Greetings!
As a Grad student looking to further my virtual footprint, I have explored many professional new resources and ways to connect with others in the literacy field. Below I have my Pre-Map with all of the networks I use currently.
1. Symbaloo
Link to my Symbaloo page:
This website is made up of a storage area that has all of my
direct links, bookmarks, and visuals of resources. I personalized my webmix
page with a cute background and had the freedom to place topics of resources in
separate areas, this was especially appealing because I love the chance to be
creative.
I added a section for Classroom literacy techniques and supports (bottom). Here I have various youtube links that I found interesting and informative. Another section has blogs and websites that focus on literacy skills, development, and instruction (left). The next area focuses on Dyslexia resources (right). Here I put links to interventions, instructional tips, and signs to look for to help in early diagnosis. My last area is a cluster of links for the creation of classroom instruction and planning, as well as links for student-centered resources (center). These include Ixl, Teachers Pay Teachers, Epic!, twinkl, and Canva. Symbaloo allows for the sharing of ideas and easy access to topics that I am interested in. Having all of these in the same spot will make it easy to access and use when I am teaching and looking for ideas.
2. Pinterest
Link to my Early Literacy Pin board: Early Literacy Pinterest- MaryMerski
Pinterest is an app and website that allows users to create, share and look for ideas and interests and have them saved to a virtual "pinboard". Before using it to search for professional use in the classroom, I have only ever thought of Pinterest as a hobby website. I made an account about 10 years ago and after re-signing in, I found memories of pinboards I made for recipes, vacation ideas, and cute lesson plans for my kids when they were little.
I have added a new pinboard titled: Early Literacy. I started searching
ideas and helpful educational materials and resources on the app. I found so
many and have been adding to it. Many of them are help with IEPs, resources for
Special Education teachers, activities and ways to build literacy skills that
are engaging for students. I find that once I pin one idea, I find another idea on the same board and just keep on adding to my board. I also started following profiles that had a
plethora of resources being added routinely so that I can get updates regularly of new content and build
on to my own board. This board and any other boards I make for teaching purposes will add to my teaching "think tank" and will be easily accessible through my pinboards.
I usually use Facebook for the usual reasons, keeping in touch with friends and finding activities and events for my family to do. Even before this project I had used Facebook to look up ideas and thoughts on certain issues I experienced in my classroom through searching related topics. A group I am in, Special Education Community, has provided various solutions to specific classroom issues with students, ways to teach lessons, and how to handle difficult relationships with coworkers and parents. So, when this assignment came up, I was excited to expand my professional groups with more specific topics like literacy.
The groups I most recently joined and have been interested in are: The Literacy View- Real Teachers Letting Loose and Science of Reading- What I Should Have Learned in College. Adding these to my group list has really brought some insight into the realm of literacy and all of its components. It feels good to contribute and join in on the conversation. It helps to talk things out and get perspectives from others in similar situations and those who have experience. In my future teaching career, I feel like these groups will benefit my growth as a teacher in many ways. The resources I have found include links and discussion on Fluency, expectations for students with Dyslexia, where to find online apps for reading outside of the classroom, new podcast episodes, tips on writing instruction, video discussions on reading fundamentals and interviews with other professionals in the literacy world.
Below are some conversations that I felt compelled to add to (my profile name is Mary Elizabeth).
4. Edweb
Link to site: EdWeb
The resource EdWeb is new to me, so I
thought I would look into it after seeing it in the suggestions for this
assignment. I didn’t realize the trove of information that was available to me and
all I had to do was make a free profile. I was able to find job lists and webinars, add
colleagues, as well as add/ create communities and discussion boards. It also has
access to podcasts, audio recordings, and professional development opportunities
that can be counted towards mandated Act 48 hours.
Once I made my profile, I joined
communities related to supporting students with Special Needs and struggling
readers. I decided to sign up for two webinars right away. To get a better understanding of
Dyslexia I listened to an hour long interactive EdWeb program and learned the newer updates
on defining Dyslexia, this was followed by a test. I attended another EdWeb program that was focused on kindergarten
readiness. The mixture of presenters all had time to talk and show statistics of current levels of reading and ways
to implement new strategies. After watching these, I was sent certifications and they were listed in my edWebinar transcript area (shown below with my profile, etc.). I also love that there is a calendar for future webinars and reminders sent. I already bookmarked EdWeb.net and will
continue to use it for webinars used to gain insight into all sorts of
educational issues and for networking.
10
Musts for Teaching Literacy Skills to Students with Significant Disabilities -
Brookes Blog
Accelerating
Students’ Foundational Literacy Progress with Proper Placement | Building
Literacy
Blogs are great for interacting with various real-life
people and professionals on topics. I searched key words and added the words "professional blogs" to find those that catered to what I wanted. I found so many!
A great majority of them have subscription features and linked other blogs and resources to their content.
The community-based feel of blogs can help you to feel like you are talking
with a friend, not just a virtual colleague.
The most interesting blog that I looked up was focused on building higher-level vocabulary skills. There were ideas that I never thought of trying or knew about. They suggested treating and teaching vocabulary in a Lego block style- root words and base words that can be added to make new words and meanings or add to the meanings. I will be using this currently with my 1st grade reading group as an added activity. There were also activities based on note cards to teach antonyms as “frenemies”, synonyms like “siblings”, and other relationships that younger students could relate to that show relationships between words. It was very clever! I feel blogs will be a network that I will look more into- especially to find and bounce ideas off of.
An example from the forementioned blog and my feedback:
Reflection time!
This assignment got me out of my comfort zone with using commentary and other ways of communicating with professionals through blogs, communities, webinars, groups and pages. I was amazed at what my original resources can offer through looking more closely and deeper through their content. On Facebook I was able to further my footprint by joining new groups and took the leap to comment and strengthen connections. Pinterest gave me new ideas especially for classroom activities involving vocabulary and reading. Symbaloo and EdWeb were two brand new concepts and pages for me. Symbaloo's easy access and personalization is very user friendly and useful. Edweb is amazing with all that it offers with community and webinars.
The one resource that I was most amazed by was the use of blogs for professional growth. I read many blogs and have added their content to my resources for teaching as well as commented with feedback. Blogs piqued my interest so much that I decided to use a blog to document my PLN journey. I feel more comfortable after this Professional Learning Network project to reach out to professionals, experts, and colleagues in the field of teaching.
I look forward to expanding my PLN and have created a post-map of what I have added to my pre-map though this project.
