Personal Learning Network Reflections

 Reflect on how your personal learning network has changed and grown during the course of this workshop. Discuss your plans for how you plan to continue to grow your learning network and how you hope to contribute to the professional learning of your administrative colleagues.

When I first started this course I really only used social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with things going on.  I feel that since taking this class my personal learning network has grown.  I now know how to use my RSS feed, I am blogging, using Twitter for more than just entertianment news, and will try to use the podcasting for classroom instruction and for sharing information amongst collegues, parents, and students.  Since I am not in an adminstrative role right now I will not be able to contribute in the professional learning of the adminstrators in my district but, I will be able to share some of these tools with the administrators in my building to help with information sharing.

Action Plan

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Name of Organization: Jefferson County Schools

2. Project Title: Professional Learning Networks (PLN)

3. Project Location: Erwin Middle School

4. Contact Person: Chintina Willis

5. Contact Information:  532 23^rd Ave NW, Birmingham, AL 35215

205-379-3430, chintina.willis@jefcoed.com

6. Project Timeline: 1 year

7. Amount Required: $0

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Erwin Middle is a school in the Jefferson County School System.  The school consists of approximately 100 faculty and staff members.  There are currently no PLN being used by the faculty and staff as a whole.  This project will introduce faculty and staff members to the importance of PLN and how it could benefit them personally and the school as a whole.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

There a many challenges that we face as a school when trying to introduce PLN; teacher buy in, access to different social tools due to district filters, and time.  These are the biggest challenges that need to be address to successfully implement PLN.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

The objectives to be completed by the end of this project are as follows:

·         Be able to collaborate and share with other teachers, educators, and professionals in the field using web tools

·         Be able to communicate effectively in online forums

·         Be able to find and use online teaching resources

Because professional learning networks are all about collaborating and sharing information through web based tools, the objectives given will contribute to the achievement of the project.  By teachers using professional learning networks they will broaden their teaching and learning.  It will be a year long process that introduces them to the many web tools available.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN:

The project will start at the beginning of the school year and end the last day of school.  Selected school faculty members (department chairs) will attend monthly district wide professional learning network sessions offered through the district and return to their home school to teach the faculty about web based tools used for PLN.  Department chairs will deliver information to their departments during their common planning times.  Teachers will have timelines on when PLN should be in place and implemented in their daily routines.  After the year of training, teachers will be required by building level administrators to continue to use professional learning networks.  

PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION:

Monthly sessions will be recorded through blogging and using the tools that are introduced.  Surveys will also be sent out to all faculty member following up on new tools being introduced.

DOCUMENTATION AND SHARING RESULTS :

Results will be shared through google docs and documented progress through participation of web tools in the professional learning networks.

PROJECT BUDGET:

$0

ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

None

Summer Vacation

The month of June has flown by.  Where has the time gone?  I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that in a little under four weeks we will be welcoming a new set of kiddos back to school.  There will be files to be read, meetings to be held, schedule adjustments, and planning lessons.  But before the chaos begins, I will sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of my off time with my family.  For those that are not administrators, I hope you enjoy your time also.  For the administrators, I hope you enjoy the quiet halls and uneventful days leading up to the opening of a new school year.

 

I want to leave you with a little back to school humor........

Please enjoy the rest of your time off!