Using Twitter and creating Professional Learning Networks has definitely been the experience that has had a positive impact on me this semester. The CoSN standard that I connected this experience to was 7B which states, use various communication tools and techniques. Twitter is a digital platform that allows people to connect to and communicate with others anywhere in the world. It is a tool that can be used to provide professional development and learning opportunities from the comfort of your home and device.
Before this class I knew of Twitter but never had a desire to join another social media platform. However through learning and engaging in this platform I have learned a lot about connecting with administrators and other educators around the world. An administrator once said to me, “we will never arrive” meaning we all still have learning to do. Sheninger referenced something similar in his book when he talked about being in the wrong room if you are the smartest person there. When we stop learning we stop growing and that is not best for students. According to Sheninger (2019), “knowledge is shared and exchanged, not simply taken when you are connected to a PLN” (p. 146). Just like we teach our students to be producers we as well need to share our knowledge with others not just consume it.
Oddone et al (2019) state, “a PLN creates opportunities for teachers to enhance their pedagogical knowledge and practice, develop perceptions of themselves and others as teachers, and contribute to the wider teaching profession and beyond”. You do not know what you do not know. Teachers are constantly trying to keep up with the latest trends and ever changing practices. Your PLN can provide insight into best practices and engaging ideas that can help transform your teaching and student learning. According to Oddone et al (2019), “teachers use their PLN as a source of inspiration and innovation, updating their practice, and introducing new pedagogical approaches”.
Being digitally connected to a plethora of educators, you have instant access to their knowledge and expertise. The professional development provided through your network can be transformational. The relationships and connections you build through your PLN, with educators just like you, are very powerful. Oddone et al (2019) explains, “when teachers experience learning through a PLN, they are no longer isolated teachers but connected professionals, supported by their personal learning networks”. We are all in this together and that is so exciting and inspiring to me. OK now I am singing the high school musical theme song….LOL. You're welcome!!
Sheninger (2019) argues, “most leaders have no idea where to begin when attempting to create a PLN that meets their learning and leadership needs” (p. 151). This was me at the beginning of this term. However, through a lot of practice and engagement, I now have a connected network of educators to help stretch my thinking as both a teacher and a professional. Cult of Pedagogy (2016) shares tips on how to get started using Twitter and developing your PLN. Check it out then hop over to Twitter to follow ME!!
References:
Common Sense Education. (2017). What’s a PLN? and 3 ways teachers can get connected. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju54C5A3RCw
Giphy. High school musical GIF. https://giphy.com/gifs/high-school-musical-8j2wrmWdc0Kf6
Giphy. Twitter GIF. https://giphy.com/gifs/twitter-SMKiEh9WDO6ze
Gonzalez, J. (2016). So you have a twitter account. Now what? Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/how-to-use-twitter/
Oddone, K., Hughes, H., & Lupton, M. (2019). Teachers as connected professionals: a model to support professional learning through personal learning networks. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(3), 102–120.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed). Corwin.
I also chose using Twitter to build a PLN as the field experience that had the most positive impact on my growth as a technology leader. I love how you brought up the fact about how Twitter allows you to participate in professional development in the comfort of your own home. Kearney et al. (2020) state that educators describe a PLN as a personal experience in which they have control over their learning including when and where this learning occurs. I never realized how much Twitter would encourage me to try new things and even post about it. Scheninger (2019) really encourages teachers and leaders to not only consume information from their PLN, but also publish it. He states, “it is the consistent give and take at the individual level that makes a collective PLN exponentially stronger, more knowledgeable, and wiser” (p. 146).
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts,
Dana
References
Kearney, M., Maher, D., & Pham, L. (2020). Investigating pre-service teachers’ informally-developed online professional learning networks. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 36(1), 21–36.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed). Corwin.
Hey Erica, I think your post was great! I too appreciated the twitter experience as a social tool for building our personal learning networks. Before creating a professional twitter account, I didn't know that twitter did chats. Those chats allowed me to learn something new about twitter as a social tool, and every chat I participated in increased my PLN.
ReplyDeleteEither the moderator of the chat would start following me or someone that was also participating in a twitter chat. I can attest with confidence that my active participation on twitter expanded my PLNs. The text mentions about others success with twitter. "She discovered a weekly Twitter chat for educators, #edchat, and through her participation, she began to develop professional relationships with educators from around the world" (Sheninger, 2019, p.144).
My experience on Twitter has also shown how we can get ideas from other to deliver quality learning to our students. "The findings and their practical implications for instructors are discussed in terms of how they can incorporate Twitter into their teaching, considering the needs of their students to enhance their learning" (Froment, Gonzalez, Cabero, 2022).
References:
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed). Corwin.
Froment, F., Garcia-Gonzalez, A.-J., & Cabero, J. (2022). The relationship of Twitter with teacher credibility and motivation in university students. Comunicar, 30(71), 125-136. https://doi.org/10.3916/C71-2022-10