Mapping Our PLN

I was in a discussion on twitter with some teachers about using twitter with my students and the topic of digital citizenship and working in a publicly viewed space came up.  I shared with that teacher two of the digital citizenship presentations from my students. In viewing them, the teacher recognized that she needed to broaden her teaching of digital citizenship.  My students work has had an impact on an educator who will now change her practice with her own learners. My students' work was viewed, in fact, by educators in Iowa, Massachusetts and Cape Town, South Africa.

One of my goals this year is to teach my students how to build a global professional learning network.  It has begun!  I let my students know about this on The Commmons - our secure social media site and suggested that they figure out how to create a personalized google map so that we can begin documenting our PLN.  I also gave them the link to the blog of the teacher in Iowa who viewed their work and learned from them.

Another student, in grade 6 this time, has seriously taken to blogging.  She frequently updates me on her blog and has plans for it.  I've connected her to @Sienke_G in Belgium a young woman who is also a new blogger, and  is studying Nuclear Physics.  She has begun her blog to encourage young women to enter the fields of science and technology. Sienke is practising good digital citizenship and is a suitable role model. My students can learn from her.  Here's the link to her blog http://agirlinscience.eu/

This is the new task of teachers: showing students how to build their own learning networks. It's fun!