Tool #2

I think participating on a PLN or online community for educators is a great idea. It enables teachers to interact and share ideas with other teachers all over the state, or even the country if you care to. I visited a site called teacherlingo, and will visit it again. There was a message board set up with different topics to talk about....from student behavior to links to some great interactive sites for lessons. I signed up for one called Teacher Zone, and found a whole library of math videos which are only 2-3 minutes long (about the attention span of a 5th grader!) There is so much that is now available for teachers online, that it can be overwhelming. You have to pick and choose carefully.....and we all know that time is an issue. But with social communities like teacherlingo, you can find sources that come recommended by teachers who have already tried them.

I found the advice given on commenting on others blogs was pretty insightful, even though a lot of it was common sense. It didn't hurt to read through it though. I find that commenting on online communities is a good way to get your honest opinion out there.