Personal+Growth


 * Personal Learning Network**

I have developed my own Personal Learning Network (PLN) through a consistent use of the online tool called Twitter. It has a steep learning curve, and initially, I was not using it correctly, and therefore, I had not realized its potential as a professional development tool. Twitter has allowed me to connect with other educators from across the country, as well as the world. I am able to find others who are in an elementary setting, or share my passion of technology and music.

Networking with others has opened up new resources for my professional development. I can discover practical online tools that others have been using and ask them specifically what they use it for. They can share their hits and misses and I can learn from their experiences, since I, myself, have only one and a half years under my belt. The things I have learned from my PLN have amounted to tremendous support and encouragement, two things I have found needing greatly in these beginning years.

I wish I had a detailed recollection of my first year teaching, especially with all the problems I faced in and out of my classroom. A blog would have been the perfect place for that. I could look back on it, and it would not only show me how much I have grown and changed, but it could also provide support to another first-year teacher. I find myself always being drawn to blogs written by new teachers. It's great to share those experiences with others.

As far as tools, I am starting to believe that professional blogging can be very powerful. I would like to establish a concrete presence on my blog where I share a variety of things related to what I am doing in the classroom. Lesson plans, classroom management programs and student work would all be featured not only to share with others, but to keep for myself. It is a great scrapbook to have of previous successes and failures of my career, and what better time to start than at the beginning of my journey.