EDTECH 543 Final Reflection

When I first began this course on Social Media Learning, I was quite excited to begin the journey of including social media into my own classroom curriculum.  Prior to this course, I knew of some ways social media could be infused into the elementary curriculum; however, I did not have the expertise nor the drive to incorporate this technology into my class work at that time.  Subsequent to this course, I am confident in taking my learning experience to the next step by utilizing what I learned within my classroom agenda. I always used Twitter and Facebook personally but did not really dive into professional learning through social media.  Now I feel I am competent in finding relevant social media PLNs to help me improve my teaching methods and enhance my repertoire of resources.  This course not only helped me grow professionally, but will also be of assistance to my students’ learning and curriculum activities

These social networking tools are valuable to my program because I now utilize social media platforms for professional discussions and professional development.  One of the most rewarding experiences of this class was the Twitter for Professional Development assignment.  Having to dive into Twitter chats helped me grow in confidence that I have resources and knowledge that others find beneficial.  My Twitter PLN also shared great resources and ideas with me that I can put to use immediately with my students. I fully realize that planning lessons using knowledge base of my PLN, provides me the opportunity to create the best lesson possible for my students.  Being educated with collaborative ideas and fine-tuning them for my own, truly enhances the classroom experience for my students.

The webinar interactions offered another great opening for professional learning.  I previously dabbled in some webinars, but did not commit to as many as I did for this class.  I realize now how important it is to keep advancing my training, not only in my graduate studies, but also in self- directed learning as well.  I decide where I could use additional training and research a particular webinar that addresses my needs.  Where else can you get professional development such as that?  This pursuit of highly developed education is something that I will definitely continue into the future.  

Curation was a topic I really never heard much about.  Although I utilized others’ curations, I never took the time to see how important curation is and how difficult a process it can be.  I was inspired at a technology conference about games in the classroom, so I decided to do further research on this topic and use it for my curated topic. I found wonderful material and resources and I had the chance to share the work of someone who inspired me. Hopefully, it will help another teacher decide if games in the classroom works for their curriculum needs. I will continue adding to this curation and sharing it through social media PLNs.

Working with my PLN was a great opportunity to grow professionally and learn about myself.  Working with my classmates gave me a profound learning experience I cannot forget.  I was so used to working independently, so it was refreshing to hear from others and get ideas and share work with classmates.  I really enjoyed all the activities we did, but I especially liked creating a social media policy and a mini curriculum unit with my group.  Both of these activities will go directly into my lesson planning.  My group was open to ideas for my fifth grade class that I had prior to this module and let us go in that direction for our unit.  We were able to work together to devise a unit using social media for an upper elementary class. I am pleased with the final outcome for learning about Games Around the World using social media and the collaborative effort was a worthwhile experience that I would like to continue with others in my school and/or field. This unit will be completed with my fifth grade and I cannot wait to blog about how the experience unfolded.  It is rare to hear about social media use in an elementary setting, so I feel actually implementing the unit may help others.  I cannot thank my group enough for making this lesson come alive.

I want to thank Dr. Jackie Gerstein for once again, delivering a wonderful course and providing me with an excellent graduate experience.  This was my final class for my Masters of Educational Technology, and between Dr. Gerstein’s Edtech 541 (my first class) and Edtech 543, I have portfolio work that I am very proud to share for my showcase portfolio needed for a masters degree.  Although my journey at BSU is coming to end, my journey for professional learning will continue on, especially through the use of social media.  See everyone online!

P.S. As far as what my blog grade should be, I feel that I have completed all the required blogs with many personal experiences and to the best of my ability.  Therefore, I would give myself 75/75 points.

