An EdCamp and PLN Rookie
I realized very early on in my teaching career that PD was going to be my drive in my career as an educator. During my undergraduate career I completed 230 credits, securing a bachelors, two minors, and 5 teaching certifications in science. I needed to take a break from schooling, but realized that I wasn't done learning. Education is expensive. I wanted to pay down my loans. I had opportunities as an undergraduate student to present my inquiry research at NSTA-San Francisco, and NABT before I started teaching and could not believe how valuable those experiences were in teaching me how valuable PD is. I also took advantage of every professional development opportunity that was presented to me in the district that I was interning for during my student teaching. The list of the PD that I completed before finding my first contracted position in teaching was exhausting, but would not stop there.
Until this summer, I was an EdCamp and Twitter rookie. I was introduced to Twitter a year ago, but didn't have the time to investigate it, until I realized how critical it is during EdCamp participation. My first EdCamp was EdCamp Oshkosh, 2012. I had an interesting summer filled with a tremendous amount of professional growth and experiences after attending Asia Society's PGL12 in Brooklyn, New York (where I first used twitter). I studied and passed all of the tests for a Google Qualified Individual and was pursuing opportunities to teach technology PD courses for the district.
I couldn't believe the excitement, energy, and true passion of the educators in the room at EdCamp Oshkosh. Until then, I had been guilty of getting stuck in the daily grind of work and lost sight of my goals and next steps in my career. The room radiated with an incredible amount of energy and it rubbed off on me. I had my brand new Nexus 7 tablet with me, and I learned quickly how to Tweet. I was even convinced by one of my new coworkers to leave my comfort zone and help create a lip dub video with a group of teachers.
What I took away from this experience was what a PLN was. I had never been introduced to that term before. I didn't learn any of the current technologies and methods during my college experience. I was tossed in the field and had to catch up quickly. I may have forgotten whether a PLN was a personal learning network or a professional learning network, by the time I left Oshkosh, but I realized quickly that it was one in the same. I couldn't believe how quickly I ended up with followers after a session on how to use Twitter by Shawn McCusker.
What I didn't realize, is that I would be creating my own PD journey, and my learning would happen on a daily basis. I would be networked with some of the most skilled professionals in my trade. While Twitter was a bit overwhelming at first, it has become one of my most favorite places to learn. I go to work everyday with the enthusiasm and excitement that I obtained from EdCamp Oshkosh, knowing that that I am growing both personally and professionally everyday from the educators that I am connected with and collaborate with. Our district's vision is "Learning Without Boundaries" and my PLN has provided me with just that.
Until this summer, I was an EdCamp and Twitter rookie. I was introduced to Twitter a year ago, but didn't have the time to investigate it, until I realized how critical it is during EdCamp participation. My first EdCamp was EdCamp Oshkosh, 2012. I had an interesting summer filled with a tremendous amount of professional growth and experiences after attending Asia Society's PGL12 in Brooklyn, New York (where I first used twitter). I studied and passed all of the tests for a Google Qualified Individual and was pursuing opportunities to teach technology PD courses for the district.
I couldn't believe the excitement, energy, and true passion of the educators in the room at EdCamp Oshkosh. Until then, I had been guilty of getting stuck in the daily grind of work and lost sight of my goals and next steps in my career. The room radiated with an incredible amount of energy and it rubbed off on me. I had my brand new Nexus 7 tablet with me, and I learned quickly how to Tweet. I was even convinced by one of my new coworkers to leave my comfort zone and help create a lip dub video with a group of teachers.
What I took away from this experience was what a PLN was. I had never been introduced to that term before. I didn't learn any of the current technologies and methods during my college experience. I was tossed in the field and had to catch up quickly. I may have forgotten whether a PLN was a personal learning network or a professional learning network, by the time I left Oshkosh, but I realized quickly that it was one in the same. I couldn't believe how quickly I ended up with followers after a session on how to use Twitter by Shawn McCusker.
What I didn't realize, is that I would be creating my own PD journey, and my learning would happen on a daily basis. I would be networked with some of the most skilled professionals in my trade. While Twitter was a bit overwhelming at first, it has become one of my most favorite places to learn. I go to work everyday with the enthusiasm and excitement that I obtained from EdCamp Oshkosh, knowing that that I am growing both personally and professionally everyday from the educators that I am connected with and collaborate with. Our district's vision is "Learning Without Boundaries" and my PLN has provided me with just that.
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