Before this course, I used a lot of these tools but was unfamiliar with the term PLN. Now I have become aware of how to use these tools to even further how I was using them before. My love for Twitter has been reignited and I have been using it in a variety of ways. I love that I can choose between lots of different tools and can have great discussions with other teachers. My goal is to continue using these tools to grow my PLN into an even better resource for my teaching.
I just finished by second twitter chat and I think I am a fan overall! I participated in #4thchat and #edtechchat.
I participated in #4thchat on February 6, 2017. This was my first time with this chat. The day we had the chat, the theme was an "open mic night" where they didn't have a specific theme or discussion topic. I was worried that there would not be much chatter but I was pleasantly surprised! I was able to ask different questions and respond to many different. There was probably about 10-15 people involved in the chat and I thought that was a great way to get me started. It was pretty easy to follow for the most part and I was able to answer mentions and retweet when I needed. I did end up following many different teachers that were involved so I thought that was great. Overall, I think that I had a great first Twitter chat with #4thchat and I definitely will be back.
I also participated in #edtechchat on February 13, 2017, This was my first time with this chat. The topic of this chat was about Digital Learning Day and using digital learning in our classrooms. This chat had more activity than the previous one but it was very interesting. I was able to get some great ideas for coding in my classroom and I did follow a couple of people. Since, it was so busy I did feel like I missed some things, but I think that is okay because I still was able to get so many new ideas! I will definitely go back to this chat again and hopefully keep up with the pace a little bit more!
I am getting very comfortable using Twitter and love participating in Twitter chats! It is amazing how much my PLN has grown through this course and with Twitter!
In the past couple of years, my love for social media has grown, especially when using it to expand my education knowledge and ideas for my classroom. I have been using social media for the classroom for quite some time and I love it!
One of my favorite social networking sites to go on is Instagram. I have a personal account and follow a lot of teachers, but also just recently I have created a teaching Instagram account for myself. I love being able to see pictures of what other teachers are using in their classroom and it gives me great ideas to what I can introduce to my students. I also love that many of the teachers I follow have an account with the site Teachers Pay Teachers, because they can link up their products and sometimes I have snagged some great deals on products by following their Instagram accounts. One of the main things that I love with Instagram is their new feature of Instagram Stories. This allows users to post videos or pictures that are separate from their photo feed and are only displayed for 24 hours. I enjoy watching the videos because the teachers can provide a lot of great advice and ideas and can explain it more in depth this way. Here is a blog I found that has some of my favorites that I follow. Two of my favorite Instagram teachers to follow that are not mentioned are Bethany Humphrey (TeachingandsoFourth) and Brittany Briggs (Miss5th). They post great ideas for student engagement and classroom community. Bethany starts her days off with a student song, and I recently have added this into my classroom. My kids love starting their day by standing on their chairs and singing this song!
Another one of my favorite social networks is Pinterest. I have been on Pinterest for many years now and my boards have become quite encompassing. I have so many different teaching boards and I try to make it very organized so I can find things that I need quickly. I love Pinterest because you can link up really anything and it will be saved. Here is an article that I found of some good pinners and boards to follow on Pinterest. I use Pinterest a lot to reach some of my kids for extension and for reteaching. I love to differentiate as much as I can in my classroom, especially with how broad of a range I have. Pinterest helps me find great ideas for all skill level that is still very engaging.
