This week I was reminded of the power of my PLN - my personal learning network. I chat with these guys every week, learn from their tweets, and share ideas. When I have one of those days, I find encouragement and inspiration. On my good days, I try to be the encouragement and inspiration. This is how it works... teachers helping teachers be their very best every day. We work together to give our students what they need to be their very best every day.
Yesterday, I was able to visit the exhibits at TCEA. I was so excited to see the latest and greatest with other educators from my district. I was also very excited about meeting some of my PLN, my tweeps, my friends. I couldn't wait to put a face the with the encouragement and a voice with the inspiration. So right before I had to head out, I was able to meet with Daisy Marino, Angela Moses, and Terri Eichholz. We were only able to visit for a short time but it was just like meeting up with friends that I had known forever. We chatted about education, the weather, and of course the wonderful sessions that they had attended at TCEA. It was a great opportunity to connect and realize how blessed I am to learn from each one of them each and every day.
I also feel like I am able to depend on my PLN to provide meaningful interactions for my students. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Don Wettrick has been such a great mentor. He has helped me learn so much about innovation in the classroom and giving my students an opportunity to try and fail. He recently gave me the opportunity to share my story on his BAM Radio Network channel, InnovatED. I am so thankful for his willingness to Skype with my students or share ideas when I have none. I am so thankful that I listened to the Two Guys Show that night and decided to ask questions about Innovations and what that would look like in my classroom. My teaching will never be the same!
Today, I was able to call on another amazing member of my PLN to provide a meaningful learning experience for my students. They are learning about technology in the classroom for their innovations project. This includes the different tools and ideas being used in classrooms and then sharing those things with the teachers in our district. They recently discovered augmented reality and wanted to know more about what it was and how it works. I instantly thought of Brad Waid and wondered if he would mind sharing his passion for augmented reality with my students. I sent him a quick tweet and he said he would be more than happy to help us out.
Brad did such a great job sharing augmented reality and giving them examples of how it can be used in the classroom as well as the real world. His excitement and passion for augmented reality created an authentic learning experience for my students that they will not soon forget. As my students "hung out" with Brad today, I couldn't help but realize the power of Twitter and the amazing opportunities it has given my students as well as myself.
These are just a few of the amazing opportunities that I have encountered since becoming a connected educator. Twitter allows me to have meaningful encounters with other educators that are passionate about the work at hand. I cannot say enough about the importance of building and connecting with a PLN. I am just starting to realize the power of my PLN and the role that they play in my classroom. I can't wait to learn more and share more as I continue on my exciting journey as a connected educator!
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