Evaluating Technological Tools

Professional Learning Networks, or PLNs, have become an important resource for teachers looking to stay up to date in their content areas while sharing their own expertise with the greater teaching community.  The world is becoming increasingly connected, so why not share what we know to support and inspire each other.  

In blog post by Allison Rossett, she shares this great graphic of how PLNs can be created and used:

In other words, in order to sustain a PLN, educators must first have places in which they can research and find information.  Blogs, Websites, Wikis, Podcasts, and other sources contain a plethora of information to be discovered and internalized.  In order to have a real PLN, one must share their ideas and research with other educators.  To accomplish this, educators are turning to various Social Media platforms which allow them to not only disseminate information quickly, but engage in real time conversations with other educators.  The above graphic lists Twitter, Edmodo, and Facebook, among some of the top tools that educators are using to share information.  I'd like to share with you some of my favorite sources of information aggregation, as well as the platforms I enjoy for sharing found information.

Information Aggregation

One blog that I absolutely love, being that I am a Technology Integration Specialist, is FreeTech4Teachers.  This blog, which is updated daily and also has a Twitter and Facebook page that can be followed, provides wonderful information on how technology can be integrated into the classroom.  This site saves me a lot of time on testing new tools to see which ones work for my students.

As far as Podcasts, that is a world that I have sadly only dipped a toe into.  I know there is a wonderful world of educational Podcasts to follow, I just haven't quite gotten there yet.  One that I can recommend, having explored its visual counterpart, is the Ted Talks Podcast.  For those of you looking to expand your Podcast library, here is a list of 50 Educational Podcasts You Should Check Out.

My Google RSS feeder use to be my most favorite tool in the world for reading articles relevant to my interests.  Unfortunately, Google's RSS feeder has been gone for quite some time now, and although I am still a little bitter about it, I've done my best to move on to other RSS feed tools  I've flirted with Feedly, but I am still not as into that app as I was my Google RSS feed.  That is more likely the fault of myself not re-amassing subscriptions to various blogs, rather than the fault of the tool itself.  While an RSS feed tool may not be in the cards for myself any longer, I would recommend Feedly as the best replacement I could find.

After consulting blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other various websites, it is important to be able to save the tools you like in a somewhat organized manner.  Simply bookmarking the tool doesn't quite cut it here if you ever want to be able to find it again.  For this, I love using DIIGO, a bookmarking tool that allows you to tag your bookmarks and describe them so you are able to not only find them again, but you remember what the tool was in the first place.  You can also share your bookmarks with others, making this the perfect tool for collecting bookmarks for a PLN.

Social Media Connections

When it comes to sharing information with a PLN, Twitter seems to be a favorite among educators.  I recently attended a conference by Alan November, who mentioned numerous times that if we educators were not using Twitter, then we should rethink that right away!  While I enjoy Twitter for amassing inspirational "hits" of knowledge, I prefer a tool that can help me go in more depth on a topic.  For those instances, I turn to networks like Edmodo or Google Hang Outs.

What I enjoy about Edmodo is being able to create groups where people can go to have conversations that are not limited to 140 characters.  It also feels a little more like a social group, and I feel more comfortable expressing my ideas with the same group of people, rather than sparking a conversation that can be accessible by any given soul with a Twitter account.  For me, Edmodo makes my conversations feel more scholarly and targeted. I can ask a group of Spanish teachers for advice on an upcoming activity, and I know I will have helpful responses from certified educators.

Lastly, I enjoy using Google Hangouts, or other types of video chatting software because I believe face time is very important in a PLN.  I love tuning in for lectures and tutorials, as well as hosting my own.  Learning no longer needs to take place inside of a classroom, but I believe it's important to create spaces that are "classroom like", aka a space for people to gather in order to discuss a topic.  Google Hangouts and other video chatting spaces can provide that space for intellectual discussion.

Resources

50 Educational Podcasts You Should Check Out - Getting Smart by Guest Author -. (2013). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://gettingsmart.com/2013/02/50-educational-podcasts-you-should-check-out/

The Connected Educator: Building a Professional Learning Network « Allison Rossett. (2012). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://www.allisonrossett.com/2012/07/17/the-connected-educator-building-a-professional-learning-network/