Elementary School Social Media Policy

This week, I have been asked to develop a social media policy for my elementary school by my EDTECH 543 class.  After reviewing 10 policies online and the Internet Policy at my school, it has been determined that a social media policy should be in effect at our elementary school. I noticed that many school districts had policies for staff using social media but neglected to create a policy for students. I wondered if this could be that students are not permitted to use social media at their school.  After much research, I found that certain steps are crucial to create a fair and legal policy for my elementary school. I also noted that many policies were negatively worded, meaning that is sounds that the school does not trust the student. I tried to ensure a positive approach to creating this policy. I want the students to feel empowered to use social media for learning and feel responsible and trusted during social media learning.  My policy is meant to be guidelines rather than rules. Online interaction is a learning process, and good digital citizenship must be taught in order to be successful. This document should be read and taught in the classroom before allowing students to interact online. We must ensure that the students understand each strategy and feel safe and confident online. “Ultimately, kids have to know how to manage online usage both ethically and responsibly” (Developing Sound Social Media Policies for Schools, 2012).

The first step in creating this elementary social media policy is to organize a team. (Anderson, 2012) This team would consist of 5 students from grades 4 and 5, 5 teachers from each grade level, 5 parents, and 2 administrators, 2 community members and the school attorney.  Once we gather the team together, we will create a Google Document to keep notes and ask questions about possible strategies for students to follow. The team will also review other districts’ policies and any related policies that are in place at the district level. Once the policy is created, the team will gather again to review the final document and all feedback will be taken into consideration and added to the document as necessary. The school attorney will review the document to ensure that it is lawful, but the attorney will not be in charge of the process (Nielsen, 2012). The final document will then be presented to the students and parents at a PTA meeting.  A copy of the Social Media Policy will be emailed to each parent and student and will also be available for viewing on the district website. The policy will be reviewed annually by the committee to determine if any changes or additions need to be made (Anderson, 2012).

The Elementary School Social Media Policy that I created:

Social Media Policy for Elementary School

Social Media use is encouraged and fostered at our elementary school.  Our vision is to have students use social media to become global learners who learn and interact with students and experts around the world. This gives our students the ability to grow a positive digital footprint and learn the skills needed for good digital citizenship. The goals for our students is “to create lifelong learners, to increase creativity and collaboration, and to make connections.” (Cushing Academy) The proper use of social media gives our students the chance to develop these 21st century skills. The guidelines in this policy will pave the way to student success utilizing social media.

Definition of Social Media: Social Media is any form of an online presence, such as posts, comments, blogs, photos, forums, etc. that allows for interaction and communication between individuals.  These social media platforms consist of but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Edmodo, blogs, Google Plus, Google Sites, Google Classroom, and Flickr. These interactions can be in the form of school related projects or private online accounts.

Guidelines for using Social Media

Be Respectful.  Use good digital citizenship when interacting online.  Always read your comments before you post to be sure that you are respecting individuals or the school district.  Your digital Footprint is the reputation that you build online, and being respectful and positive will help develop a positive image.  In agreement with Western Salisbury Elementary School, “Social media venues are very public. What you contribute leaves a digital footprint for all to see.”

Be Present:  Positive Social Media classroom interactions can be educational and rewarding.  Be present online and share work and ideas with your classmates and teachers, and complete all required collaborative interactions.  According to the Cornwall-Lebanon School District, “How you represent yourself online is an extension of yourself.” Represent yourself wisely.

Be Responsible:  Use good judgement when posting or commenting online.  All interactions online should match the goals you set for your future.  Post positive messages, best works, and appropriate artwork or photographs. According to the NYC Department of Education, you should “align your image with your goals.”

Be Resourceful: Think of your online classroom as an extension of the school classroom. All online communications related to school reflects who you are academically at all times. Post only what you would want your teachers and parents to see.  According to the Howard County Public School System, “students will act in an appropriate manner and use digital tools such as websites, collaborative apps, and social media for educational purposes.”  Make the best out of these wonderful tools.

Be Empathetic:  Be sure to post truthful and sincere interactions. Do not post secrets and respect the privacy of others. Do not post anything that could harm the reputation of an individual or the school. According to Western Salisbury Elementary School, “make sure that criticism is constructive and not hurtful.  What is inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate online.”

