Importance of Building a PLN
Teachers have always been networking, but with onset of new technologies, it has changed what networking looks like. Building a PLN is not just about building relationships with other teachers, but is about you learning new skills and ideas to help further your relationship with your students. Paul might not have deeply known every person at each church he interacted with, but the letters, support, resources, and advice he gave to those churches helped them develop their relationships within the church more deeply. While the relationships we build online may not seem to be as significant as ones that we build in person, they are important as they teach us a lot about what is out there in the world of education. We learn from teachers in other states or countries, environments like rural or urban, school types like private or public, and situations like with coworkers or administrators.
Since we as Christians are called to do all things to glorify God and to do all things to the best of our ability, then we should want to build a network where we can interact and learn more about our profession so that we can constantly improve ourselves. We are also called to be a light to the world, and what an amazing opportunity technology provides as it quite literally gives us the chance to interact with a whole world of teachers where we can spread the gospel whether that be explicitly or implicitly.
I love the idea that broadening our online relationships will also help us deepen our relationships with those around us. So many of Paul's letters deal with relational issues in the churches he writes to. As he built connections with the churches, their relationships with one another improved. As teachers, we can unintentionally develop relational problems with our students, other educators, and parents. By learning from the knowledge of teachers in an online community, we can develop strategies and mindsets that help us better relate to those in our immediate circles. I also love the idea of personal improvement. As teachers, we want our students to learn to self-assess and become lifelong learners. We should model this behavior by finding areas we can improve in and using networking to develop the necessary skills.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna,
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point that our networking is for a purpose. The relationships we build with other teachers allow us to build relationships with our students. That relationship is one of the most important parts of teaching and the knowledge and skills we learn from others allow us to be better teachers for our students.
HI Anna, You brought up a benefit and important feature of online networking. The aspect of connecting with other cultures and countries. This can broaden our picture of what education looks like, and it may help us understand our successes and failures are not unique to "us" but are experienced globally. It seems no matter where Paul was preaching, people and problems were universal. Learning from others may show us a pathway we had not considered to approach any wins and losses.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the emphasis on the importance of virtual relationships and communication. While I agree that there is no substitute for in person contact and conversation, it's important to understand that there is still a person on the other side of the screen. Just because we aren't with them in person does not mean we value their worth or their learning experience any different, and as well construct PLN's, we have to remember we are dealing with people also made by God's loving hand!
ReplyDelete