Power of the PLN

Not too long ago, I sat and watched a friend in Kansas connect with my friends in Montgomery, TX. As I was sitting there I started to reflect on the importance of connecting with others. The importance of knowing that we aren't the experts at everything and that reaching out for guidance and inspiration is more about growth than it is about deficit.

It took me a while, as an educator, to come to this realization. To completely understand the Power of the PLN.

What is a PLN? To me, a PLN is a group of professionals that thrive on the concept of "sharing is caring." The more that I think about the term PLN, it makes me think of a Kindergarten classroom or any classroom for that matter. When learners first enter elementary school, what is one of the first things that we teach them to do? Share. We foster a learning environment that encourages and inspires students to collaborate, share, and bounce ideas off one another. Isn't that exactly what a PLN is to us today as lead learners? So why, as educators, is it sometimes so hard for us to ask for help? Why does that fear sometimes win?

I didn't realize the power of connectivity until about 3 years ago, when I finally decided to start a classroom Twitter account.  I was inspired by Kayla Delzer, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made as an educator-the decision to make my classroom more than the four walls that contained it. During that school year and the next, my kids connected with Ryan Davidson, a meteorologist from the weather channel (check out his story here), a Martian soil expert from Kansas (check out her story here), a college professor and her students from South Carolina, and so many more. Little did I know that meeting this college professor would mean so much to me and my profession!

Dr. Julie P. Jones was one of the first educators that I met on Twitter, and it was all because we (my 4th grade classroom) thanked her for being our 200th follower. She quickly responded, but not just with a "thank you". She sent my kids some challenges about #make200. It was one of the first instances where I recognized the power that Twitter had, especially for my kids.  Dr. Julie P. Jones is a professor at Converse College in South Carolina, and she works with educator prep students. Because of our initial connection, our classes soon connected for other reasons! My 4th grade students visited with her college age students about classroom management, technology tools, and classroom jobs. They loved being able to voice their thoughts about the classroom and education with future teachers.

A year later, we finally met in real life! We presented about Twitter at a conference in Orlando, FL called ATE about the magic that is social media.  It was such a surreal experience to meet one of my Twitter heroes!! 

Even from afar, her and so many others like Jed Dearybury, Marialice Curran, Matt Murrie, and Jaime Donally support me and lift me up from various corners of our world.

I am forever blessed to know and love my PLN, and I have Twitter to thank for 

that!

My advice to you: Get on Twitter and grow your PLN!  You will not regret it! 

Some of my other favorite things:

1. Vedchat

2. #SingaSong

3. #PasstheScopeEDU

This is also a featured blog post for Hoonuit (Atomic Learning).

Today I Sat In A Class And Read A Book...

Today, I sat in a class and read a book, The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros.  I sat in complete silence while other students sat with their novel groups and read with intent and powerful interest.  One group was on the floor, casually laying on comfortable pillows.  Another group was lounging on a couch in the corner.  There was even a student reading in a bathtub filled with pillows. That's right...a bathtub!  Their teacher was also fully immersed in her book of choice as well!  Every now and then, I would look up from my book, and so many thoughts would fill my head.  One being, that this environment was truly fostering a love of reading.  

That became even more evident when I was invited to have a "book talk" with a group of students.  Another thought I had was that I couldn't wait to come back to read with kids again.  I couldn't wait to walk in a room, find a spot to read, and dive into a good book.  I loved being a part of it today! As I was getting up to leave (I didn't want to!), Ms. Taylor Horn asked if I wanted to participate in a book talk with a group of her students.  I kneeled down on the floor, and just listened.  By the end of our conversation, my mind was made up.  I was checking that book out at the library!  

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

One part of George's book that I read today was about "8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom".  One of those 8 is "Time for Reflection".  As a educator, I find that I need time to reflect to grow and evolve into the type of educator that my kids deserve.  I reflect on social media outlets like Twitter and Voxer and as a blogger (I am trying to get better at this!).  The students today were given time to reflect on their reading, and the conversation was so good!  You could hear their passion and dedication to the story line, and how they couldn't wait to read some more. 

One of my favorite human beings to follow on social media is Jen Jones of Hello Literacy.  This is one of my favorite quotes from her.

Just Read.

George says in his book, "DEAR Time should be an opportunity not only for reading but to also "Drop Everything and Reflect".  It is important to give our students a space for enjoyable reading and reflection.  One should not be separate from the other.  Now time to get back to my book!

