My Professional Learning Network

  

Image Source: https://www.gettingsmart.com/2013/01/17/20-tips-for-creating-a-professional-learning-network/

My Professional Learning Network

 

Part 1: Reflection

1.      How do you learn about new developments, ideas, and opportunities in fields that you care about? 

With a background in marketing and experience as an adjunct marketing professor, I am currently exploring opportunities to transition into teaching high-school education. My professional interests include: trends in education, global education, global citizenship education, sustainability in education, social justice with a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, the role of technology in learning and student well-being. To stay informed and learn about new developments, ideas and opportunities, I engaged in:

-          Webinars and training sessions offered by my school and the Queen’s Teaching and Learning Centre for insights into teaching methods and best practices

-          News from Google News and The Globe

-          And educational seminars hosted by EdWeb.

-          related news from Google News and seminars and seminars from Edweb.

However, through this exercise I have learned the importance of further develop my PLN, and as Jane Bozarth suggested be more an active part of the network not just a spectator.

2.      How do you share your own ideas and discoveries with people who have similar interests? 

I share my insights and opinions with colleagues that are close to me and provide them with feedback when requested and discuss new trends and approaches in teaching and learning. I voice my opinions during my training sessions and webinars sharing my own experience in different education systems. However, this module has made me aware of the importance of connecting beyond my school with experts and peers from around the world to gain new insights, access diverse resources, challenge my thinking and expand my opportunities. I am looking forward to enhance my professional growth and contribute more.

Part 2: Connect 

Most relevant sources/connections for me:

1.     #EDCHAT (Twitter, could not find the author): Thursdays @7 PM EST

I added this chat to my PLN because it provides insights in a variety of topics, including social justice, new trends and best practices in teaching and learning and student well-being amongst others. This chat remains very active, members seem to provide immediate feedback, and it is followed by many educators worldwide. I hope this chat will allow me to stay current on trend and strategies related to global education, student-centered teaching, technology and allows me connect with other peers and researchers.

2.     #Getting_Smart (Twitter, Author: +30 writers,  https://x.com/Getting_Smart)

This chat is linked to the educational platform Getting Smart, and provides insights into educational innovation, personalized learning and future-ready schools, which are main topics in global education. The chat truly provides global perspective, is very active and allows educators to discuss the different international education systems and policies. I hope this chat can broaden my understanding of strategies used globally to achieve social justice goal and ways in which I can help students develop global skills. I am very much looking forward to engage in discussions based on own experience in each country.

3.     The World Education Blog (Blog by the UNESCO,  world-education-blog.org)

What I really like about this blog is that it provides access to diverse resources relevant to global education and provides different stakeholders (educators, experts, researchers, policy makers) a space for discussion. The topics are very actual and provide a sense of the state of education locally and globally and its impact on sustainability and mental health. The blog publishes regularly and promotes databases regarding key statistics, policies and initiatives. I hope this blog can provide me with a better understanding and statistics regarding the state of global education and serves me as an inspiration to replicate strategies applied abroad.

4.     TED-Ed Podcast and You Tube Channel(Podcast and You Tube by TedEd with different speakers, https://www.ted.com/playlists/700/ted_podcast_education)

 

The TED Talks Education Podcast provides insights from educators, experts, researchers regarding many different topics in teaching, learning, classroom environment, and specific school/area topics. It also has videos for students on techniques to learn more efficiently, keep motivated, engaged and healthy and take advantage of opportunities. There are new podcasts released frequently and allow the audience to connect with speakers. I am hoping to learn about success stories, real-life examples and research regarding different global educational trends and get a broader and multidisciplinary approach on certain topics.

 

5.     EdWeb.net (Platform & Network, many different speakers, edweb.net)

I started using this platform for the professional development assignment. The site offers every month a wide array of educational webinars relevant to global education. I have enjoyed taking webinars, as they are only 1-hour long, the speakers have hands-on experiences and deep knowledge on the topics, the webinars are interactive and provide a certificate of completion. I am hoping to continue taking more seminars in a regular basis to learn more about modern classroom and connect with experts.

 

 

Favorite Resources/Connections discovered/created:

1.      #EDCHAT (Twitter)

2.      #Getting_Smart (Twitter, https://x.com/Getting_Smart): “Supports innovations in learning, education & technology”

3.      #EdSurge (Twitter), https://x.com/EdSurge) “A nonprofit newsroom on forces, people and innovative practices shaping teaching and learning.

4.      Education Reimagined (Blog) / education-reimagined.org: “Focuses on learner-centered education and innovation in learning”

5.      The World Education Blog (UNESCO) / world-education-blog.org: “Covers global education policies, equity, and sustainability.”

