Today is my birthday. I'm 51, and proud of it. I grew up in a foreign service family, and am incredibly proud of the work my parents did working for USAID and teaching in countries around the world. I appreciated the chance to travel, to meet new people, and to understand the world from other points of view. I chose a different life as an adult. My husband and I settled in Kelowna in 1986, moved into the Joe Rich valley in 1989, and have lived here ever since. My children grew up next door to Grandma, had aunts, uncles,and cousins around the corner, and knew they were loved and cared for by people they saw daily. My students have been friends, neighbors and church family. My husband's patients have been parents, grandparents and extended family of my students. I was delighted to hear from neighbors that "I followed your son home from town today, he is a great driver", "Your daughter did a great job on her 'Night' essay" or "Today Iwatched your son deal with a 911 call - he is a great paramedic!". I even appreciated the "Did you know that your son, daughter, and nephew (ages 14, 12, and 12) are out joyriding around Huckleberry?". My town of 100,000 feels alot smaller because of our connections.
On a professional level, I learn best from those I admire and respect, from those I know. The MSSE program has broadened my world, but those from whom I learn are still part of a very small group that I get to know over the course of a semester. I learn best from teachers whose work I observe, not from those who tweet or blog from some far away place.
My personal learning network includes Edra Van Doren, a gifted middle school humanities and music teacher; Shannon Gerber, an outstanding young primary school teacher; Lisa Rasmussen, another gifted humanities teacher; Lawrence McMullen, a math, science, technology, PE teacher, and coach with a gift for listening and occasionally saying something wise; Larry McCarty, "the guy next door" who lets me listen in on his Chemistry and Physics classes; and Rhonda Rogers, an inspiring humanities/middle school teacher who was also a classmate in our professional teacher certification program. I have tried ideas and lesson plans from The Science Teacher and The Mathematics Teacher with great success. I listen to what my students say about what was most helpful to them, and what I should contine to use with the next day's or next year's classes. I ask former students to tell me what they wish they had known before they started their university courses. These students are also part of my PLN.
So why am I even trying to form an online PLN? Why do I care what someone who I have not met, who I do not know, says about great teaching ideas? I don't. I need more than a great blurb, I need context before I can decide how what seems like a great idea to someone else will work for me. If I thought that the rest of "Web Tools for Teachers" was going to be like the last two weeks, I would probably not finish - tuition be hanged. Instead I will keep trying and hoping that something we cover will actually be something that I can use in my classroom or personal life.
Cherri, I admire your respect for the close-knit community you are part of, and the loyalty to your physical PLN. I have always been moving around, so keeping in touch with people I meet along any way I can is very important to me, and most of that is done through the internet now, so I wouldn't know what its like to like in that kind of community, you probably feel a very special connection.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if the virtual world will ever be able to replace having face-to-face contact with people. But don't you think there is some value in sharing teaching practice ideas with teachers from all over the world? Aren't you curious about what Science teachers in Australia or South Carolina are teaching their students? I think getting different perspectives about education is the most important thing for me in growing as an educator and as a learner. I can't think of a better opportunity for this than being able to tap into the brains of thousands of teachers all over the world! Don't give up yet... it's a big world out there and you will always have your physical PLN, no matter how many online buddies you make!
Marta,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your response, and will continue to try to understand your side of this physical versus virtual debate. I must say, however, that the perceived benefits of "tapping into the brains of thousands of teachers all over the world" eludes me. I find that too much information is just that - too much.
I enjoy finding out, and using in my own classroom, what teachers from all over the world use successfully in their own classrooms. When the information is well presented, with plenty of contextual information, then yes, it is extremely valuable. I probably try one new idea each month in each of my classes. I occasionally get these ideas from peers whose context I know, but most often I get this information from peer reviewed journals. I do not find the "online buddies" give me enough background information to accurately evaluate their ideas.
When my online PLN takes away time from real relationships, I resent the time away. I will not always have my physical PLN if I do not nurture those relationships. I won't give up yet, but find that my professional needs are very different from those expressed by many in this class.
I just returned from my Thermal Biology course at MSU late yesterday. One of the things I'm trying to deal with today: Junk Mail.
ReplyDeleteUpon reflecting and reviewing and using the tools we've been introduced to this week, I can't help but wonder if some of these tools are a new form of junk mail - electronic junk mail. If not filtered and monitored appropriately, I believe the answer is yes.
Therefore, I emphathize with your struggle of developing a valuable, reliable PLN. Strategically and selectively setting up your PLN could be - I think - the most important part of an effective PLN. If not done well, e-junk mail may be all we receive. Another important element: time. Time in figuring out what's out there and what works for our individual needs.
What may work for your needs? Google Scholar, a Web tool where you can find scholarly, peer-reviewed subject-specific results. Here is the link to the advanced search: http://scholar.google.com/advanced_scholar_search?hl=en&lr=
And now back to working on my own junk mail.