My Personal Learning Network

There are many ways that I traditionally connect with other educators and share work.  I will list several that I use and then I will list a few I would like to learn about or use.  I am not listing them in any particular order.


1.) Twitter - I use Twitter to connect with my families, but I also use it to connect with collegues.  I follow many fellow teachers and am inspired by their daily routines and activities.  I have recently adopted using Go Noodle as an alternative for indoor recess after learning about it from a friend's Twitter Feed.  I also follow groups like Kid President, Ted Talks, and Scholastic, so that I am frequently updated about new and upcoming materials.  I am currently using Twitter for my classroom and would like to return to having a separate account just for my own professional growth.  I used to follow many colleagues from around the country based on our PLP learning experience, but I stopped following them when I designated the feed for my classroom.

https://twitter.com/WertzsClass

2.) Email Subscriptions - I subscribe to many groups that provide you with up to date information and ideas.  I receive emails from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach regarding available webinars and programs that I can sign up for after completing the PLP program.  I also receive email updates from Scholastic, Education Innovations, Lego Robotics, Great Educators, Simple k12 and Rubik's Cube.  Most of them keep me informed of new projects, but they also give me opportunities to advance my classroom.  For example, I am intrigued by the Rubik's Cube math curriculum and would like to raise enough money to cover a class set with the curriculum.

3.) Donor's Choose - I know this site is meant primarily for asking for donations for the classroom.  However, I enjoy learning about what is going on in other teacher's classrooms.  Many teachers use this site to "Shoot for the stars" and create interesting projects for the classroom.  Teacher's in my building have funded large projects and I can see what classrooms are doing all over the country.

http://www.donorschoose.org/

4.)Nearpod/Study Island/Drop Box  - I use these websites in the classroom frequently.  In addition to using these sites as teaching and monitoring tools, I also use these sites to share information, resources, and self created lessons with teachers.  The fifth grade team has shared  assessments and assignments on Study Island, classroom activities on Nearpod, and quick quizzes using drop box.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kf1cwpc80602irk/AABVhcph8tJqazmY3pe07PAya?dl=0

5.) Lists on Google - One of the best ways I find new ideas and resources is to search for Top 10 lists.  For example, I will search for "Top 10 websites for education".  I am then given a list of different sites to choose from.  I can look at the provider of the link and determine if it is a source I am familiar with or if it is a new site I should bookmark.

http://www.google.com/#safe=active&q=Top+10+Websites+for+Education

6.) I am relatively new to Schoology, however, I have already been involved with different courses in order to collaborate on-line.  I have the courses that I am using with my classes.  I have the course established for this class and I have a course shared with me by Kevin, to provide me with resources that I need.  We are all somewhat new to Schoology, but I feel that it is a wonderful way to share with everyone.   We will continue to build new courses and collaborate within our grade levels.

What I want to Learn

7.) I would like to learn more about Diigo and Symbaloo.  I feel that these resources will be invaluable as I build a learning community with my students as well as my parents and colleagues.  I love the visual aspect of Symballoo and I know that my son's teacher is already using this site for his Spanish class.  It seems like it would be a great way to content specific links with anyone.

8.) Edutopia/Blogs - I would also like to find good Blogs to follow.  I am not familiar with how to follow a blog.  I found one once that I was interested in, and I couldn't figure out how to subscribe to the blog.  I want to find educators who have the same interests and use my free time to scan through their findings.  I just don't know where to begin to find the sources. 

Video Done Correctly!

How I would facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity in the classroom.

The Perfect Classroom

There are many things I would like to change about my classroom to help facilitate learning and creativity.  However, the pitfalls of time and resources continue to make that a challenge.  I have created a video with my students to represent what I hope to achieve over the years.

At the beginning of my video, you will see  a "bored" class barely staying awake.  I would like to believe my teaching does not put these kiddos to sleep, however, there are days that I feel like I am doing just that.  In order to help them become lifelong learners, I would like to "wake them up", allow them to learn in a format best suited for their needs, and choose a way to represent what they have learned.

The next part of the video represents my understanding that students come to me differently.  They have different needs, different home environments, different learning abilities, and different interests.  I want to design a classroom that is welcoming to all types of students, no matter whether they are the cheerleader, the valedictorian, the class clown, the bank geek (which he selected as his title), or the artist.  I hope to do this by tailoring my learning activities to allow for differentitation and self discovery.

The next part of the video discusses my students' learning styles.  I would like to design a number of activities that would allow me to teach or facilitate learning in the way that each student needs.  First, we would need to explore the students' learning styles.  Do they work best working with a teacher?  Would they benefit from learning in a group?  Do they prefer to learn on their own, by watching videos and performing on-line tasks? Maybe they need to use manipulatives to understand each skill.  If I had my wish, I would develop learning activities for EACH academic standard, for EACH of these teaching methods, and allow students to work at their own pace.

The final part of this video reflects my hope to allow students to be creative with their new found knowledge by selecting their own way to present it to me.  I will always need a skill assessment, but I could develop projects, or project rubrics, that allow the students to draw on their talents and interests.  They could apply what they have learned and "show what they know" in a format of their choice, like a poster, a drawing a song,  a video, or a class lesson.

I would also like to provide my students with an opportunity to move beyond the classroom and use their skills globally.  The biggest obstacle I face are time and resources.  I know the activities are out there somewhere, I just need to find them, create them, and organize them.