Using the Internet to Benefit Teaching

In the last post I mentioned that I was building my professional learning network or PLN for my graduate class. Even though creating a PLN was a requirement for my class, I am beginning to see its importance in my professional development as a teacher. My last post is a good example of how through someone else sharing a lesson idea, my mind was able to think of a lesson that would benefit my STEAM classroom.

As I am exploring the world of blogging as a teacher, I am beginning to see the benefits and complications of sharing my work. In a world that is abundant of social media and technology, I feel that it only makes sense for teachers and leaders to use these outlets to share their work.  Sharing online comes with a lot of responsibility. In my undergraduate studies we were told that all of our social media needs to maintain a professional atmosphere. As educators we are constantly under a microscope in the community because other people put their trust in us to lead and teach their children. When posting in a blog, it is also important to maintain professionalism. Deciding what to share and what not to share is a big component of maintaining a professional environment. In the STEAM field, I find it difficult to find lessons that are purely STEAM. I can easily find STEM lessons or art lessons, but rarely find ones that combine the two. Sharing lessons that worked in the classroom can help other educators by providing ideas. Also sharing what may have been tried but did not seem to work out can also help a teacher not repeat the same mistakes. 

I think using blogs and social media is a great way to quickly get information into the world. With social media, comes great responsibility. It is important to be cautious about releasing anything personal in your professional network, especially when it involves children. When using a video, it is especially important that the proper measures according to the school district have been followed.

I hope to share more of my ideas on this blog and in my PLN. I have definitely benefited from others sharing their ideas with me, so I want to do the same.