a. Todd Finely is an Associate Professor of English Education at East Carolina
University. I found his Twitter page on the elemchat hashtag. The post that intrigued
me and had me add him to my PLN was one on executive functioning. It had 14 ways to
help students build their cognitive skills in the classroom. I hope this resource will
provide me with new and innovative tips and tricks to help my students develop as
people and learners through functional practice shifts.
8. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/
a. Cult of Pedagogy is a multiplatform blog, podcast and YouTube channel that looks
at new and different pedagogical approaches to help teachers be the best they can be.
Former teacher Jennifer Gonzalez runs it. I wanted to add this to my PLN because she
strives to make professional development easier for busy teachers by combing through
new studies and research to make it more digestible. I hope this will help me stay on top
of new pedagogical practices and feel comfortable implementing them in my classroom due
to the content's condensed and to-the-point delivery.
9. https://jenniferfindley.com/blog/
a. This was my go-to blog all last year. Jenifer Findley runs it, as the title suggests. She
strives to help teachers teach in a way that reaches every learner in the classroom. As well
as being an experienced teacher, she is very open about being the mom of a child with autism.
She shares that being the mom of a child with autism provides her with more insight into the
realities of helping every learner succeed. She has many amazing blog posts covering everything
from teacher burnout to math rotations and helping students manage anxiety. Having this blog in
my personal learning network was a no-brainer; she provides practical advice and resources to
implement and use in the classroom. This blog will be a huge help again this school year.
10. https://funin5thgrade.com/blog/
a. Fun in 5Th Grade is a blog run by a woman named Angie whose main goal is helping teachers, grades 3-6, incorporate games and engaging actives into their day to day. I am adding her to my personal learning network because I love teaching through games! I find it engages my students, and once they know how to play the games, they become perfect early finisher activities. She also has a Facebook group I joined, intended for upper elementary school teachers to share ideas and seek advice when needed. She also has a blog that covers each subject and classroom management. I hope to get lots of good resources from this page to help engage my students
Part 3: Map and Reflection
As an early career teacher, I noticed that my inspiration collum is the largest. I am constantly looking for
inspiration in my practice. I want to learn from the teachers around me and see new ideas I can try to
implement in my classroom. I have a special column for my 'go to' blogs as they are resources I have been
using since my practicum to get ideas on executing the lessons I have in mind and meeting learning standards.
Additionally, I have a collum for pedagogy, which I believe is extremely important as we need to constantly
look for and engage with new pedagogical practices to stay current for our students. Finally, I have a section
for inclusive learning, which is extremely important to me, and staying current on how I can ensure I am
doing that is very important. I have organized them in this way because when I am looking for information,
I want to go directly to the blog or person I know can help me; by having them categorized, I am avoiding
doom scrolling for answers. The benefit of having these resources and contacts at hand is that in the
"networked environment there is less emphasis on singular sources of expertise and instead, a focus on
dialogue and constructing knowledge as a group comes into play" (Green, 2020) Our approach to teaching
and learning is changing constantly, having access to platforms where people are dedicating their time to
researching and sharing key points is vital for the busy teacher. Upon reflecting on my personal learning
network (PLN), I immediately notice two gaps in the ways of first people's principles of learning (FPPL)
and sustainability. When expanding my network, I want to make sure I find connections in these areas to
incorporate into my daily practice.
Part 4: End of Assignment Reflection
Teaching is often thought of as a lonely profession; often it is one teacher in the room with their students that oversees that each student is reaching their potential, and maybe once upon a time, that was the case. But, with the advancement in social media, a whole world of connections can be made. Before this assignment, I had Instagram pages I would follow, and I always went to Pinterest for inspiration, but honestly, it can be so overwhelming. It is such a wealth of information, but taking the time to sift through the different blogs and Twitter pages to find ones that align with your interests and areas you want to learn more about is so beneficial. Having a personal learning network set up takes the guesswork out of it. You can go directly to the person or page you know will have the advice or activity you seek. Additionally, knowing that a group of dedicated and experienced educators have decided to put themselves out there to the public as a resource is unmatched. My PLN is mostly a mix of informal and social networking according to Cathy Green's Categories of learning for a personal learning network (Green, 2017). Although the pages I have included in my network reference academic articles and learning platforms, I think that adding a learning-focused resource would be beneficial to my PLN as I'm not particularly eager to teach subjects I don't have a good grasp of. Overall, having built my PLN, I know I will utilize it a lot this upcoming school year.
Resources
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