Blog Post #5--Final Summary of PLN

Before this summer, I had never used Twitter or any other social media website for educational purposes. I also had no idea what a PLN was. When we first learned about what a PLN was, it really didn't click with me. Now that I do know what a personal learning network is, I think it is EXTREMELY important for an educator to have.

I was kind of dreading the use of Twitter and Blogger, but honestly, now that EDM comes to a close, I can say that I really do enjoy the use of them. I really enjoy blogging. I think that this is my favorite out of all the tools we have learned thus far. I also like the idea of using Skype in the classroom. One video that stuck out for me this semester was the one made by Mr. Crosby called Back to the Future. He used Skype in his classroom to incorporate a little girl in his class who was sick with Leukemia. She would set up her Skype from her home computer and Mr. Crosby would have his Skype up so she could be involved with class. I thought that this was not only helpful for the little girl, but I think it said a lot about how Mr. Crosby cared for his students. I would use Skype for interviews with other teachers, or whatever the case may be. Overall, I think that EDM 310 has really made my PLN 100 times better than it was when I first entered the course.