Our Date With The Weatherman!

Last year, I reached out to various local meteorologists to see if they would Skype with my kids about weather maps.  I was surprised that none of them contacted me back!  But I didn't give up!  While searching for a weather map video on YouTube, I came across a video by Ryan Davidson of The Weather Channel.  It explained weather maps in such a kid friendly way!  

So I took a chance....

I decided to search for him on Twitter, and I found his profile!  I sent him a message, and asked if he would be interested in visiting with my kids about weather maps.  Within 12 hours, he responded, and said he would love to!

We were so excited!  My kids loved it, and I knew I would reach out to him again for the following school year!  Fast forward to this school year, and we just completed our visit with him this past Friday.  We even invited some friends from another school district to jump in on the call (Google Hangout).  He is now on camera for The Weather Channel with Weather Underground.  We were able to tour the set, meet a co-worker, and ask him numerous questions about weather and his profession!  It was such a cool experience, and I am so thankful to have his support in my classroom!  I like to refer to him as our class weatherman!  

Word of wisdom from our resident weatherman! @RyanDavidsonWX #lovewhatyoudo pic.twitter.com/qZuYzjXL1X

— Amy Storer (@techamys) April 16, 2016

Super cool Google Hangout today with the kids. Thanks to @techamys and @RyanDavidsonWX! #weatherunderground pic.twitter.com/GCd9DuRM4U

— TA (@runmickey1) April 15, 2016

@RyanDavidsonWX It was so great visiting with you!! @redcarpetcrew4 loved it!! pic.twitter.com/8gSWe3Td5T

— Amy Storer (@techamys) April 15, 2016

Students Teaching Students Part 2!

In this edition of "Students Teaching Students", my class connected with a third grade class in Enterprise, Alabama!  We had previously met them during Edcamp Global.  Since meeting, we have stayed in contact on Twitter.  She reached out to me about our classes reconnecting to talk about fractions.  My students were experts in regards to equivalent fractions, and her students were just starting on this topic!  My students were going to work with her kids on equivalent fractions!  So exciting!  We set up a small white board with large magnetic fraction strips, and my kids guided them through a variety of problems.  We also introduced them to a strategy that we use called "The Big One"! Please view the video below to learn more about "The Big One"!  

It was one of those experiences that I know my kids, as well as myself, will not forget.  Her students did wonderful!! It gave them ownership of that knowledge, and they were able to deliver that message through a Google Hangout.  And sharing that knowledge didn't require a worksheet!!

Students Teaching Students

About 180 followers ago, we met Dr. Julie P. Jones.  She was our 200th follower on Twitter, and we decided to thank her!  Within no time at all, she responded! Not only did she respond, but she included a challenge that soon turned into another challenge!  

The students loved this, and enjoyed submitting their answers to her on Twitter!

It is amazing what happens when we tear down the four walls of our classroom. Last week, my homeroom students were able to join a Twitter chat with Dr. Jones and her students at Converse College in South Carolina.  One of my friends, Victoria, shared how we handle our classroom jobs.

Dr. Jones and I continued to stay connected on Twitter and Facebook, and just this week, she asked if my kids would visit with her kids...students at Converse College in South Carolina!  These students are teachers in training, and we were asked to share about our classroom management.  My students shared a few things with her students.  We talked about classroom rules, "You Matter", and "Love First, Teach Second".  It was a great experience!!  My students loved interacting with her students!!

Keep the Mayflower Afloat!

On the last day before Thanksgiving Break, I wanted to do something with the kids that was exciting and brain stimulating!  I did a search on TpT, and came across some really cool Thanksgiving investigations!  One of these investigations stood out, and I knew that my kids would love it!  This investigation was called "An Engineering Challenge: Boat Builders".  The goal of this challenge was for the students to build a boat that could carry the Pilgrims, their livestock and their cargo without sinking.  The supplies that they were able to use were one tub of water (the Atlantic Ocean), one stick of modeling clay (The Mayflower), ten mini marshmallows (the Pilgrims), five Tootsie Roll candies (livestock), and ten pennies (cargo).  The students were tasked to build a boat, place it in the water, and then load it.  Many of the students questioned why they couldn't load it outside of the water and then place it in the water.  We had a great conversation about how boats are loaded in the real world!  This was such a fun and exciting activity.  We decided to video the investigation and share our results on Twitter.  The kids were super excited about making connections throughout the day!!!  Twitter has done so much for my kids.  Check out some of our videos below!