So before I get into this post, I have to share something with you all. This weekend is the International Literacy Association 2019 conference (held in New Orleans this year) and they have an exclusive offer for this year that I literally stumbled upon today (through my Twitter feed no less). You can attend the conference virtually and choose which speakers to listen to streamed live! Just create an account on their website HERE. I'm excited to explore this today - perfect for a long weekend. Donalyn Miller, Linda Sue Park (Author of 'A Long Walk to Water') and Renee Watson are just some of the speakers.
Ok - I'm going to admit it. In case you couldn't tell from the first paragraph, I am a total nerd when it comes to professional development. I'm that person who is annoyingly excited on pro-d days when it is still early in the morning and I haven't even had a coffee yet. Conferences and conventions with keynote speakers, workshops, vendor displays and sometimes a free lunch add up to a great day in my book. When I think about it seriously, I think the reason I enjoy it so much is because teaching can be a solitary job. We interact with our students all day and rarely get opportunities to 'see' into each other's classrooms, let alone their teaching styles and methods. I am always curious about how other professionals teach - what works for them, what doesn't work, will it work with my students? Now as a teacher-librarian - I do get to collaborate and teach with other teachers, which I really enjoy, but as the only teacher-librarian in the school, it can feel a little like being in my own bubble.
This article from TeachThought.com kickstarted my thinking for this week because I began to think about why PLNs are important and not just because I happen to enjoy professional development.
I feel as though professional learning networks (PLNs), both formal and informal are more important than ever. These are some of the ways that I continue to participate in professional development and grow my teaching practice.
Blogs
There are so many great teaching blogs available that it is hard to keep track of them all. I have actually started to create a group in Feedly to follow my favourites and new ones that people recommend.
Cult of Pedagogy
This one is a goldmine of teaching ideas! Run by Jennifer Gonzalez, a US educator, the website includes a blog, videos and a podcast. This post about graphic novels is how I found the website and then I was hooked.
A.J. Juliani
This article from TeachThought.com kickstarted my thinking for this week because I began to think about why PLNs are important and not just because I happen to enjoy professional development.
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| Image from TeachThought.com '10 Reasons Every Teacher Needs a Professional Learning Network' |
I feel as though professional learning networks (PLNs), both formal and informal are more important than ever. These are some of the ways that I continue to participate in professional development and grow my teaching practice.
Blogs
There are so many great teaching blogs available that it is hard to keep track of them all. I have actually started to create a group in Feedly to follow my favourites and new ones that people recommend.
Cult of Pedagogy
This one is a goldmine of teaching ideas! Run by Jennifer Gonzalez, a US educator, the website includes a blog, videos and a podcast. This post about graphic novels is how I found the website and then I was hooked.
A.J. Juliani
Everything you ever wanted to know about Genius Hour and more. He has written a great book about the design process called Launch and others. There is also a free on-demand workshop about Genius Hour that I am planning to watch soon as I want to see if I can implement a Genius hour time in the Library Learning Commons during collaboration time.
Renovated Learning
This blog is one of my favourite resources for information about integrating MakerSpaces in the Library Learning Commons.
Renovated Learning
This blog is one of my favourite resources for information about integrating MakerSpaces in the Library Learning Commons.
Twitter
#weneeddiversebooks
#ownvoices
#edtechchat
#imwayr (It's Monday What Are You Reading)
I have mentioned some of the hashtags on twitter that I follow on my blog before in this post. Over the past year, I have continued to expand the number of authors, teachers, educators and associations that I follow. Just last week I won a signed copy of Kelly Yang's 'Front Desk' by retweeting during a giveaway that she had. I am so excited and can't wait to show the students at school. It's a fantastic middle grades novel and I highly recommend it.
Websites
https://www.edutopia.org/
Edutopia is full of videos and articles from classrooms and schools across North America. Run by the George Lucas Foundation, it focuses on sharing resources for technology integration, social-emotional learning, project based learning and more.
https://www.teachthought.com/
TeachThought has articles, videos and even has a newsletter and podcast that you can subscribe to.
