Making Connections with Professional Learning Networks.

 Being a teacher is a tough job.  We are pulled in multiple directions and have more piled on our plates now than ever before.  The silver lining of this work is that we're not alone.  I have been reaching out to the teachers I work with for years, but I have also started looking to connect with other educators online.  These connections have had a huge impact on how I teach especially since the pandemic began.  I teach virtual and in person classes and have made connections to help me teach online, and I'm starting to make connections in digital learning for my master's degree.

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Here are some of the professional learning networks that I use consistently.  I joined TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) last year.  I don't  teach a computer class but it is geared more towards anyone who uses technology in the classroom.  I love the blog on this site.  They cover topics that are relevant right now like digital citizenship.https://tcea.org/ Another page I joined is on Facebook for Schoology. This is the platform my district uses for online learning.  The platform is pretty user friendly, but there are some great tips and tricks on there as well as some projects you can put together.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/212199990104265/?ref=share The next one I want to share is specific to social studies teachers and is another Facebook page,  https://www.facebook.com/groups/194991181331364/?ref=share .  There are great lessons out there on just about any social studies topic. Recently I came back to Twitter and have been following https://twitter.com/EdWeekTeacher?s=09.  This Is a great place to find information dealing with education and current events, there are also helpful tips for talking with students about tough topics.

Another tool I use is YouTube,  I have subscribed to several teachers on YouTube.  The one I'm sharing was created by a teacher and deals with Schoology issues.  This is something I use daily when trying to trouble shoot technology and when I'm trying to create new lessons on Schoology.  The how to videos are easy to follow and can be found on just about any topic.  ​https://www.youtube.com/user/MissCuje

There are so many great pages and blogs out there to follow, and I'm just scratching the surface with the ones I'm following.  I'll be adding links to others as I find more.  I am a consumer right now on all of these networks, but my goal is to contribute my own insights to the network so that others can benefit from my learning.