Module 3 EDU 776: Online Communities and Professional Learning Networks

    As I spend some time reflecting on Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) I think about both in person and online networks that help me grow and stretch as an educator. We have a teacher course team (TCT) for both world studies and psychology at my school and we meet regularly during our common planning period. We discuss content but also skills we are trying to develop especially in our 9th graders. In addition to that, last school year, I met once a week with members of other departments to discuss our school wide common book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond and we discuss equity issues in our school. This year, we will be meeting once a week to read and discuss Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman.

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As far as online PLNs, I am in the AP Psychology Teachers Facebook Page. I gain a significant amount of course materials from this group. I gain resources, tools, and teaching strategies that help me not only in my advanced placement course but also in my senior level psychology classes. I share many of these resources with my psychology TCT as well. I have been able to incorporate more demonstrations and project based learning because of what I have learned from that page. I attend the Chicago Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (CHITOPSS) conference each year and I get a chance to meet many of the individuals on the page and we've become friends on Facebook and share more resources in that content area. The entire day is spent sharing actual lessons and activities and hearing from psychologists in the field, it's incredible and it's an extension of what we are sharing on the Facebook page. 

As I mapped out my digital space, (thanks Nicole for pushing me to learn about Google Drawings) I noticed that I have quite a few apps on my phone that I visit often including social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These are larger on the drawing. I have noticed that I use them more often when I am bored and during commercials if I'm watching television or during my lunch break. When I am engaged with others around me or in my work, I rarely am on social media platforms. I also have an Instagram account for my cat, Zoey, so that my students can see her. Feel free to follow her @ZoeysPurrfectLife if you need something cute to lift your spirits!

Image Source: Personal Google Drawing

Image Source: Personal Photo

Professionally I am constantly using the Google Suite platform and even more so during remote learning since Chicago Public Schools was using Google Classroom. Although I use Blogger, Twitter, Flipgrid, Kahoot, Zoom, and Participate to connect with classmates, colleagues, and students I still don't feel like a resident yet.. I fulfill the definition, but I don't use them in my daily practice and am not as comfortable with the platforms as I'd like to be, so I'm not sure I'm seeking them out for social presence. I use YouTube quite a bit in class to show students documentaries, tutorials, and I started my own YouTube channel for my last tech class at Dominican in May.  I was surprised at how much I rely on Amazon for school supplies and ideas, but I also use Etsy quite a bit for both my professional and personal life. I rely heavily on NPR for news and sources related to Covid-19. I'd like to get better at using Twitter and am looking forward to participating in a Twitter chat, something I've never done before. 

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