Every year I have my students complete an exit survey.  I love getting to see what the students liked or felt was useful as well as what students did not enjoy or believed was not worthwhile.  I typically plug in the numbers into excel, take a look, and make changes as needed.  I share my findings with my co-teacher but never anyone else.
     This year, I decided to improve my survey—more questions, more room for free responses, more critical thinking.  I also decided to move away from paper forms which were tedious to tabulate and created a Google Form for students to fill out.  This was a great success!  The students seemed to be more thoughtful in their responses and truly enjoyed filling out the surveys on their electronic devices.
     Additionally, I decided I really needed to share the results.  Who better than my new students and their parents?!?  So, I thought about the best way to present the findings.  Some of the information I will hold back for closer to Regents time since it had to do with review methods.  Some of the info is more for my co-teacher and me to improve the class.  I choose information to present that will help to let students learn about the class and what makes it different from other US History classes in the building. 
     I used Piktochart to create an infographic.  I’m not sure that it’s quite what I wanted it to look like but it gave me a good start at learning a new skill.  I’m actually thinking about integrating a requirement for infographics in future student assignments.  I’ll be sure to give an update as to the reactions of my students and their parents once the school year starts!
     By the way, surveys such as this are great for Danielson 1b: Knoweldge of Students, 4a: Reflecting on Teaching, and 4c: Communicating with Families.

PS-  I tried to embed the infographic here but for some reason I couldn't get it to work!  I did get it to work here if you would like to view it more clearly.

     I mentioned back in April that I was inspired by a teacher, Amy Balling, who was using her blog to illustrate the creative ways that she is addressing the Danielson Rubric and her district’s APPR.  I know that there are flaws in the evaluation process, obviously, but I also know that we’re going to be dealing with the APPR for the long haul; especially since it is now part of NYS law not just a policy of the week. 
     Thus, I too have tried to “love the one I’m with” and be as creative and thoughtful as possible in my own relationship with the APPR. In April I shared with you the link to my first attempt at being creative with my Teacher Artifact (my 2nd attempt was a lot better and shorter).  Our district breaks up the 60 points not associated with student testing as follows: 25 points for our Announced Observation, 15 points for our Unannounced Observation, and 20 points for our Teacher Artifact.  For the 2012-2013 school year we had artifacts we were required to turn in associated with our observations and a choice artifact.  The choices were a bit limited and overlapped many of the areas that were previously evaluated during our observations. 
     To fully illustrate our competence in all aspects of the rubric we really needed to submit an additional artifact or artifacts.  I decided that I would be a little different than other folks and get creative with my additional artifact and create a website using Google Sites.  I happened to be working on a project for my district that required me to use Google Sites and I thought that this would be a great way for me to get acquainted with the format.  *Side note, I really am not a huge fan of Google Sites compared with Weebly.  Google Sites just doesn't seem intuitive to me and I was constantly searching for the menu I needed to format the way I wanted to.  Weebly may be more closed in its formatting but the ease of use completely makes up for that.  But I digress…
     When I created my Google Site for my final artifact submission, I incorporated my required Choice Artifact and addressed the other aspects of the Danielson Rubric in a sort of portfolio format.  For example, to illustrate Domain 1b, Knowledge of Students, I discussed four ways that I monitor students’ progress, work with my inclusion teacher to address students’ individual needs, etc. AND I attached a folder of files with surveys I have conducted of my students and their results.  This way my administrator could have the evidence based information he needed to evaluate me on that aspect of the rubric.
     As it turns out, I did quite well on my overall Artifact score!  I haven’t yet received my summative APPR score for the school year which includes the student test performance.  That, needless to say, will be a very fascinating score to receive and could be the topic of numerous posts in the future!  Even though many of my colleagues submitted much less time consuming artifacts than I did and received similar scores, I do not regret doing the extra work.  I think that I will most likely do something similar next school year but with a slightly different format: maybe a wiki or livebinder.  I will also start my artifact in the beginning of the school year since I understand the process a whole lot better this time around. 
     Please feel free to click on the picture above or here to visit my artifact.  I would love to have feedback so that I can improve for the future.  And honestly, isn't improvement what this whole APPR thing is supposed to be about anyway?

