More and more, I’ve come to think that professional learning in the world of education is broken. Broken in a big way. I do my most meaningful and usable professional learning online with the PLN that I have crafted over the years. Professionals from all over the world: librarians, professors, IT directors, authors, teachers in international schools and rural schools and Canadian or Kiwi or British schools. None of it do I get “credit” for. And by the same token, the PD that I am required to take “for credit” is rarely meaningful, useful or profound. I live through it–sometimes more easily than others–and turn to my phone, iPad or Macbook–you know, where my PLN is–to learn and grow as a professional.

A few of my colleagues have played around a bit with Pinterest, and many, many of them have learned to buy items from sites such as TpT and illegally share them with everyone they know. But very few of them have explored the true power of an online PLN. In fact, I suspect that I am the only one in my building that has heard of a PLN. I fear though, that I have talked about these resources for so long without being able to really share the exact process (due to draconian filters on our network), that no one can hear me anymore. I also wonder if maybe this online learning thing, and connecting with a virtual PLN, is simply not for most people. Maybe I’m the outlier–me and others who were early adopters of this method of connecting.

It also occurs to me that, as it is June 1, perhaps I’m just a little tired and grumpy and need to take a break to refresh my attitude!:)

It’s not that I think learning with a virtual PLN is the only way educators should be learning. It’s that I see such a rich mix of expertise, creativity & willingness to share here, I hate that the people around me haven’t found that resource. It reinvigorates and encourages. It’s been immensely important to me over the years, and I’ve failed to effectively share it locally.

At any rate, here are a few useful resources for teachers who want to reach out to other professionals online and begin to create their own learning network.

• Twitter-Hub

  Why would educators want to use Twitter? And how to use it in such a way that it’s helpful and not just a time-waster? These questions and more are addressed in the Cyber-wise Learning Hub for Twitter. And where do you suppose I learned about this site? Twitter, of course!

tags:twitter pd 4tchrs pln

• Do-It-Yourself Virtual Professional Development: Taking Ownership of Your Learning | Edutopia

DIY is a good metaphor! The days of “sit and get” are over.

tags:pln pd 4tchrs

• Educators Are Doin’ It For Themselves: Creating Their Own Professional Development | User Generated Education

  tags:PD 4tchrs PLN

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.