PLNs

PLNs present almost limitless oppourtunities for a teacher.

First for themselves, as teachers we should always be learning, PLNs present an opportunity for that. A quick search led me to many different sites that networked teachers together in a place where they provided supports for eachother. A younger teacher perhaps hadn't tried a certain kind of project in their classroom before, they posted their problem and more experienced teachers responded with ideas and things to look out for. A teacher not well versed in new techologies wondered at how they could use it to teach their subject and they were given all kinds of new ideas on how to engage their students with this new technology.

Second for their students. Imagine if you will a website, a school website on which every teacher has their own section a section where they post information about their assignments and upcoming events in their classrooms as well as where they put all of the resources that should be available to their students. A place where students can post questions and teachers and even other students can answer those questions. What about abuse of the website by students you ask? Since the site is sponsered by a school the students will not be anonymous on the site and will only appear on the site under their own name. This will discourage most of the usual mean spirited internet behaviour seen on some websites also any abuse of other students online would fall under the school's cyberbullying policy. A site where every resource that they have been given in school is available online for the students to view and use at any time. Not only that but a place where they can post questions anytime and they would promptly be answered, possibly before they get to school the next day.

We can do it, we have the technology.