Be Smart: We encourage you to interact online, but do not post anything online that could endanger another individual or yourself. Private information should be kept private and off the Internet. Do not post birthdays, addresses, phone numbers and location. Block any individuals who spam or harass you and protect yourself at all times. In agreement with the Pasadena Independent School District, this policy is not meant to censor your online interaction, but rather to protect your rights and other individuals.

Be a Good Citizen:  Be inclusive and friendly to all classmates. Follow all School Internet and Social Media Policies to avoid consequences for poor judgement or behavior. According to the Leland School District, “be polite, friendly, and encouraging. Have some humor but be careful with sarcasm.”

Be Lawful: All interactions online must follow local and federal laws. Any unlawful behavior will be reported immediately to the appropriate authorities.  All copyright and fair use laws must be fully abided by. In agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District, “students must represent themselves honestly and ethically online and are not to mislead others by impersonating another person.”

Be Aware: Use the school accounts wisely. Do not use the school email accounts to create social media accounts that are not approved by the school district. Be aware that many different people can view your posts and comments. In agreement with the Bloomingdale Public Schools, “comments and posts must be appropriate for an educational environment and for community members of all ages.”

Be Proactive: Report any abuse of our Social Media Policy immediately.  Do not be a bystander to cyberbullying or any negative online interaction behaviors.  Report this behavior to the superintendent, principal, teacher, parent or guidance counselor. In agreement with Green Mountain Elementary School, “we may not see every inappropriate comment right away. We ask that you alert us and either ignore or respond politely until we can.”

Resources:

Anderson, S. (2012, May 07). How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/how-to-create-social-media-guidelines-school

Dunn, J. (2014, September 21). An editable social media policy for schools that works – Daily Genius. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://dailygenius.com/editable-social-media-policy-for-schools/

Developing sound social media policies for schools. (2012, May 27). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/03/27/developing-sound-social-media-policies-for-schools/

Nielsen, L. (2012, June 12). Looking to create a social media or BYOD policy? Look no further. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2012/06/looking-to-create-social-media-or-byod.html

Students. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://schools.nyc.gov/RulesPolicies/SocialMedia/students/default.htm

Links to social media policies that were explored:

NYC Public Schools Social Media Policy

Social Media Policy Document

Cornwall-Lebanon School District Student Policy

Leland Public Schools

Howard County Public Schools

Pasadena Independent School District

Green Mountain Elementary

Los Angeles Unified School District

Bloomington Public Schools

Western Salisbury Elementary School

Cushing Academy

Social Media in Elementary Schools as a Learning Strategy

Social Media as a learning strategy has always been a topic of debate among educators and administrators. Social Media can definitely have its pros and cons for students, and some professionals fear the cons.  I believe that the best method to teach students how to use social media appropriately is to give them the opportunity to utilize social media in a controlled setting such as a classroom.  All too often you hear about young students who have social media accounts and there is no one guiding them along the way.  Just like you would never place a small child in a big city by themselves, you should never allow a child on the Internet without supervision. Parents and teachers must be involved in this process.  Therefore, it is imperative that we teach students how to use social media positively, using good digital citizenship, to help them achieve a positive digital footprint.  But the question is “how to we teach digital citizenship?”

The best method of learning how to use social media is to actually have students use various social medias in schools.  I teach fifth grade, so this seems like an impossible task. However, there are an abundance of sites created for elementary age students that are available for sharing work, collaborating globally, and publishing content.  This week, in my EDTECH 543 class, I was asked to find at least 10 Social Media Classroom lessons/case studies that have had successful lessons utilizing social media as a tool for learning.  This was not an easy task due to the age of my students. Not many teachers publish their lesson plans and experience with social media in an elementary school setting. I could locate lists and suggestions, but had a difficult time locating actual case studies. Therefore, curating resources took a great deal of searching and time. I am pleased with the end result of my curated lesson experiences, hence I am  excited to incorporate social media within my fifth grade classroom.

