My triggering question: What are some digital resources I can use to connect with other educators and improve my professional practice and theirs?
To this week’s question, I found more answers in new ways to use websites and applications I already knew. One known application made new is the use of Twitter and their ability to make temporary discussion spaces through the use of hashtags. #edchat has been a twitter discussion space since 2009 and found the space full of uplifting memes and side discussions. Devin Barrett reminded the discussion board that Pinterest is a great resource for all aspects of teaching. The article Consuming and creating: Early-adopting science teachers’ perceptions and use of a wiki to support professional development was about a small group of science teachers in New Zealand that was creating a private wiki between them to map out the key principals of their units (CoRes) and then generate lessons beneath them (PaPers). Some of the teachers found it useful, some generated content though they felt it very time consuming, and many were concerned with getting feedback or others editing their PaPers. For the teachers in rural New Zealand, they found it nice to have peer collaboration in their subject. Clearly the CoRes and PaPers wiki was tenuously adopted for use by the end of the article.
I think the best way to grow professionally is to venture out of one’s own space. Taking a class can help you to find other tools to use and inspiration through other’s recommendations, exactly like this class. There are great online options emerging every day, exemplified by the SPU brochure that arrived in my mailbox this week advertising online professional growth. This week Muddy Kinzer found a wonderful website and resource for teachers edtechteacher.org. They provide online learning, workshops, conferences, and links to free applications. They focus on technological professional development. Kimberly Russell also found PBS.org Teacherline which provides classes.
I think Dr. Wicks advocation of Twitter has been the most impactful to me and finding out how to use it for professional development. He recommended several people to "follow" and Twitter hashtag spaces to watch. I enjoy using my Twitter to aggregate other interests of mine which don’t mesh with teacher tweets that well. I found “lists” so I can make Twitter sort the tweets between the different types of things I want to follow. I can see Twitter providing me the real-time, short-time-commitment, on-going professional development I will need as a practicing teacher.
References
Donnelly, D. F., & Boniface, S. (2013). Consuming and creating: Early-adopting science teachers perceptions and use of a wiki to support professional development. Computers & Education,68, 9-20. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2013.04.023
Greenhalgh, S. P., & Koehler, M. J. (2017). 28 Days Later: Twitter Hashtags as "Just in Time" Teacher Professional Development. Techtrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 61(3), 273-281.
Public Broadcasting System (2017). PBS TeacherLine: Online Professional Development. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)
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