Group T: Ongoing Professional Development

Computer Use 774:
Bloggers T: Blog post – 17 October

Teaching is not a profession that is for everyone. It not only takes knowledge and skill, but also patience and other qualities that not every individual possess. Being a teacher requires a passion that you are born with - a flame inside of you to be willing to learn AND to teach what you know.

From an objective perspective, the teaching profession entails teaching a student theory about a specific field of study - for example Accounting or Life Sciences, depending on the specialization of the teacher.

Individuals in the profession will agree with the statement that being a teacher is about more than just teaching knowledge. In some cases you are a role model, a parental-figure, a confidant, etc. Each learner is someone special, someone different and you should treat them accordingly. Thus, being a teacher is considered one of the most emotionally draining, but also enriching professions of all.

Teaching “in the old days” took place in any format. Under a tree, in a classroom or any location possible. A wiser person stood in front and taught the learners/pupils a lesson. Today teaching occurs a bit differently.

Due to the ever-expanding field of education in the 21st Century, we use technology to teach. Although in certain areas they still use “old school” methods, globally it has become an unwritten law to use modern ways to teach. Teachers make use of video’s, Microsoft Office (Powerpoint, Word and Excel), Computers and projectors, and many more. This is due to the fact that a lot of additional information can be acquired by the use of computers (i.e. the internet) to expand the content of the curriculum as well as makes it easier to present the subject content more successfully. 

New technology does create some challenges in education. Teachers and the school curricula will have to acquire and process the abundant information available in today's society. Technological recognition is needed for learners’ professional development as the new generations are more proficient in new technology than some of the teachers.

Schools have to redesign their methods of teaching by utilising new technology. The use of technology in the classroom will become extremely important as it will be required for shaping professional and ongoing development for future aspirations.

By either learning from each other or by means of development programs, there is a need for ongoing professional development. This is especially true in the case of education as no two classes are ever the same. The curriculum is constantly changing and now technology is also changing the way we approach teaching and learning. 

Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up-to-date on new research on how children learn, emerging technological tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, changes in culture and more. The best professional development is therefore ongoing, experiential, collaborative, and connected to and derived from working with students and understanding their culture.

Group S: Personal Learning Networks

Computer Use 774:
Bloggers S: Blog post – 16 October

A Personal Learning Network for the future:
A personal learning network as described by Wever (2016) is a map where you are at the centre. It is different places and people you connect with, to receive advice, ask questions, get ideas from, to receive guidance from and to help you when you face a problem or situation. “But now with the Internet, you also have access to more resources online. Your PLN then also becomes a resource” (Wever, 2016).

Personal:
Personal Learning Networks are about making connections and building personal contacts with educators, school administrators, universities, and professionals around the world. It is a way to create a resource on which you as the teacher can rely on and draw from.

Learning:
A PLN is about sharing ideas and resources, partnership, and education. In a PLN, learning, ideas and expertise are shared in different ways; using different media and tools.

Network:
The PLN is a global learning network, enabling people access to share diverse, global perspectives on teaching strategies, educational related issues, and technologies.

Why should you build a PLN?
Dryden's and Vos' (2005) book on learning networks said: "For the first time in history, we know now how to store virtually all humanity's most important information and make it available, almost instantly, in almost any form, to almost anyone on earth. We also know how to do that in great new ways so that people can interact with it, and learn from it."

There is a huge cultural shift among young people. Children and adults prefer social media to TV. Joe Dale said, “When we go through websites all the information comes back to us, so we need to organise our PLN”.

By integrating PLN learning strategies into our pedagogical approaches, teachers can create interactive spaces for their students. Further resources are shared, pooled and evaluated in a variety of spaces to which the development of the students and educators can only benefit.

How can a PLN assist you as the teacher?
A PLN can assist you to locate classroom resources and develop lesson ideas, find solutions for the challenges you face in the classroom and locate research and news for lessons. You can also learn from experts and colleagues, build your own digital literacy skills and learn how to integrate these skills in the classroom and establish collaborations to conduct research or set up professional development opportunities.

Some recommended sites:
www.tweetdeck.com to organise your PLN.
http://paper.li/MFLTimes a newspaper updated daily with a selection of articles, blog posts, videos and photos.
http://www.boxoftricks.net/on tried and tested Internet tools for classrooms.
You can also find tools and tutorials for digital storytelling on http://mfl-digitalstories.wikispaces.com/Tools+and+Tutorials
4 Fantastic and Free Professional Learning Networks for Teachers http://bit.ly/2yE8436