     I was looking back at my blog posts and I realized that I never mentioned that I was accepted to the APA-Clark University Workshop for High School Teachers!  It just so happens that the conference took place this week from 7/22-7/24 and it was AMAZING!!!  Twenty-five high school psychology teachers were selected from throughout the nation (16 states were represented) to take part in the 9th annual conference in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Did I mention that it was amazing?!?
     The conference was a combination of presentations from professors at the forefront of psychological research and from master high school psychology teachers.  The high school teachers coordinated the activities and materials they shared with the topics the professors presented.  For example, Dr. Marianne Wiser (Clark University) discussed how she approaches her sensation and perception course.  She discusses each sense in order of complexity from least complex to most complex: pain, touch, taste, smell, hearing, and vision.  The master teachers then gave illustrations of activities, videos, web-links, and handouts to use in class. 
     The most engaging presentation was given by Dr. Champika K. Soysa (Worcester State University) who spoke about children experiencing PTSD in Sri Lanka due to war and the 2004 tsunami.  The stories were heartbreaking but the discussion about how sociocultural characteristics can impact perceptions of mental illness was thought provoking.  The presentation which I think will have the greatest impact on my teaching was from Dr. Victor Benassi (University of New Hampshire).  He shared his studies of how the single most effective means to increase student test scores is by taking a quiz---even if the student doesn’t get the correct answers to the quiz prior to taking the test.  The best kind of quiz to give uses a variety of types of questions including open-ended and multiple choice questions.  Quizzing is more beneficial than rereading the text, making flash cards, or even being given the test questions prior to the test!
     Beyond the seminars that were given, I greatly enjoyed our tour of the Psychology department at Clark.  The research that is taking place at Clark is diverse and timely.  Topics include comparison of adjustment for families who adopt children from both traditional and homosexual couples, correlation between parenting styles and student academic success, and Latino men’s perceptions about seeking treatment for mental illness.  I left the tour feeling excited and a bit jealous of the grad students who are taking part in these studies.
     The best part of the conference, however, was having the opportunity to rub shoulders with some wonderful, knowledgeable, and dynamic high school psychology teachers.  I got to meet in person two members of the weekly twitter chat #psychat: Amy Ramponi (@AmyRamponi) and Jennifer Schlict (@jenslish).  Jennifer also maintains the blog “Using Pop Culture in High School Psych Class” (http://psychteach.com/).  Amy will be taking over as moderator of #psychat in August 21st discussing “Kicking Off Your Psych Class”, Jennifer will follow on 8/28 with “Tech Integration in the Psych Classroom”.  I will be moderating my first ever twitter chat on 9/4 discussing “Unit Projects in Psychology”.  I can’t tell you how excited I am about having the ability to take part in something like this!
     The other people that I met at the conference were equally influential in making this a terrific conference.  Dr. Lee Gurel’s generous donations made this conference (and the last 8 conferences) possible.  Dr. Gurel is a Worcester native who graduated from Clark in 1948 and still remembers how influential his psychology professors, particularly Dr. John E. Bell, were in guiding him and believes that high school students deserve the same opportunity for inspiration and guidance.  Dr. Nancy Budwig (Clark University), Caitlin Crowley and Emily Leary Chesnes (APA) were also instrumental at ensuring that conference attendees were able to get the most out of the conference. 
     I would certainly recommend the conference to any high school psychology teacher.  Although I was one of the only participants that does not teach AP level psychology it was a great experience.  Applications are typically due in April so be on the lookout on the APA web site in late winter.  If you are interested in any of the materials that I received from the conference, please feel free to email me at [email protected].  

     I am an eternal optimist.  My cup is always half full and there is always a silver lining.  The student that everyone says is evil that is on my class list in September will be just fine in my class.  That is how I roll.
     This past school year there were a few things that happened that truly dampened my spirit.  In my last post, I discussed my AIS class and the issues I was having with them in terms of their motivation and my ability to help them to be successful on the Regents exam.  In this case my greatest fears were realized.  Only two of my 12 students passed their exams.  One of those students I can’t even take credit for since she was currently enrolled in Global II and thus was receiving her primary assistance through her regular teacher.  I can make myself feel a little better since one student who was in my class had only been in the country for three months prior to being asked to take an exam on United States History.  Another student had her test disqualified for cheating (that’s a whole story that sadly will not be told here).  Several students improved their grades from their previous times taking the test.  Regardless, I feel like I failed these students even though we were both put in a bad situation.  I am not used to this feeling.
     Another major event dealing with my professional life shook me to my core.  I’m really not sure that I can discuss that here either.  What a bummer, huh?  Basically, I learned that you cannot count on people to do the right thing or to value those people who do actually do the right thing.  I did the right thing, or at least I will believe that I did until my dying day, and it was me who paid the price.  It has certainly taught me who my friends are and who I can count on.  I think that experiences like mine will continue to become more common as long as teacher evaluations are linked to high-stakes testing.
     As a result of my experiences I took time off from being “Teacher Dawn”.  I did not organize my materials or brainstorm new activities or refine my plans or any of the usual things that I tend to do during the summer.  I didn't tweet or even read articles dealing with education.  I was just “Regular Citizen Dawn”.  This break was necessary for me and now, as I’m coming out of my hiatus, I feel re-energized and ready to get back to work!  I feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to let myself heal. 
     So, welcome back “Teacher Dawn”!!!  I can’t wait to share with you, my blog readers, my experiences at my first summer conference as well as the process I use to plan for the new school year.  Stay tuned!

