As I get started with trying to be as informative as possible, I feel like a broken record with some of the things I am spreading the good news about. The point of this blog, though, is so that I have a record to refer to, instead of merely repeating myself for the 100th time. So here I go. Teachers, the difference that joining a PLN (Professional Learning Network) like diigo or delicious can make is astounding. Join one and explore - take that first baby-step into a world of sharing that will inspire and motivate you. Social bookmarking is contagious. Social bookmarking is professional. Social bookmarking is working smarter, not harder. I can't tell you the amount of great ideas I get from others in my diigo groups. I continue to get the looks of disinterest from teachers when talking about it, and it makes me feel bad that I have a vault of great ideas (occasionally one of them is mine) that no one wants to use. Help me help you! Ask me about it, sign up for free on your own, just do it! Okay, that is enough exclamation points for now, but it is just how passionately I feel about the power of online collaboration between teachers. If you are interested, click here for more information, including a quick sheet in how to use diigo.
Along with using social bookmarking as a way to keep yourself up-to-date with the current trends and ideas, subscribing to RSS feeds is also very beneficial. An RSS feed is simply getting whatever new information has been added to some of your favorite websites sent to you, instead of having to constantly check on it. It is delivered to you like an email for you to read at your convenience. Click here for a download link to a quick guide on RSS feeds. It is true that reading other professionals' thoughts on education will better help you define yours. There are so many educational blogs now that are specifically written with the concept of sharing strategies, lesson ideas, resources, etc. The teachers that are soaking up this knowledge and using it to their advantage are the leaders in education today. We teach our kids that knowledge is power. Teachers that are taking advantage of the amount of knowledge being shared online are truly empowered in their classrooms to teach in ways that they had not imagined before. It all starts with that first step. Below are some of my favorite blogs that I encourage you to check out (don't be afraid to subcribe).
Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
dy/dan by Dan Meyer
Teachers as Technology Trailblazers by Kristen Swanson
The Nerdy Teacher
No comments:
Post a Comment