I think that there are a number of ways that we can connect
with each other as professionals and work together on common goals to best
support our students. This year,
my district has implemented Professional Learning Community (PLC) time twice a
month to allow ALL staff to connect with one another, share ideas, and work
towards common goals for our students. I find this time hugely beneficial
because I don’t always have a chance to touch base with everyone, therefore, this
provides the perfect opportunity for me to discuss with teachers areas that
they may want to collaborate in.
For example, since one of our PLC focuses is on inquiry, the grade 4/5
teacher and I are working together to put together an inquiry unit that we can
kick off very soon. This is such a great opportunity for all of us to be in one
room to discuss and help each other grow as professionals.
Created on Quozio.com
I am a part of two different staffs because I teach in two
schools. Along with that, I am
part of the group of teacher-librarians in the district. We meet once every other month and are
the only group of specialized teachers who meets on a regular basis. At our meetings we get to share ideas,
discuss advocacy and talk about various different issues/upcoming events, etc.
We also often have group emails circulating where we share ideas or pass around
surveys or google docs. For
example, some recent emails have been about book leveling apps/websites or hoax websites that you can use to teach students about evaluating websites for
research. Another way to stay involved is to stay current with the BCTLA. Last year, I had the opportunity to
take part in some webinars which were fabulous. The other TL’s and I met together and participating in the
webinar and were then able to discuss ideas with each other when it was
done. It also helps to keep up
with current journals. We are
lucky enough to have a number of journals that circulate through amongst the
TL's in our district.
Finally, I think that the best way to connect with each
other throughout this course and after is to keep up with blog entries and
continue to read and comment on other’s blog entries. I think that there is such a wealth of knowledge that each
of us brings to the group that it is really important to share our ideas and
not be afraid to ask each other questions.
How to Create and Share a Google Document
Here are some links to some of the websites I talked about:
References:
YouTube. "How to Create and Share a Google Document". Online video clip. YouTube,
26 July 2010.
Great post with tons of good ideas, suggestions and activities that you are doing now that support your professional growth and ICT skill development. I was wondering about the video you tacked onto the end about google docs. Are you using google docs yet? I expected a little discussion of the video and why it was included in the post. Very pleased to hear your group of District TLs is meeting often and sharing lots. It's a great way to build up your entire district. Good post, good tags!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas!
ReplyDeletePLCs are awesome. That's great that you are able to use the valuable time so effectively with your staff. Also, thanks so much for sharing the websites you talked about. They are new to me and I'll be checking them out for sure!