ITA 2018 Thoughts on Sharing

Hello again,

This week we discussed the importance of sharing. As educators we chose to become life-long learners. We cannot be stiff and immovable when it comes to change. We have to be open and searching for answers to new questions that come up. And when we find those answers we must share them with our peers. It is our responsibility as fellow educators to lend each other a helping hand.
As technology grows throughout more and more areas of our lives we too have to evolve ourselves and our teaching methods to accommodate the changes. Most importantly, after changing, we have to share how we changed. Personal Learning Networks (PLN's) used to be the circle of educators you went to grad-school with and are keeping in touch via phone calls maybe twice a year. Now, with social media and the rapidization of information sharing, PLN's have grown to be global systems that can be used to elevate educational practices around the world. Unfortunately, this is like trying to drink from a fire hose at times, but that information, regardless of how vast it may be is a gold mine. Need a lesson catering to inner city 9th graders about animal cell structure? There are numerous Youtube videos, blog posts, Khan academy videos, and articles telling you just what to try. Or, how about a hands-on activity for adding and subtracting fractions? Same thing. There is information you can use thanks to educators who have put in the hard work to develop them and then share them with us. So the next time you finish coming up with that awesome new lesson plan don't be afraid to share it!    

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