Expanding my PLN

Creating my visual representation of my growing PLN was very eye opening and fun. It is hard to believe that over these past seven weeks my professional learning network has grown so much. I have been able to add three new tools to my professional development tool box and add countless resources to my existing programs. It has been insightful to spend time just looking back and reflecting on all the things I have learned.

I think I am most excited about of my Twitter growth. I went from having absolutely no experience in the Twitter department to tweeting more than 80 times, participating in two chats, following more than 40 people, and having 20 people follow me! I have been able to learn about new teaching strategies and new technology tools to take back to my classroom. Meeting other educators has also been a huge plus of joining the Twitter world. I look forward to continuing to learn from other Twitter  educators and staying current on technology tools that are available to me.

Skype was also a new tool I was introduced to in last few weeks. It has allowed me to connect to other educators. It is always nice to have multiple ways to connect to other besides just through email. I have also been able to see ways that I can use this tool in my class! I am excited to explore Skype in my classroom soon.

Besides Twitter and Skype, I found a new use for Facebook. Looking outside of my friends list, I was able to find Pages that fit with my educational needs. I love the middle school sites! They have real teachers that are going through the same things I am, and it nice to know there are people I can connect with. I have also found another reason to search on Pinterest more often. I am in the process of creating School Boards that house ideas and activities I can use in my classroom. I have already created multiple activities that I found through Pinterest. It is a wonderful resource!

Diigo was a tool that I had already had experience with but over past several weeks, I have been able to a ton of new sites! It is great to have a place where I can save websites I found useful or helpful.

As I reflect over the past 7 weeks, I have realized how much my professional learning network has grown. I can't wait to see how much it can grow in another 7 weeks. The wonderful thing about these tools is that they can only grow. It is not just a weekend conference, but they are tools that allow me to have "dyi-professional development" plan.

(Be sure to follow some of the links in the Piktochart below to see some of my PLNs, just hover over some of the popular icons!)