Curriculum director Steven Weber believes that every teacher should have a professional learning network and gives tips on how to best do so.

"Educators need each other because we simply cannot have the answer to every lesson, have a deep understanding of all instructional strategies, or keep up with the emerging online resources that support teaching and learning," Weber said on ASCD Edge.

For instance, not every teacher will know how to best teach a blended learning classroom or know how to best implement an education app for better digital learning. A professional learning network allows for teachers to reach fellow educators all over the country to find answers, ideas, and suggestions for these subjects and then some.

Weber recommends finding a professional learning network through Twitter, Voxer, and ASCD Edge.

One of Weber's personal favorites, and the one he attributes to a significant portion of his professional growth, is Twitter's chat function. Twitter Chats allow educators to chat in real-time and includes specific education-related chats, for which there are weekly schedules. 

For Voxer, Weber recommends it as a reflection tool. "Voxer allows educators to post pictures, share resources, leave voice messages, and post text messages. You can form a group with your grade level team, with educators in other states, or with your mentor," he said.

He also touts the benefits of using ASCD Edge, and suggests using it as the starting point. "Since its launch in late 2009, the ASCD EDge social networking community for educators has drawn more than 70,000 people from 149 countries. ASCD EDge hosts more than 2,700 blog posts and 200 groups, with more added daily," he said, according to the article

Weber says that by starting to develop a solid and reliable professional learning network, educators can better serve their students by being able to find answers and support for the inevitable questions or subject matter they simply don't know.

Read the full article here and comment below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

05/06/2015