This chapter of the book is about how to start building your network to create a connected learning community. The text states, "Personal learning networks help you leverage deeper connections and relationships, and from those networked relationships, you grow a community of connected learners and leaders" (Nussbaum-Beach & Ritter Hall 92). The first step to building your network is deciding who you want to reach out to and follow. What type of people do you want to connect with? As a future teacher, I would want to reach out to some teachers that I have pre-existing connections with and who I know would be willing to help me to get started. The next step is to explore online blogs. There are thousands of online resources that are available to the public, all you have to do is go looking for them. On a blog, you may find potential candidates you want to follow. It's important to make sure that the people you are following are trustworthy and have good reputations. "Some research suggests that an individual cannot maintain a stable social relationship with more than 150 people at one time", so it's vital to not overwhelm yourself and start mass following people in an effort to get a response (Nussbaum-Beach & Ritter Hall 95).
Within a network, there are various roles to be had by not only the creator of the blog, but also the people who view it. Always keep in mind that people may be viewing your blog, but not interacting. Assume that every post is going to be seen by hundreds of people. It is important to remember the purpose of creating a network which is that, "Networks are just the place to connect, share resources, meet others, and get inspired" (Nussbaum-Beach & Ritter Hall 97). I can see a network like this being beneficial to teachers because we can share lesson plans, tests, ideas, etc. On paper, this may sound like the resources to cheat are getting more apparent, but I can easily use someone else's test and add to it or just take a few questions from multiple tests. Using a network would make my life so much easier as a teacher because I won't have to come up with everything on my own.
While I'm going to have a plethora of resources ready for me to use, it is so important to remember that not every student is the same. The lesson plan that was used somewhere in Oklahoma, might not work as well on my class in New Jersey. The students in my class are more important than the ease of having less work to do. I would rather make sure my students are getting an efficient education than use someone else's lesson plans that aren't working. One heading from this chapter stuck with me, which was, "Design With Real Learning in Mind" (Nussbaum-Beach & Ritter Hall 104). Don't just go with what's easy and available, make sure you have real people in mind and whether or not this would be valuable for them.
What do you think the benefit of connecting with people in other countries would be? As opposed to networking across America, how would networking with people from overseas be beneficial?
As another future teacher, I agree with the way that you emphasized the importance of networking within the community. I liked how you said that you could use references from other teachers tests in order to save time, especially since teaching is so time consuming!
ReplyDeleteI like how you specifically mentioned using existing connections to branch out and meet more people! It's very likely that the people you know will have a wider group of people that they know, so going through them to make more connections is the best way to go about it.
ReplyDeleteYou raised an important point about networking when you brought up the value of connecting with teachers you already know, as they might open doors to even more connections. My mom is a teacher and uses her connections to share lesson plans, teaching strategies, and classroom management techniques. I believe networking with people from other countries could expand our perspectives to other cultures. Do you think our schools could benefit from learning about other cultures’ education systems?
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