Many of the lessons discussed blogging in the classroom.  Blogging gives the students a chance to share their opinion or work and have others comment on their blog post.  This provides the student with interaction and a chance to reflect on their learning.  KidBlog is a safe place to start my students blogging, which can be a private account for my class or a public account for the world. I know this will benefit students’ writing, realizing their work will be showcased for others to view. Throughout the blogging lessons I found, teachers discussed how important it is to teach the proper method of blogging and develop policies for respectable online behavior.  This is something I also feel strongly about, so I plan on incorporating these positive online experiences for the students.

My favorite lesson was Mystery Skype, where two classrooms in the world connect via a teacher account on Twitter.  The students ask the other class questions about where they live. From these answers the students use Google Maps to find the exact area where the other class is located.  Each student has an assigned task, and they are all involved in the project. This is great for cultural awareness, geography, collaborative learning, problem solving and social learning. Another wonderful lesson where students connect to another class around the world utilizes  Epals for communication. Students create kites with a buddy from another country while converting measurements from metrics.  Not only are the students learning a valuable math lesson, but they are engaged and excited to be part of this global project.  All of the lessons were excellent methods of infusing social media within the elementary classroom and I plan on incorporating each and every one of them. The common theme among all of these lessons were positive student learning outcome, responsibility, reflection, collaboration, pride, and motivation to learn and participate.

I wish, as a child, I had the chance to have friends globally, and publish my work and have my voice heard.  This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and we should not let fear hold us back from social media learning.  With the guidance of a supportive teacher and administration, the students will be facilitated through the world of social media and be ready to face the Internet independently and successfully in the years to come. Without this guidance, mistakes can be made that could impact a student’s life forever.  Digital Citizenship must be taught and practiced starting at an early age. I plan on blogging about my classroom experience using social media in elementary schools to help other elementary teachers see the impact that this method of learning can have on both the students and the teacher.  It should be easier to find elementary experiences than it was for me during this project, and hopefully my stories will make a difference and others will join in on sharing their experiences as well.

Click on Social Media Projects to see the lessons and experiences that I have found along with my insights on how each lesson relates to my fifth grade classroom.

My PLE Diagram and Analysis

A Personal Learning Environment is a systematic connection of applications used to enhance an individual’s learning. In today’s society, there are so many places to gather information and resources that it can be overwhelming.  One has to take the time to purposefully build a solid PLE that proves beneficial to the individual.  Each PLE is unique to the owner.  This week we were asked to create a diagram of our PLE and see how it relates to one another.  I was surprised to see the finished product. I used Cacoo to complete this diagram.  At first, I started with clearly distinct areas labeled Share, Communicate, Connect, and Collect.  I originally decided to place icons of my PLE in each separate area, but as I began, I realized it was not that simple.  Many areas overlapped. Each labeled cloud contains information flowing back and forth, and each icon can be connected with each cloud at times.  For instance, I use Google Drive to collect interesting documents I find on the Internet. Some documents are shared with me.  I connect with others while working on a document, and I communicate via comments and chats. Therefore, Google Drive belongs to every cloud, and the icons connect with each other as well.  For example, WordPress holds some of my Google Docs, along with Weebly and Dreamweaver.  Collectively, they unite every cloud in my PLE.  I realized that my PLE is a maze of connections put together for a common goal: to help me develop into the best teacher I can be through a host of knowledge gained each day.

This assignment confirmed to me how much I have grown since I began the MET program at Boise State.  Most of my PLE was certainly not a component of me when I began this educational journey.  The only avenues I had were my professional developments and printed articles. Through my education, I learned to grow professionally and develop into a self-directed learner.  Not only did I expand knowledge from my classes, but I now reach out to other avenues to uncover answers, resources, and theory, all in the hopes of benefitting a child.  My PLE is not simply for me; it is on behalf of every student in my class.  So perhaps I should add the students to this diagram since they are responsible for my love of learning.  My education is however providing me with the impetus to persevere on my own in order to enhance my professional knowledge.

Reviewing my classmates’ PLE diagrams proved interesting and eye opening at the same time.  It dawned on me that every PLE is like a fingerprint, unique to each individual.  Although there were some similarities, the way we perceived each learning organization and how its relativity to one another varies. Our diagrams are diverse, as well as our interpretations of our PLE. Below are some PLE diagrams that I reviewed and compared to mine.

