The one thing I hear most from teachers during the school year when I talk to them about tech integration goes something like this: “That whiteboard/iPad lesson looks great, but I just don’t have time to create something like the on my own.”
My response to them is generally something like: “Me neither! That’s why I searched for a lesson somebody else made, then I made a few minor changes to it, and I was ready to go!”
That’s because I put a lot of faith in the PLN (Personal Learning Network). I’m on Facebook or Pinterest all the time anyway, so I take note (or favorite, share, or just take a screenshot) of great resources I see other people posting so I can use them myself. Sometimes I’ll post a resource of my own, but I freely admit to being a social media lurker.
A good way to think about your PLN: You get the great ideas and resources that you would get from a summer EdCamp or a PD week, but by leveraging your PLN, you get the resources all year long, when you need them, and you don’t have to give up any time during your summer to get them. Win-Win!
Here are a few examples of some of my favorite places to find quality ideas resources that I can lightly modify to suit my own needs.
Twitter:
Green Light Learning Tools (shameless plug: this is me!)
Pinterest:
Facebook Groups:
Other online communities: