This morning, as I made my way
to the Grand Forks Air Force Base in the dark, I caught up on my Glides from my
PLN friends. Every morning I check in
with my #tribe. As winter has
progressed, our conversation has been around mindset and lifting each other up
lately. I cannot describe how important
it is and has been to be supported colleagues that are eager learners and have a
positive outlook.
Later in the morning, I had
another conversation with a fellow teacher. When I asked how she was doing, she
said she was “fighting the winter blues.” With 29 years of teaching experience,
our latest winter weather, and the snow piles getting deeper, I identified with
her and I can understand how easy it is to feel “down”. Teaching is a hard job and getting harder as
we budget cuts, increasing class sizes and dwindling resources. Our day can seem daunting and overwhelming at
times.
I have been thinking about
why so many teachers feel this way about their jobs. Why is it that we love our
students and feel passionately about our craft, yet so many of us experience the
“blues”? Why do we feel like colleagues
take us for granted or make assumptions about what we are doing? Why do some teachers fall into group
negativity and treat colleagues poorly?
I think the answer is that deep
down we feel very alone. Teachers belong to classroom and school communities,
yet when planning for each day, facing student behaviors and parent demands,
let along developing curriculum I believe we often feel alone. And when we are alone it is so easy to become
blue or fall victim to the negative crowd.
There isn’t much money in
budget to provide for professional learning outside of the district and many of
us are called upon to provide it learning opportunities for our district, so we
don’t get much new energy. This is why I
have relied so heavily on my PLN (#tribe).
What is a PLN?
A PLN as a network of
professionals with whom you learn, share and connect with. These networks are created by having an
online presence. I have built my PLN on
Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. I
know I can message my learning partners to get ideas, resources and support and
I will get a response. I have peers in
my PLN that I have never met face to face but call my friend. I have also made life-long friendships that
will never end.
Richard Byrne is EdTech integrationist
and blogger. Here are his reasons to
create a PLN.
5 Reasons Teachers Should
Create a PLN Now:
1. Connect with Other
Educators Any Time. Most teachers lament that they do not have enough time in
the school day to share best practices with their peers. Administrative and
department meetings tend to focus on the nuts and bolts…schedules, truancy rates,
standardized exam scores, etc. Teachers are creative people who thrive when
able to collaborate and share their ideas. With a Personal Learning Network, teachers
can stay in touch with other educators any time regardless of location.
2. Keep Learning. Most
teachers want to cultivate a lifelong love of learning in their students. We
know that to continue growing, we must continue learning. In the hustle and
bustle of daily life, we have to carve out a time and space to continue this
education and prioritize our own learning.
3. Embrace the Change; Don’t
Fight it. The teaching profession is rapidly changing. For many educators this
is scary despite the benefits that technology offers to teachers and students.
Building a network of relationships (via Twitter, Classroom 2.0, The Educator’s
PLN) with other educators who are using technology successfully is the first
step towards learning how you can also be successful integrating technology
into your own classes.
4. Expand the Scope of Your
Class. Teachers around the globe are doing exciting things in their classrooms.
They are connecting with other teachers, classes and students around the world
to create opportunities for students to see how interconnected our world is
becoming. Reading blogs and engaging in conversations on twitter (like #gfedchat)
about education can open your eyes to the limitless possibilities that are
available to you. Whether on a small scale with people in your own town or on a
global stage, connecting with other educators can allow you to design
activities and projects that make learning relevant.
5. Get Inspired! Nothing is
more exciting than an interesting or fresh idea. Exposure to more ideas,
activities, lessons, projects, learning platforms, teaching models, etc. will
provide you with the wealth of ideas needed to keep this profession exciting.
It is no wonder that teachers who teach from the same book they have been using
for a decade feel a bit blue at the prospect of returning to school. Teachers
who can access the fun and innovative ideas being shared via blogs and other
social networking sites can try new things and share their own experiences!
If you are looking for someone
to walk with or get you started on your PLN journey, ask your Curriculum
Technology Partner about their network, or feel free to contact me (even if I
am the CTP in your building). I’d be
happy to share my PLN with you and help you get through the “winter blues”.
Here are some photos of my International PLN.
I really should have a picture of my local PLN friends!