Below is my picture of my PLE Diagram.

Click on this link to view my analysis of my classmates’ PLE diagrams.

Real Time and Live Virtual Professional Development

Over the past few weeks, I participated in various Twitter chats and live Webinars to enhance my professional development.  This experience was rewarding and exciting for my personal learning.  I have gained an immense amount of new information and a host of resources for use within my classroom setting.  Although this was an assignment for my EDTECH 543 class at Boise State, I plan on continuing both Twitter Chats and Webinars in the future.  Below you will find a link to a Google doc which includes a summary of each Chat and Webinar, along with evidence of my participation.  I am hopeful that some of the resources I learned about recently may help you in your educational setting. 

Summary of Twitter Chats and Webinars

Games in Education Curated Content

Last week, in my EDTECH 543 Social Network Learning at Boise State University, I was asked to develop a checklist on Effective Content Curation Criteria.  From developing this checklist with my group, I learned a vast amount of valuable information about what content curation is and how to develop your own curated content on a particular topic.  This week, we were asked to create our own curated content on a professional topic of choice.  I used the techniques learned with my group to develop my own content curation on Games in Education using Pearltrees. I have been dabbling in researching games in education ever since I went to the 2015 Technology Conference at William Paterson University in NJ.  The keynote speaker was Matthew Farber who is an expert on game based learning and gamification and wrote the book, Gamify Your Classroom A Field Guide to Game-Based Learning.  The resources, methods, and tools he presented were extremely helpful within my classroom.  Matthew inspired me to further my knowledge on the subject so I can incorporate games more effectively into my daily curriculum.  My curated content is a variety of literature from various subjects that are knowledgeable in different aspects of game-based learning and gamification.  My goal is to have other educators asking themselves, from the readings and their own experience, if games have a place in their classroom and if so, how?  The curated collection has three parts: literature on the effectiveness of games in education, how to incorporate games effectively with various resources, and journal articles on the research of games in education.  I plan on updating this collection often so it is current and engaging for both myself and the reader.  Through my collecting and reading, I developed a question that I am having a hard time finding the answer to. Are there gender differences in the effectiveness of games in education.  I plan adding any literature I can find on the subject to my curated content and welcome any help I can receive. Here is the link to my Pearltrees Curated Content on Games in Education.  I hope you read through all the literature and resources and comment on your thoughts either in Pearltrees itself or on my blog.  

After creating my Games in Education Curation, I was asked to evaluate my curated content using the Effective Curation Checklist Criteria checklist created with my PLN from EDTECH 543. I believe a did a good job curating content that adheres to our criteria. Below is the link to my self evaluation.

Self Evaluation on Curated Content

 

Effective Content Curation Criteria

Curation is not simply collecting resources with a common theme, in one place, for easy access. Curation is developed by “deeper thinking through synthesis and evaluation of the collected items”  (White, 2012). Content curation was a term that I was familiar with, but not something that I completely understood until this week.  I was asked by my professor to create a checklist of effective content curation criteria with my class PLN group.  Immediately, I dived through the resources given in my online class website to study more about curation. Although I have used many curators’ resources, I didn’t really recognize to what extent the curator was required to work to house this list together.  Curation is not something completed in one day.  It takes many hours and constant research to analyze the massive amount of information available online, while compiling a thorough and educational curated list of the most important information.  I learned through my readings and classmates’ checklists that curated material should be organized, accessible, current,  valuable, cited properly, and promoted for other professionals to view and comment upon.

I had the opportunity to work with Jessica Allen and Jana Warner on our Effective Content Curation Criteria Checklist.  In order to work effectively with my PLN, I created a Google Doc and shared it in the beginning of the week so everyone could work on their efforts when convenient for them.  I started out the list and found the first 6 items that I felt were necessary for a good curation.  Jessica and Jana added their contributions and we came up with a list of 17 items for our checklist.  With reflection and edits we finalized the list to create our finished product.  I always appreciate working with a group because I learn so much about myself.  I realize I am a perfectionist, and have to let go when necessary.  Everyone works differently and at different paces. Finishing with time to revise helped me feel confident about working with my group in the future.  I know we will make deadlines and be able to critique and review each others’ work.  I realize everyone is busy, so we will have to divide and conquer and I am sure we will be successful. Below is the link to our Effective Content Curation Criteria.  I trust you will enjoy reading through it, and look forward to your comments on this topic.