#weneeddiversebooks
#ownvoices
#edtechchat
#imwayr (It's Monday What Are You Reading)
I have mentioned some of the hashtags on twitter that I follow on my blog before in this post. Over the past year, I have continued to expand the number of authors, teachers, educators and associations that I follow. Just last week I won a signed copy of Kelly Yang's 'Front Desk' by retweeting during a giveaway that she had. I am so excited and can't wait to show the students at school. It's a fantastic middle grades novel and I highly recommend it.
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| Image from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/front-desk-by-kelly-yang/ |
Websites
https://www.edutopia.org/
Edutopia is full of videos and articles from classrooms and schools across North America. Run by the George Lucas Foundation, it focuses on sharing resources for technology integration, social-emotional learning, project based learning and more.
https://www.teachthought.com/
TeachThought has articles, videos and even has a newsletter and podcast that you can subscribe to.
TED Talks
TED talks are always full of relevant, diverse voices and I find them to be very useful to introducing me to new ways of thinking.
Comics Belong in the Classroom - Gene Luen Yang
Sci-fi Stories that Imagine a Future Africa - Nnedi Okorafor
How to Teach Kids about Taboo Topics - Liz Kleinrock
Professional Associations
BCTLA (British Columbia Teacher Librarian Association)
I have joined the Surrey Chapter of this association and it has been great for making connections to other TL's in the district. I am also really looking forward to the BCTLA Conference 2019 coming up on October 25th.
American Association of School Libraries also has very useful resources especially their annual list of top digital tools for education.
TED talks are always full of relevant, diverse voices and I find them to be very useful to introducing me to new ways of thinking.
Comics Belong in the Classroom - Gene Luen Yang
Sci-fi Stories that Imagine a Future Africa - Nnedi Okorafor
How to Teach Kids about Taboo Topics - Liz Kleinrock
Professional Associations
BCTLA (British Columbia Teacher Librarian Association)
I have joined the Surrey Chapter of this association and it has been great for making connections to other TL's in the district. I am also really looking forward to the BCTLA Conference 2019 coming up on October 25th.
American Association of School Libraries also has very useful resources especially their annual list of top digital tools for education.
District Inquiry Groups
Surrey School District regularly offers opportunities for teachers to participate in workshops and inquiry groups. I have just recently joined one for this year with a group of 15 other teacher-librarians and we are focusing inquiry and will be discussing and implementing ideas in Trevor McKenzie's book, 'The Inquiry Mindset'.
While reflecting on this topic this week, I realized that formal and informal professional development and learning networks are increasingly becoming interwoven to create an ongoing and continuous nature of learning for teachers that can increase both our knowledge, skills and enthusiasm as professionals. I think this is a great time to be a teacher.
Surrey School District regularly offers opportunities for teachers to participate in workshops and inquiry groups. I have just recently joined one for this year with a group of 15 other teacher-librarians and we are focusing inquiry and will be discussing and implementing ideas in Trevor McKenzie's book, 'The Inquiry Mindset'.
While reflecting on this topic this week, I realized that formal and informal professional development and learning networks are increasingly becoming interwoven to create an ongoing and continuous nature of learning for teachers that can increase both our knowledge, skills and enthusiasm as professionals. I think this is a great time to be a teacher.
I too loved the book Front Desk. It has some edgy bits to keep middle kid's attention and interested in the story line. I appreciate the way you began your post because you reminded me of myself whe I first dove in to teaching. I have found over the years to have become less than enthusiastic with the professional development offerings. With all of the virtual ways we can stay connected the onus is really on the TL to find what interests them and connect to that professional development. Sometimes staying local is best and sometimes venturing further afield is what is required.
ReplyDeleteWell done post! This is a very detailed and expansive list of communities, resources, videos, links, books, guides and networks that any Teacher or Teacher-Librarian can benefit from. Your infectious energy and enthusiasm for Professional development is greatly appreciated and shows a lot of ways you can invest personally in your own growth. You have some great plans lined up and your T-L book group exploring Dive into Inquiry by Trevor is a great idea. Lots of good stuff here to parse and explore and perhaps implement for anyone who comes by.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic list of resources! Thank you for sharing! I'm particularly interested in the image that started your inquiry "10 Reasons Every Teacher Needs a PLN". The exhortation to "flatten your classroom walls" resonated particularly with me - I am inspired to draw my students out of classroom learning into real-world, real-time global connections.
ReplyDelete