Resources for Learning

Professional Learning Network, Books, Magazines, and Blogs

Over the last several years, in the many roles I have been in, I have learned so much from these platforms, books, people, and magazines. Some of the most impactful learning that I have had includes how to effectively communicate and partner with others to meet goals, how to lead others while actively listening and building capacity, how to leverage social media to increase learning across my district, and the best ways to build conceptual math understanding through grades K-5.

Professional Learning Communities

As an educator, it is so important to be able to get out of your own classroom and educational bubble to collaborate with others for the benefit of your students. One of the most impactful learning experiences the teachers at my campus talk about is the ability to go on learning walks. In this time of COVID-19, learning walks have taken a back seat to safety. We can't just halt our learning, especially when we need to learn more than ever to teach in ways we have never imagined would occur. So when we can't take learning walks physically, we need to broaden our horizons digitally. Some of the best connections I have made are through Twitter.

I have been a member of Twitter as an educator since 2014. It has been an amazing place to collaborate across the world and to find out the newest research and trends in education. It's amazing what teachers come up with and share. I am an instructional coach and my teachers are not really on Twitter, so it helps me to be eyes for them and to share new ideas that will make their job easier. Twitter has by far been where I have learned the most about my craft as an educator. Also from Twitter, I have learned about other entities that offer professional development such as Build Math Minds, Make Math Moments, and NCTM that has had the 100 hours of virtual PD this year. These events have definitely impacted me as a math educator. Some of the individual contributors I follow are Berkeley Everett, Graham Fletcher, Robert Kaplinsky, and any math teacher within our district. One of the major benefits from following teachers within our district is that we are all on the same scope and sequence. So if I see a great idea that someone else is implementing in their classroom, I can forward it to my teachers. Then my teachers also have someone at another campus to collaborate with off of social media as well.

For the ELAR realm, we use the Units of Study curriculum. There are so many Facebook pages that are filled with teachers from all over the world that share the amazing resources they have made to support reading and writing instruction. When there are great ideas shared, I email them on to my teachers or tag them on that post within Facebook. On Twitter to support ELAR teachers, again I follow every teacher I can find from my district so that I can make connections for my teachers if a teacher has a great idea or has solved an issue we are having on our campus. It creates a bond between teachers and our district motto this year is that we are #StrongerTogether. It is definitely a true statement.

On a personal note, I love to learn in general. Twitter is my main way to consume new learning. I am consuming all things education, virtual teaching, student engagement, technology, coaching, research... The list goes on and on. I contribute ideas that I create, great ideas my teachers have, research I find to be interesting, opportunities for professional learning, innovative ideas from other districts, hacks, anything I think the teachers in my district might use or challenge them. It has created the ability to collaborate across the world and opens up so many possibilities and perspectives I never could have been exposed to on my own.

The digital footprint you create can benefit your learning, your teaching, your career, and other educators that get to learn from you. Don't let the opportunity to expand your horizons and disrupt "what you have always done." Make connections and keep getting better. It's all for the kids we serve and the future generations.

My Twitter handle is @danifryIC and can be found on the Welcome page of this ePortfolio.

Here are some that I follow outside of Twitter. I could list a hundred more. :)

https://www.nctm.org/

https://buildmathminds.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/975388825890055/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1391607630957125/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/445786889466638/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/387698441673646/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/404130629988558/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HackingSchoolDiscipline/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/245931442563744/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HyperDocs/