Blogs, RSS Feeds, Twitter - these are the PLNs we have worked with this semester, and there are still so many more out there! Last week I attended a session at the Minnesota Education Conference titled "Becoming a Web 2.0 Leader." I was amazed by how much technology has developed and how advantageous it can be when used wisely. It even goes beyond tools for teachers to those that students can take advantage of, such as Googledocs, Ning, Screentoaster, Diigo and Bibme.
When used wisely. Professional Learning Networks are tools that can be very advantageous. Unfortunately, for those who have not grown up around technology, these new tools can look very intimidating. I have grown up with technology and I am still challenged by discovering everything that these tools have to offer. It is important for educators to know that these are out there! They can offer a lot, but time must be invested in learning how to use them efficiently.
I have found blogs and twitter very useful; I only wish I had more time to explore them. I try to balance all the interesting information I have at my disposal with the responsibilities I need to complete in my day. With more time, I might be able to use these tools for the purposes that they were intended, but at the moment my life is consumed with seemingly more immediate realities. One of these days, when I can take the time to adequately learn what these tools have to offer, I hope I will be able to efficiently apply them and integrate them into my life.
The blogs I am subscribing to are:
1. Free Technology for Teachers: this blog is useful to keep up to date with ways to bring technology into your classroom
2. Two Writing Teachers: Two teachers collaborating to bring attention to writing as a passion and an art
3. Write Out Loud: A teacher giving writing prompts to his students - interesting and sparks ideas
4. The Scholastic Scribe
5. The Book Whisperer: Author of "The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child"
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