PLN-ty to learn

The Social Aspect

    PLNs, or Professional Learning Networks, are designed to help teachers compile insights, resources, and ideas from each other based on needs in their personal classrooms. After reading about PLNs this week, it is obvious that they allow for more choice in gathering learning materials than some traditional PDs. PLNs are an essential part of growing as an educator. 

    Before I even clicked on the short videos from the Thinglink this week, I knew that I would most likely identify with the social area of PLNs. I am an extremely outgoing person and often search beyond my school or classroom for support from other teachers, friends, and/or family. I also decided to take the Five Factor Test provided in the module and my results showed that I am 97% extroverted, so the fact that I lean more towards the social area of PLNs makes a lot of sense. While I identify the most with the social area of growth, I do identify with all of the other areas as well. 

Image Source: Psychologist World

      Being a social person during the pandemic took an extreme toll on me, especially while working from home and during hybrid. I really thrive when I am able to pop into my colleagues' classrooms to ask a quick question or bounce ideas off of them. When we were working from home, I created a staff Padlet so that we could highlight the positive things that we saw each other doing in our virtual classrooms. The staff morale was at an all time low and I think that some of this had to do with a lack of connection. Having connection with other teachers is crucial, whether it be on a lunchtime walk with a teaching team or meeting in the teacher's lounge for 10 quick minutes. It was difficult to walk down the empty hallways, past classrooms, unsure if the person you wanted to talk to was in a Zoom meeting or just staring with blank eyes at their computer screen. 

My PLN Experiences

  During the pandemic, a time when everyone felt isolated, PLNs were more important than ever. I was actually lucky enough to join a study that was being done by two professors in Pennsylvania. Every two weeks or so, teachers from all over the country met on Zoom to discuss the hardships we were experiencing during the pandemic. It was extremely cathartic and eye opening to hear what other teachers from around the country were going through during this unprecedented and stressful time. At the end of our meetings, I also participated in a virtual conference with this group to discuss our findings and also to share the letter that I wrote to my board of education during the pandemic. This PLN was enlightening and much needed for me and I am so happy that I was able to be a part of this study. 

For this week's PLN assignment, I joined a Facebook Group called the Teach Better Team. I wanted to challenge myself to get back on Facebook for this because after watching Tanya Menon's Video, I realized that I have been guilty of disconnecting. Tanya says, "When your psychological world is breaking down, the hardest thing to do is to try and reach out and build up your social world." This is exactly what I did during the pandemic. I deactivated my Facebook and disconnected from the thousands of friends that I had made through my travels over the years. 

Image Source: Facebook

Immediately after logging onto Facebook, I felt a sense of connection with my friends that I haven't had in a while. I checked into see how some of my friends were doing. I checked which birthdays that I had inevitably missed. When I was approved for the Teach Better Team group, I perused and watched a few videos and looked through the posts. What I love about this group is that many teachers are posting questions, materials to share, and videos chatting about different aspects of being in the classroom. I really enjoyed this info-graphic on Ramadan that was shared. They also have a podcast called Daily Drop In which promotes teacher connection and support. Being a part of a group like this during the pandemic would have really helped me and I regret not reaching out more while I was struggling in the classroom. Through this group, I learned that teachers thrive through connection, whether that be virtual or in person.  

I mentioned this in my first blog post, but at the very beginning of the pandemic, I started a Facebook group called Breath of Fresh Air, full of friends around the world, designed to help build community and boost morale during the insanity of 2020 and beyond. I checked in on the group to see how it was doing and to my surprise, people are still posting. I realized that creating a positive community via this group, despite not being on Facebook anymore, was my way of helping my community foster connection during a difficult time.