Effective Content Curation Criteria

White, N. (2012, July 7). Understanding Content Curation. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://d20innovation.d20blogs.org/2012/07/07/understanding-content-curation/

Positive Digital Footprint and Reputation Management Plan

Click the link below to view my presentation created for my EDTECH 543 graduate class about a plan for keeping a positive digital footprint.

Positive Digital Footprint and Reputation Management Plan

My Digital Footprint

 A digital footprint is a permanent mark you make on the Internet as you search, post, share, or collaborate.  Everything you do on the Internet can be traced back to you.  It is important that we keep this in mind at all times, whether you use the Internet for professional reasons or personal leisure.  As a professional, I need to be extremely conscious of the mark I make, and intentional about what I want it to say about me.  I must take certain steps to create the digital footprint that I want others to perceive about me by being proactive.  This seems a bit scary and overwhelming.  A person can easily make a mistake and post something they regret later, only to realize that they cannot delete this unfortunate event.  It is important that we teach this to our children so they are aware of the repercussions that could happen towards their future.  Luckily, once I began having social media platforms in my name, I always kept them private.  It wasn’t until graduate school, that I started using social media professionally, so nothing much came up in a search engine other than my username at that time.  Now, I am conscious to assure that what comes up in a search is positive for me and my professional reputation.

For my EDTECH 543 class, I was asked to complete a search of my name using various search engines.  I was intrigued by what I found.  The first item that came up in my Google search was my EDTECH 541 Integrating Technology into the Classroom website that I made for a weather unit for first grade.  I was glad to see that something of a professional nature showed up first.  Facebook showed up next, followed by most of the graduate work that I completed at Boise State University, including my EDTECH learning log on WordPress.  Next, I found my teacher’s website and LinkedIn profile.  This all proves to me that on Google I have a positive digital footprint and that I should continue on this path.  I would like to see more of my work show up; however, there is a doctor with my same name that appears often as well.  When I put the word teacher after my name, so much more of my information is revealed.  My NASA Education award and other achievements were then visible.  I would like for this Information to be more prevalent in my digital footprint in the future, without having to add the word teacher.  I was pleased to see that some of my resources are being used on other professional blogs and websites.  I felt honored to be of help to someone, and I am pleased I discovered this now. It is the concept of collaboration that keeps me working hard and sharing that information with others.

When I searched my name on Ask.com, my salary comes up first.  After that, I found that I was honored to have my blog linked on Cybraryman’s Website.  This site is a website that I use often for resources and information, and I had no idea that I was one of the blogs listed as a resource. My STEM LiveBinder for iPads seems to come up repeatedly which I had forgotten about.  Again, this was a pleasant surprise and assures me that I have a positive digital footprint here as well.

When I searched Yahoo, Bing, and Duck Duck Go, I once again found all the graduate websites that I created.  I was amazed how many pages of my work I could find.   I also found the STEM award from NASA, which was one of my favorite experiences professionally.  I am thrilled that this is part of my digital footprint. I was surprised to find more websites that link to my work.  

Overall, this digital footprint assignment was a positive experience for me.  There is one picture that I wish did not show up on images simply because it is not my best hair day. Oh, vanity, I know!  I also realized that I have to keep up with my Google Plus account so all the information is current. Otherwise, I couldn’t have asked for a more positive experience.  Again, I would like to see my information show up faster without having to add the word teacher after my name, but to have a professional, well respected doctor with my name show up also isn’t an issue.  If someone confuses us at least we both have good online reputations.  I plan on being proactive and ensuring that I create a positive digital footprint by being more aware of what I post and joining additional professional online organizations.  I also plan on sharing more of my work, which seems to help grow a positive digital footprint.  This exercise is something every person should do.  I invite you to go search your own name and see what you find.  You may also be pleasantly surprised, or, you may find you must be more cautious with what you post in the future.  

