As this semester draws to a close, I find myself thinking not only about what I have learned during this class but also
how I have contributed to the learning of my fellow classmates. As I move forward into my teaching career, the importance of professional networked learning will become paramount, especially as a new teacher. This class has given me the opportunity to explore new ways of connecting in the digital age which allows me to collaborate with others as I create my professional presence online.
Zoom Classes
Attending and participating in online classes can be tricky, especially within the dreaded breakout rooms. I often shared my experiences and ideas within our class time and breakout rooms in a professional and respectful manner. I even was the first to speak up and offer to have my first blog post looked at in class and have feedback given by peers and the instructor on what I did well and how I could improve. In doing so, my peers had the opportunity to learn more of what our blogs should look like and contain in a safe and comfortable way.
Blog Posts
Over the course of the semester, I created weekly blog posts following the prompts given in the weekly plans as well as posts documenting my learning project journey in exploring teacher artificial intelligence. I tried to use a variety of media within my posts such as videos I created, screencasts with step by step instructions on how to use certain tools such as Canva Magic Write and Magic School and even created my first TikTok post.
@mrsb653
In addition to creating my own posts, I would read and comment on my classmates’ posts weekly, making connections on what they had written as well as providing feedback on what was effective within their posts.
I also tried to respond to anyone who left a comment or feedback on one of my posts in the hopes of making further connections and continuing the conversation.
Discord
I joined the classroom community and introduced myself at the beginning of the semester and tried to watch it as closely as I could while also working full time and having a young child at home. I answered others’ questions as often as I could in a positive and helpful manner, even including screenshots to help out. I did not have the need to ask any questions myself and tried to keep up with all the posts, but it was challenging for sure.
Overall, I think I have positively contributed to the learning of others within this class by sharing my experiences with technology that is very different from my classmates, both in class and through the online platforms of blog posts and discord. I also began to develop a professional network with teachers at the school I work at by sharing with them tools that were shared in class such as Read Aloud And Postlight Reader as well as the link to my learning project blog on teacher AI. Just goes to show what a valuable resource professional networks can be and I am grateful for the experience. Thank you for joining me!