Emily D.

Hauesler

Dr. Jabari Cain

ITEC 7450

29 April 2022

Professional Learning Networks Part II and III

Part II: Reflection

Throughout the spring semester, I have had the opportunity to participate in several

professional learning networks both at my school and online with other educators from across the

state and nation. At the school level, I participated with other English language arts teachers to

choose an online writing program to use with our students. After we chose the program and

began its implementation, we participated in professional learning sessions as a department to

learn how to effectively use the program's features. This opportunity was particularly helpful to

me because providing frequent writing practice and providing feedback to students in a timely

manner was a challenge for me as an ELA teacher. Through the professional development

sessions, I learned how to assign a variety of types of writing assessments with and without

accommodations. I also learned how to access and interpret student data that was generated by

the program after each writing assignment. I feel that being able to have this program and the

knowledge to effectively use it has had a positive impact on my students. They have improved

their writing skills and increased their confidence in their abilities due to the extra practice and

tailored feedback provided by the program. I hope to see this growth reflected in their Georgia

Milestones scores for the year.

Also during the semester, I have participated in many online professional learning

networks facilitated by other educators. One of the most valuable PLN’s I have found is a
Facebook group titled, ELA in the Middle. This group is made up of teachers, mostly those in

middle grades ELA, from across the country. Because there are so many teachers from diverse

schools and areas of the U.S, I have been exposed to a variety of perspectives. This experience

has helped me to be open-minded when collaborating with other professionals and working with

my students. This group has also allowed me to collaborate with other teachers who teach the

same texts that I do. We have shared resources and ideas with each other. For example, when

teaching Rod Sterling’s “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” I turned to this Facebook

group for advice regarding how to get my students interested. A teacher in the group helped me

develop a mock trial to introduce students to the characters of the story. I was even abv to adapt

the activity so that students could participate digitally. Personally, I feel that my instruction has

become stronger because I have learned from other teachers.

During this semester, I also had the opportunity to facilitate a professional learning

network by creating my own Facebook group. This group titled, Middle School Tech Tips was

created to allow teachers to collaborate with each other, share ideas, and learn about new

strategies and resources. When I created the group, I first invited teachers with whom I have

worked and who I know personally. However, they soon began inviting other educators that they

knew, and we quickly had ongoing conversations between teachers across the state. I hope to

continue to grow this Facebook group so that we have members from all over the U.S., allowing

us to learn from individuals with more varied experiences. I also found myself doing a great deal

more research on classroom resources so that I could make sure the content I was sharing in the

group was relevant and applicable to all members. This research truly benefited me greatly

because it helped me to discover great online and technology-based resources to implement with

my own students.
 Part III: Artifacts

The artifact above is the welcome message and first post for the group. Its purpose was to establish common goals
for all members.

The artifact on the left above this caption shows where I shared both an online resource and educational blog that
focuses on instructional technology. The image on the write exhibits interaction between a group member and me.
In the artifact above, I facilitate interaction among group members by asking them to share their favorite online
resources and why they like them.