There's strength in numbers. Anybody knows that. As a teacher, you've got to rely on those who have gone before you. Life has a funny way of repeating itself and so more than likely if you're going through something tricky someone else has the solution because they've been through it.
So, it's time to get connected. You are not an island. You might feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway, but you are not. There's help right beyond your username and password. In just a few clicks, help is on the way! Start with facebook if you're not already on it. It's essence is connectivity. Then, set up a Twitter account. Start following educators who you can find by just typing "educators" in the search bar. Subscribe to teacher blogs. Get a social bookmarking account. Check all of these places periodically. Get a system where you read from your personal learning network consistently. Now, the instructions I just gave you are the 1.0 version. Richard Byrne describes in more details how to really make the most of your Personal Learning Network:
Develop a PLN by Richard Byrne
Kathy Schrock is another educator who I am following now both on Twitter and her blog. She posted on her blog about a month ago how much she loved her Twitter PLN. I have copied the link to this blog post. It's extremely interesting how she found a solution to a problem by putting a question out there on Twitter and her PLN came to her rescue.
Kathy Schrock's blog post
I'm still learning about the Personal Learning Network. I think it's a wonderful idea and a marvelous solution. I'm not sure if you're supposed to let folks know that they're in your PLN. I think I would want to get t-shirts made but I'm pretty sure that would be over the top. Maybe I'll just make them cupcakes. Now, I just have to figure out how to tweet a cupcake. Stay tuned...
I love the PLN and am working on created one myself. Hope to have you in mine, and I would love some tweeted cupcakes. I'm sure they'd be better for my pudgy belly than the real kind.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, had I not found a great "unofficial mentor" as a young teacher, I probably would have quit or been fired. You must be a team player in this field. You have to be willing to listen to the advice of teachers who are older and wiser than you. And you need to be a friend to young teachers after you have a few years under you belt. Remember how it felt to be standing in front of that class the first day of class on the first day of school? Still scares me just thinking about it. If our job is all about the kids, then we must put pride aside and admit we need help from one another.