Twitter for Professional Development

Participating in Twitter is not a new experience for me.  I first joined Twitter a few years ago when I started the Edtech Program at Boise State.  I heard about it through various friends and my first professor, Jackie Gerstein, who is now one of my last professors, and the one of the most valuable professors  I had at BSU.  Jackie’s passion for social learning had me curious and excited to learn something new. I wanted to dive into the Twitter world right away, but I was nervous when I had an issue with my account due to a Spam link.  I was hesitant after that for a while, but slowly I became more aware and curious about Twitter again.  I was lucky to find a great network to follow, and have quite a few followers myself, except that I was unreliable.  I would Tweet many resources that I found helpful one week, and then disappear for a while.  I always returned, but you could not rely on my presence in your PLN.  I want to change this habit, renew my love of Twitter, and keep in mind why I joined in the first place. I want to soak up as much professional knowledge as possible, while also contributing what I can to help others.  This assignment, which required us to follow 5 hashtags, was a great way to jump into social learning again.  Here is a list of the hashtags I chose to follow:

#edchat- this is a great group of people who share ideas, questions, answers, and resources within the field of education.

#STEM- I am an advocate of teaching STEM in school classrooms of all ages. This group shares resources and knowledge about how to incorporate STEM into your classroom and school district.

#edtech: This is my professional passion…edtech.  This group is perfect for me to continue learning how to infuse technology into my classroom and also share what knowledge I have gained over the years at Boise State and in my district.

#plbchat:  I love to infuse project based learning assignments within the curriculum and this hashtag gives great resources to various websites and resources that help me incorporate more pbl instruction.

#gafe:  I am a Certified Google Educator, helping my district with Google training needs.  This hashtag has many great methods of teaching using Google Apps for Education.  I learn new ways to use Google Apps and get ideas on how to incorporate Google Apps into my lessons.

#ntchat:  Although you cannot see this hashtag on my Tweetdeck photo, it is definitely there.  The new teacher chat seems odd for me to belong to after 24 years of teaching, but I feel I can learn so much from new teachers.  They are full of ideas and new training.  I also think being a seasoned teacher makes me a good person to share experiences and resources.

Some of the resources that I have gained access to from the people in these networks are:

Schoology from #edchat.  Schoology is a learning management system.  I have been looking for a place to host an online or blended classroom.  I enjoy watching my students grow and learn proper netiquette through the use of collaborative online learning . My school hosted Moodle for this purpose, but we no longer have access to this resource. Schoology seems like a great possibility for the future.

Google Classroom Tutorials was a great find for me.  I intend to utilize Google Classroom this year with my fifth grade class, and I could use a refresher on how to attach assignments to more than one class, how to schedule assignments for the future, and how to give a each student a copy of a document.  I like to refresh my skills before I actually use a resource within my classroom in order to concentrate on training the students on how to use the new technology.

Back to School with Google Chrome was another great find following the #gafe hashtag.  There are tutorials and Google Cheat Sheets to use with training students and faculty, as well as video tutorials to use in the classroom and at professional developments.

I find that using Twitter as a form of just-in-time professional development is an absolute must for me and I recommend it to all my colleagues.  I can learn so many ways to enhance my teaching and I can do this at my own convenience.  Many PD experiences given by my school district prove helpful but are not always what I need for my particular classroom experience.  It is impossible for a school district to provide PD that is a one size fits all experience.  There are limited resources and time throughout the year.  Twitter provides resource topics that I choose to participate in at any time throughout the year.  I can learn as little or as much as I choose each and every day, 24 hours a day.  This is a convenience no one should live without.  The possibilities are endless and readily available.  I expect that I convinced at least one teacher to try Twitter and see what works for them.  I am sure he/she will be pleasantly surprised by the results.  I would appreciate hearing your comments about how Twitter has enhanced your professional learning. Please feel free to leave a response to this post.