While exploring some Pinterests boards I came across this article: What kind of teacher are you? As a fan of infographics I was naturally intrigued. As I read the descriptions of the different teachers I recognized some, identified with others, and thought about the kind of teacher I want to be.
Knowing my own strengths and weaknesses is important, but building on them and developing new strengths, and working around or above those weaknesses is also important. This is where PLNs come in. PLNs, or Professional Learning Networks for those of you not stuck in the same Alphabet Soup, are communities where like-interested professionals can share ideas. The Educator's PLN is an online social media site that connects teachers to other teachers.
Now if you are an ESOL/ENL/TESOL* professional like myself then you spend all day with other teachers. So why would you want to spend your down time with more teachers? Because if you ARE like me and my school community then you hear the same ideas and the same way of doing things over and over again. Joining a PLN gives you new ideas, new resources, new tools for your toolbox, as well as a diverse collection of educators from all over the world!
Being connected to and sharing ideas with other teachers is an excellent way to do professional development. Not only do you share some great resources but you can also continue to develop your own teaching style.
PLN or no PLN my ideal teacher continues to be Ms. Frizzle.
*English to Speakers of Other Languages/ English as a New Language/ Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (sorry for the continued Alphabet Soup)
Knowing my own strengths and weaknesses is important, but building on them and developing new strengths, and working around or above those weaknesses is also important. This is where PLNs come in. PLNs, or Professional Learning Networks for those of you not stuck in the same Alphabet Soup, are communities where like-interested professionals can share ideas. The Educator's PLN is an online social media site that connects teachers to other teachers.
Now if you are an ESOL/ENL/TESOL* professional like myself then you spend all day with other teachers. So why would you want to spend your down time with more teachers? Because if you ARE like me and my school community then you hear the same ideas and the same way of doing things over and over again. Joining a PLN gives you new ideas, new resources, new tools for your toolbox, as well as a diverse collection of educators from all over the world!
Being connected to and sharing ideas with other teachers is an excellent way to do professional development. Not only do you share some great resources but you can also continue to develop your own teaching style.
PLN or no PLN my ideal teacher continues to be Ms. Frizzle.
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| Image Not Mine |
Did you end up liking the site? I agree that it is nice to hear other ideas than the ones you hear all day at work/school/wherever you earn your dollars. That's a reason these sites are important. Also, don't forget conference and in-services as a great way to network as well.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I am a part of so many professional organizations and I present at so many conferences that I tend to be PDed-out. I might explore this site more if I wasn't already so invested elsewhere, this would have been great when I first started teaching.
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