PLN 101

Building Your Tribe: PLN 101
Connecting with people who share the same passions affirms you're not alone; that there are others like you and that, while many might not understand your passion, some do. It doesn't matter whether you like the people as individuals, or even the work that they do. It's perfectly possible that you don't. What matters first is having validation for the passion you have in common. Finding your tribe brings the luxury of talking shop, of bouncing ideas around, of sharing and comparing techniques, and of indulging your enthusiasms or hostilities for the same things.

Twitter

3 things you should know about Twitter from Steve Wheeler, @timbuckteeth




1. Signup for a Twitter account (or login to your existing account)

2. Advice for adding followers:

- Start following a couple dozen people or organizations (I once heard a person say that Twitter doesn't show it's value until one is following at least 30 people)

- Choose someone you know (a friend, a colleague, etc.), go to their Twitter page and see who they follow. Read a person's bio, read a few tweets, and decide if you'd like to follow them.

- Find out if people you know personally are on Twitter and follow them. Here's a list of ZPS "Tweeps" that I've assembled.

3. #hashtags - Use them to "label" or categorize your tweets or find other tweets with similar categories

- Conferences often use them (for example, #zetacon)
- Weekly Twitter chats use them (for example, #miched, each Wednesday night during the school year at 8:00pm)

Looking for more information?

Twitter Handbook for Teachers from Powerful Learning Practice (free download)


Once you get rolling with Twitter, Tweetdeck is a great tool for quickly scanning tweets and looking at columns containing hashtags or searches.

Blog Reader

What is blog? Blogs in Plain English by Common Craft Media

Feedly.com - blog reader
- Signin with Google account (_____@zps.org for ZPS staff)

Add content
- Click the +Add Content link
- Copy and paste this link http://ilearn.zps.org/ilearn/
- Click the + sign next to the name of the blog

Looking for recommendations?

Elementary

  • Franki Sibberson and MaryLee Hahn's A Year of Reading http://readingyear.blogspot.com
  • Cathy Mere's blog Reflect and Refine http://reflectandrefine.blogspot.com
  • Maria Teaching in the 21st Century http://teachingin21.blogspot.com

Secondary

  • Shelley Wright http://shelleywright.wordpress.com
  • Two Writing Teachers http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com
  • Karl Fisch feeds.feedburner.com/TheFischbowl


"Big Picture Thinkers"

  • Chris Kennedy's Culture of Yes http://cultureofyes.ca
  • Connected Principals (group blog) http://connectedprincipals.com
  • PLP Network - Voices from the Revolution http://plpnetwork.com/voices/

Then check out the "blog roll" in each of these blogs. You'll see which blogs these people are using.

Feedly App for iPad/iPhone
Flipboard App for iPad/iPhone




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