Keeping up with Michael Knight in the new year...
Who remembers Nightrider? My grandparents never missed a show. I remember lying on my belly in the middle of their living room with my chin resting on my hands, thinking about how awesome it would be to have a car like KITT. Hasselhof and his swooning hair is now just a sliver of memory as we continue to barrel into the future. Tech keeps moving, it's not going away and the reality of our students' worlds are not slowing down anytime soon (I can already feel the sighs, deep breaths, and shifts in your seat). I often hear about the challenge of keeping students engaged but what about our educators? Are you engaged or are you on overdrive? What is our responsibility as teachers, when it comes to keeping ourselves current? How are you keeping up with current research and current pedagogical practices? Are you connected and part of the global conversation? Creating a robust Personalized Learning Network (PLN) is essential for today's modern teacher. Here are a few tips in customizing your own PLN that is just right for you:
1. WHY TWITTER?
I would argue that Twitter may be one of the best tools out there to create a diverse PLN. My adult learning years would not be the same without this tool to help connect me to current research, experts and colleagues on a global level. My twitter feed is my customized news focused on Innovation in Education and Educational Technology. It is my interactive newspaper that I read everyday as well as where I ask questions and contribute ideas.
How do I begin?
Create an account here and begin following people. Here are a few I follow:
Tip: Go to a few experts in your field or interest area and see who they follow.
Using #HASHTAGS to your advantage:
Hashtags are actually more useful than the way you may have historically seen them used on social media or in this Fallon skit. You can search hashtags on any social media platform and all posts that have used the hashtag will show up. A few popular hashtags to check out are #education #edchat #edtech. Using hashtags on social media is a nice way to share to a wider audience beyond the people that follow you. Check out this Complete Guide to Twitter Hashtags for Education.
Participate on Twitter Chats
You can interact live on Twitter through Twitter Chats. They are a nice way to build your PLN and interact with experts in your field and engage in conversations on a global level. If you are unfamiliar with this, here is a great Introduction to Twitter Education Chats. Engaging in twitter chats with your class is also a great way to have conversations beyond the classroom walls with experts facilitating the conversation.
2. MEET UPS
Virtual connection combined with face to face interactions is the most powerful way to sustain lasting and meaningful relationships. Meet ups are an old concept enhanced immensely by the internet to allow for connections with people you would not normally cross paths with. They allow us to connect on a more human level than the virtual world can offer. Organizing meet ups can happen on social media or specific sites that host organizing groups such as meetup.com. When I was first hired at Tabor I put a message out on twitter explaining that I was a new Tech Integrationist in the area and was looking to connect with other local Tech Integrationist. I got several responses and ended up meeting up with two local tech integrationist for lunch and found out about a free local conference I ended up attending on the Cape.
3. SUBSCRIBE to BLOGS
Subscribe to blogs. The Twitter sites I recommended above also have blogs. Those are good places to start if you are interested in general innovation in education and tech integration.
4. LISTEN TO EDUCATION PODCASTS
Here are three to check out:
5. LURKE, COMMENT, SHARE
If you are new to joining online communities or social media then I would suggest taking time to be a "lurker". Take time to listen and begin to understand how these communities interact and work. After you are comfortable, begin to join conversations and eventually you may feel motivated to share your own content.
6. STUDENT AND CLASS DRIVEN PLNs
Create a class twitter page where you follow experts in your content area:
A class PLN can provide students with a live authentic list of resources that they are able to interact with in the "real world". Students can interact with experts or have class conversations on Twitter Chats with specific communities. It is also an excellent way to connect with experts to see if they would be wiling to have a private Video conference with your class or specific students.
Teach students how to create their own PLN:
Do students realize the power of connecting with purpose? Do they have a virtual space that takes the "Selfie" out of their online social lives and shifts the focus to what they are passionate about and what they want to learn more about? This may also be a way we can create a healthier online presence by shifting their virtual focus from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation? For example: My daughter loves photography and has a photography page on Instagram. From her own PLN she has created a smaller group of photo editors similar to her age, from places such as Denmark, Canada, Germany, London, France and Spain. They exchange ideas and share tips with each other. When we were in Montreal last summer she connected with one of her friends in this network and met up with her for lunch. This space allows her to learn from a community with similar interest and naturally feeds her passion because she is interacting with an authentic audience and learning along the way. There is purpose to her virtual world.
