I chose Google + for my PLN. I preferred Google+ over Twitter because I already had an account that was created at a TTT I attended. After creating the account, I found that I didn't use it as much as I thought I would. I really wanted to see what I could learn by joining, participating and contributing to the online communities in my content and others areas of education. So after a bit of searching, I found some communities that I thought would be interesting and helpful. I joined Connected Classrooms Workshop, G Suite for Education, WI DPI K12 Physical Education, GED Tri-State MN, WI and IA, and Physical Education (PE).
I began by posting a question about using Google Form in physical education to G Suite for Education. This site is a non-physical education community. I related my question to my content area and to my surprise didn't get a response. My next question was related to using technology in physical education. I decided to try WI DPI K12 Physical Education in hopes that another physical educator in Wisconsin would reply. I was able to connect with an educator in West DePere that had excellent ideas related to technology and apps that I could try with my students. I also collaborated with educators in others communities including Physical Education (PE) on topics related to curriculum and instructional strategies. It was nice to learn some new strategies and possibly help other educators find solutions to their questions and concerns.
This challenge has opened my eyes and mind to the world of online collaboration. I was fascinated with the vast amount of knowledge and assistance related to my content area. My experiences during this challenge have taught me that there are many communities available to assist me in becoming a better educator. I may not always get the answers I seek. However, I may be able to assist others in becoming better educators. I will definitely continue to use Google+ as a collaboration tool.
Gary, that is great that you found that educator in West DePere to connect with and share ideas with. I bet that is especially helpful, since you are a department of one here at PES. I think it can be a bit of a challenge for a Phy Ed teacher to get as many responses, because I don't think as many Phy Ed teachers think about using technology in class as other classroom teachers. I also liked how you pointed out that you can help other teachers too.
ReplyDeleteI think Google+ was helpful for you to collaborate with other PE teachers. Like I commented to Josh, you are on your own in our building over here so I can see how it would be helpful to have a resource to use to collaborate.
ReplyDeleteI think that Social Media has allowed us to develop a resource network when budgets are slim and we aren't able to attend the types of conferences we once were able to. Great share!
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