Ten Minutes of Connecting: Day 6 – Building Your Professional Learning Network (PLN)

In yesterday’s “10 minutes to getting connected” post, we asked you to get a Twitter account so that you could start learning from some of the best conversations and sharing that are happening online for educators.

If signing up for Twitter in 10 minutes was difficult, please do not hesitate to ask for help in the comments for this blog.  #OSSEMOOC is here to help.  We are a community of education leaders who believe strongly in the importance of collaboration and connecting to build the supportive team we all need to continue to learn in this ever-changing world.

Last year, on the last day of the #BIT13 conference, ECOO President Mark Carbone emphasized the importance of going out and nurturing other educators.

Nurturing is a powerful word.

Change is fast and we can often feel that it is too hard to keep up. We sometimes feel overwhelmed with all that there is to know and understand to stay on top of change.  If we all take the stance that we are here to nurture each other in getting connected and learning together, we will create a much friendlier environment for learning and risk-taking.  This is the culture we need for innovative thinking to thrive.

Building a supportive Professional Learning Network is a critical component in continuing to grow as educators.

Today, we will focus on following other educators on Twitter.  As you watch your Twitter feed today, think about who is sharing information that interests you.  Who is pushing your thinking?  What is resonating with you?

Below, we have listed a few educators who are committed to sharing online.  Feel free to explore their work, keeping in mind that a PLN is very personal, and you need to build the network that works for you.

This is a starting point, but it takes a daily commitment to continue to grow and nurture a PLN that can transform your professional practice.

We all look forward to learning and sharing with you!

 

Resources:

Help with Building a PLN:

Sue Waters: Guides to Building your PLN

Edublogs Teacher Challenges: Building a PLN

 

Some educators to follow on Twitter:

(Please share in the comments who you follow on Twitter so that those new to Twitter can enrich their experience)

Ontario

Andrea Gillespie

Sue Dunlop

John Malloy

Julie Balen

Doug Peterson

Donna Miller Fry

Mark W. Carbone

Peter Skillen

Aviva Dunsiger

Heidi Siwak

Grant Montgomery

Brenda Sherry

Lisa Neale