Week 2 - connectivism, communities of practice, professional learning networks - 6/6-6/12

I'll never forget what my first evaluator said to me during that maiden year of teaching. "Your first year of teaching will look different from your second, third, eighth, and tenth year. You have what teachers have, but remember that it will always be changing." I have taken his words to heart. That was about four years ago now, and I can definitely say that he is right. I went from a lot of paper, and pencil tasks to now an almost entirely digital classroom. I know for certain that without my professional learning networks, like Twitter, I would have never tried any of the excellent ideas that currently shape my classroom.

My image is representative of what I perceive of the topics in this module. Connectivism is represented by the many lines and interconnections between schools. I think that There are many other sources of input, but to keep it simple, I stuck with schools. Professional learning networks are the next layer, as everyone and anyone can be a part of them. They, just like all the other sources are directly connected. I like to think that even inside of a school, the network is real, in my district we have professional learning community (PLC) time every week. This year, I will be the technology lead in the building, I will make sure to have some discussion and eager help for teachers wanting to be a part of some professional learning networks. In my mind, both in building and across network connections can be part of PLN.

Ultimately, the most local of all is the community of practice. I have noticed that in my life there are many people involved in my community of practice. Not everyone inside of it is a teacher! Perhaps these communities of practice are the most local component of the concepts explored this week. Connectivism applies to these concepts directly. Even though I think some pieces of these are local, we are undoubtedly connected to others around the world. Maybe not every educator has the same goal in mind when it comes to seeking connections with other professionals, but by getting ourselves outside of our bubbles and making connections around the world, we can progress our goals!

References:
Duke, B., Harper, G., & Johnston, M. (2013). Connectivism as a digital age learning theory. The International HETL Review. Special Issue 2013 (pp. 4-13)

 Laland, Marc-André (2012). What is a PLN - Marc-André Lalande's take. [Video file]. From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLLpWqp-owo