My Go-To Professional Learning Networks

I have also found some amazing PLN’s that are my go-to’s in the classroom. My favorite 3 — quick list here:

Applied Digital Skills

It is a free resource which has a ton of lessons in real world digital literacy. And a community of teachers are posting their own lesson plans as well. I use it in my classes for taking concrete scenarios and engaging students with working collaboratively on virtual resources.

edWeb Computer Science & STEM Courses

If you are a STEM-educator, you should be here. It’s a free place where K-12 teachers share best practices for teaching computer science, coding, robotics, and engineering. This network helped me so many times to present things such as robotics or coding in a simpler way to younger kids.

Common Sense Education

It is my one-stop shop at the beginning of every school year for all things digital citizenship and cyber safety. There’s tons of free content on there, from lesson plans to app recommendations, all designed to ensure that schools, students and parents are digitally smart.

Why These Networks Matter

This has changed the way I teach as I am part of these communities. I’ve pulled a lesson from Applied Digital Skills and my students are loving it. edWeb helps me get new inspiration and meet other STEM teachers to share my successes (and failures). And Common Sense Education, which puts my students in the best possible digital position to take on the world online, and keeps me current on the web’s security and privacy concerns.

These are not just networks, they’re generators of the newness and utility of my teaching. If you’re a teacher, I recommend you give them a try!