The document discusses the benefits of utilizing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) for educators, emphasizing collaboration and resource sharing to enhance teaching practices. It highlights how educators can connect through social media platforms to access innovative ideas, professional development, and digital resources. Additionally, the document provides a list of useful websites and tools to foster creativity and improve classroom engagement.

1. What does it look like?
Where do I find it?
@alexfinICT
alex.findlay@educationcommunication.co.uk

2. 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38
minutes to using entertainment media across a typical
day
They spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’
(using more than one medium at a time), they
actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45
minutes worth of media content into those 7½ hours.
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia012010nr.cfm

3.  Up skill yourself
 Share your knowledge
 Build up a bank of digital resources
 Engage your pupils
 Allow the pupils to drive the technology,
whilst you focus on the subject knowledge

4. But seriously, how am I going to do it?

5. Personal Learning Network

6. A personal learning network (PLN) is your very own,
handpicked online community of educators who could
offer you more advice, ideas, lesson plans and resources
than you could possibly ever use.
Think of it as that teacher in your school with all the best CDs,
textbooks and planning locked in their store cupboard.
Not only do you have your own key, but these tantalising
riches are shown on a never ending conveyor belt for you to
choose from.

7. Sign up to a free account on a widely used social
networking site, such as Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
Signing up to an account is straight forward if you have
an email address and you don’t need to be good with
computers to use it.
Then follow educators who post interesting and useful things.
Ask if you are looking for a resource or an idea as someone in
you PLN will have it, saving you time and expense.

8. What do you have to do in return for
revolutionising your teaching and your
professional development and collaborating
with like-minded professionals to find great
resources and ideas?
As little or as much as you choose.
We hope that you would write some posts about a few things
that work well in your class. We would love to see things you
have made yourself and hear about any online resources that
you find and like.
Martin Burrett - @ICTmagic

9. Isn’t Twitter just about ‘telling people you are
having a cup of coffee’ and ‘Stephen Fry’?
If that’s what you want it to be, yes!

10. If you follow the right type of people, it puts you
ahead of the game with 'live' information as it
actually happens.
There is an abundance of ideas and tips
available instantly! Plus support from other
teachers in similar situations.
cpd, resources, ideas, questions, sharing best
practice, like minded people..

11. It connects you with global educators if you
grow an open PLN.
It forces me to up my game (in a good way) and
lets me share and collaborate with brilliant
tweeps.
Twitter for education = networking with other
teachers, sharing good practice, finding out
about new resources
great way to share ideas! #ukedchat

12. @dughall @janwebb21
@deerwood @nellmog
@karl_goddard @kristianstill
@kamyousaf @jamesmichie
@simfin @tomsale
@neiladam @largerama
@tombarrett @chickensaltash
@mrthomson @ICTmagic
A beginners guide to developing a PLN

14.  Docs
 Online (works in browser)
 Collaborative
 No need for USB sticks
 Google Body
 Google Art Project
 Picasa – Photo editing/sharing

15.  Social bookmarking
 Explanation

16.  Upload and share your PowerPoint's with
your pupils

17.  The end of Powerpoint
 Not a bullet point in sight

18.  Filesharing
 File sync
 http://dropitto.me

19.  screen capture software

20.  Internet address shortner

21.  Word clouds

22.  Closed Online learning environment

23.  Create your own QR barcodes

24.  Photo editing software
 Replaces Photoshop

25.  Photo
 Design
 Music Creation

26.  Top 10 Sites for Images and Clip Art
 Pics4Learning - Very popular site to find free, safe-to-use images for
teachers and students.
 Cyclo.ps - Search engine that searches the most popular free image
engines around and provides one-stop shopping.
 School Clip Art - Great site for free school clip art.
 Ookaboo - Creative commons (free) site for finding great images for class
work.
 Picsearch - Excellent image search engine, if used with a district's
filtering solution.
 Veezzle - Wonderful free stock photo search engine.
 Google Swirl - Innovative way to search for images and see their
relationships with each other (use with Google Safe Search enabled).
 Free Photo Bank - Easy way to find creative common images.
 Open Clip Art - Great way to find free clip art.
 Find Icons - Nice site for free icons.

27.  Interesting Ways….

28.  A place where teachers meet and share

30.  Here are some of Tim’s favourite websites:

31.  Free online file convertor

32. http://slidesha.re/alexfinvle1

33. http://www.twitter.com
http://www.youtube.com
http://docs.google.com
http://www.delicious.com/alexfinvle
http://www.slideshare.net/
http://www.skype.com
http://www.prezi.com
http://www.dropbox.com
http://www.techsmith.com
http://bitly.com
http://www.tagxedo.com/
http://www.edmodo.com/
http://www.qrstuff.com/
http://ictmagic.wordpress.com/
http://www.commoncraft.com/video/social-bookmarking