6.      Future of Education Podcast (World Bank) –  Listen here: “Covers global education policies and challenges.”

7.      TED-Ed Podcast – Listen here: “Discusses innovative educational ideas and practices worldwide.”

8.      The Learning Scientists Podcast – Listen here: “Discusses evidence-based learning strategies.”

9.      EdWeb.net (Platform & Network) /  edweb.net: “Offers webinars and discussions on global education and technology.”

10.  Global Oneness Project (Platform & Network) / globalonenessproject.org: “Provides free multicultural and global citizenship education resources.”

Part 3: Mapping my PLN

Upon reviewing my web, I identified that my strongest area is Innovation in Teaching and Learning with six connections. One of my main motivations to take this course and enrolled in the GDE program is to learn about best practices, trends and strategies in the modern classroom. Focus efforts in the innovation area will allow me to continue challenging my ways of thinking and learning new approaches in learning and education. My other three areas of interest need further development. Global Education, my specialization has only three connection.  The platforms and communities that I choose in this area provide a wide variety of resources that can be complemented with insights from the resources I listed in the Innovation area. However, I do feel that I need more online communities and social media resources in the global area that allow me to connect and learn in a more personal way with other peers and experts in the topic.

I am very interested in the social justice area, as I want to develop my efficiency in creating connections with students from diverse backgrounds and learn how to leverage their cultural and personal backgrounds in the classroom. I realized through my map that I need more resources, platforms, communities and personal connections in this area. While social justice is embodied in the innovation and global education areas, focusing on this topic as a separate one, will provide me with more tools to understand and embrace the growing diversity in the study body and the impact of modern global movements. Finally, my weakest area is technology, and now more than ever, it has become extremely relevant in shaping the way we interact and learn in the classroom. I need to add more resources to this area to understand available tools that can enhance students learning.

Other areas of professional interest that I would like to see in my PNL and are currently missing are: curriculum design, global learning, student well-being and mental health, sustainability, leadership in education and indigenous perspectives.  Student well-being is key in global education as students not only need to succeed academically but also learn to become emotionally resilient.  Likewise, living in Canada, I believe that indigenous perspectives can provide me with more tools to truly engage indigenous communities and blend the richness of the culture into the curriculum.  As a medium-term goal, and as I become more familiar with developing my PNL (and following the recommendation of the “Nuts & Bolts article) I want to consider areas outside my area of interest in ethics, social psychology and even cultural anthropology, as we have discussed in class the importance of these topics in not only fostering academic excellence but developing citizenship and emotional well-being in students.

Part 4: Final Reflection

This exercise has been extremely helpful to understand the importance of developing a PLN, especially as I did not study education as a bachelor degree, and was not fully aware of this tool. Reflecting and mapping my current network has allowed me to create and develop my educational resources, discover new ones, and motivate me to become a more active learner, not just an expectation. As an educator, it’s easy to get caught into the classroom routine and forget about the importance of staying current on new research. However, if we don’t do this we can continue to enhance our efficiency as educators and motivate students to stay connected globally. Furthermore, with the many options of resources and formats available, one can develop a PNL where learning and connections becomes pleasant and convenient (Edublogs).

From my previous analysis my four areas of interest are global education, innovation in education & technology, social justice and technology. As I explained before, innovation is the strongest the other three need further development, especially the technology area. The site Edublogs provides with a wide variety of resources that I haven’t considered before but that I am going to explore such as newsletter, online communities and social media like LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Very honestly, I did not really want to mix my social media, which I see as personal with work. However, having seen the many opportunities that these platforms offer, I feel very motivated to use them with the right restrictions.

It also motivated me how Edublogs suggests to starting small when developing a PNL, setting slowly a routine (my goal is reviewing my resources three times a week day for 30 minutes to 1 hour) and encourages participation as finding a support network that can help you to learn but also solve problems. As the “Nut and Bolts” article explains, the main purpose is learning and finding people that can challenge our ways of thinking is key to relearn.  However, it’s difficult to find so much diversity in our schools, and so all the different platforms and authors out there can provide us with that variety of insight.

At the same time, it’s easy to feel lost with all the information available nowadays, but structuring it as we did with the maps, committing to few, adding little by little, and slowly becoming more active, makes the job more attainable. As a long-term goal, I am hoping to further develop my blog as a way to share relevant information and keep connected.

 

Sources:

-          Edublogs: https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/creating-a-pln/

-          Nuts and Bolts: Building a Personal Learning Network (PNL) https://www.learningguild.com/articles/659/nuts-and-bolts-building-a-personal-learning-network--pln/?rd=1