The next generation of teachers

What size is your digital footprint? A powerful professional learning network can give a boost to a new teaching career. By Kurtis Hewson If it takes a village to raise a child, wouldn’t it also take a village to raise a teacher? How could we use technology and the power of connectedness to establish extensive support networks for beginning teachers before they even step into their first classrooms? Many educators are discovering the value of the Professional Learning Network (PLN) to record and reflect the personal development of a community of learners. (PLNs are sometimes also known as Personal Learning Networks.) PLNs occur primarily online through a variety of platforms and social networks where educators share resources, provide support, introduce and debate ideas, and celebrate learning. These networks have become extended professional family for many educators and a wellspring of new ideas and learning. By encouraging and supporting beginning teachers in developing their own PLNs, schools and districts can help them forge their positive digital footprint as an educator, provide extensive collaborative support, and establish a rich source of ideas and professional development during their first years in the classroom. A digital footprint outlines a person’s online activities, including their use of social networking platforms. Preservice and beginning teachers should establish a professional digital footprint early in their careers to assist in job hunting and to demonstrate their continual professional learning. Recognizing KURTIS HEWSON ([email protected]) is an education faculty associate at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. 14

Kappan

April 2013

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commenting on the blogs of other professionals or participating in the myriad of online webinars and educational conferences. Providing collaborative support

the importance of reflection and ongoing learning is critical to the growth, development, and later success of educators. It can start with just a few simple steps, such as joining Twitter and other educational social networks, developing a blog and/or

How can you help new or aspiring teachers develop a PLN?

Traditionally, a beginning teacher relied solely on colleagues in his or her school building, with occasional informal personal connections to other educators through family, friends, or past experience. We know that teachers who receive mentoring and support from other teachers in the beginning of their career are less likely to leave the profession, but often local schools can’t provide the level of support and connection a beginning teacher needs. Enter the professional learning network. A teacher who begins his or her career with an established support network of educators at various stages of their careers can still benefit from the valuable support provided locally by school and colleagues. But a digital support system can aid teachers who lack a local support system by helping them avoid feeling isolated, disconnected, and floundering. Just as a strong network of loved ones can support individuals during times of emotional turmoil or grief, an established, solid professional network can provide those figurative hands to lift teachers when they need that valuable collegial support. It really does take a professional village to raise a teacher. By assisting and supporting preservice teachers in developing their own PLN villages, we can ensure that colleagues are entering this most noble profession surrounded by a strong support network. If teachers create a PLN early in their training, future teachers can potentially enter their first classrooms with an extensive, established community of support that could result in lower attrition rates and ultimately enhanced learning for students.

Colleges and universities

Hold workshops for students. Faculty and student organizations on college campuses can teach education students about the power of digital footprints (both 2.0 and 3.0) and how to begin to establish their own professional learning networks. Teach the tenets of professional online discourse and steps to forging a positive presence in a digital world. Provide opportunities to learn about web 2.0 tools to create and develop a professional learning network as teachers forge their teaching identity. Share exemplars. Give education students powerful exemplars of students developing their identity online and connecting with other educators. Allow preservice teachers who have begun to develop their PLN to share their progress, stumbles, and successes. Model the power of a PLN. Faculty can share how they use a professional learning network in their work and use that PLN in classes with education students. Consider opportunities to Skype with colleagues in V94 N7

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Deepen your understanding of this article with questions and activities in this month’s Kappan Professional Development Discussion Guide by Lois Brown Easton. Download a PDF of the guide at kappan magazine.org.

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