     I have taught basically every social studies class that my high school offers in the past 12 years.  The only constant has been teaching US History.  If you actually knew me you would know that I’m not one to brag so what I’m about to say isn’t because I’m overly full of myself: I have a history of great Regents pass rates---even though I teach inclusion classes.  I actually even have decent levels of mastery, which according to New York State is when students score an 85 or above.  My inclusion partner and I work hard as well as our students to achieve these results.  I generally know who is going to fail and who is going to pass and I feel good about how we all come together to achieve successful results.
     This year, for the spring semester, I was assigned to teach AIS for the first time.  AIS (Academic Intervention Services) is a State mandated course that each school must offer for students who have either received poor scores or are predicted to receive poor scores on their State exams.  I went into the class thinking “this will be difficult but I have the tools to help these students and together we will get them through this test!”  Now, 15 weeks later, I’m pretty depressed.
     I did a bunch of research to see how other school districts approached AIS courses.  Many of them just required the students to use a computer program such as NovaNET to work at their own pace to review the course material.  My district uses this program primarily for credit recovery although it has been used for some AIS courses.  My colleagues who taught AIS prior to me weren’t crazy about the program so I didn’t even explore using it.  I, somewhat haughtily thought, I can do better than any program!  I will reach these students where no one else has!
     The first issue that I encountered is that there was a mix of students who needed to pass the Global and the US regents exams.  Basically, since I planned to work directly with the students I had to teach two lessons at the same time.  Desk work for the US kids while I instructed the Global students on outlining an essay on imperialism and the like.  I proceeded like this for two weeks or so and then gave the students a practice test on the material and types of questions that we had covered together.  Their test scores did not change from their base levels.
     I thought that I should mix things up and play review games with the students.  Then I had them work just on skills relating to multiple choice questions (the biggest reason why the students fail the exam).  Afterwards, I took them to the computer lab and we went on Regents Prep.com and even used Castle Learning.  We worked together as a class, one on one, subject specific, you name it.  I gave them more and more practice tests.  What were the results?  Some students had gained a point or two, several had lost ground, most stayed the same.
     I was demoralized.  I had never experienced anything like this before.  My US History students, for the most part do as I ask, put in the extra effort, and do what they need to do to pass the test.  These students complained every day.  I had to fight them constantly about talking, taking out their cell phones, or completing the work that I assigned.  When I had started planning for the course and other people who had taught it before said that I shouldn’t invest too much time in preparation because there was no hope for these students, I scoffed at them in my head.  They didn’t care as much as I did or work as hard as I would work.
     I have exactly 13 class periods left with these students.  Despite my depression, I haven’t given up all hope.  I do think that the system is working against me and my students.  Students shouldn’t be enrolled in a class like this after they have already failed.  Some of my students aren’t trying because they don’t see the point in it.  Some of my students have bigger things to worry about then passing a social studies test; it’s just not on their radar.  Some of them haven’t been asked to do the work necessary to be successful before and as a result are fighting back by being not exerting any effort.
     I keep thinking, if only I’d had these students for the entire school year, maybe then they’d have a chance.  Maybe I need to accept that I can only be accountable for myself and not the system.  Maybe they’ll just wait until the exam to surprise me and make all of this worry worthwhile.

Who uses their students as guinea pigs?  I do!
     I’ve spent several months reading up about flipped learning (Flipped Learning Network, Flip Your Classroom book, and elsewhere on the web), participated in some #flippedclass chats, and discussed how flipping would work with my inclusion co-teacher and students.  At some point I needed to just jump in and try it out.

In-Class Flip: US History
     I’m very lucky that my co-teacher and our students are up for trying new things.  Even with that being the case, I decided to start out slowly and do an “in-class flip”.  Wes (my co-teacher) and I recorded a screencast of a much abbreviated World War II PowerPoint for our US History classes.  You can find it here.  Please note that we teach an eleventh grade inclusion class and so we focus on the major points that the students need to know for the Regents exam.  We used Screencast-o-matic to record our presentation which was just under fifteen minutes long.  We also used a $15 microphone I picked up from Amazon.  I figured, why spend a lot on something that may or may not work for our classes!
     We had the students watch and take notes during class time using laptops from our laptop cart.  I’d have to say that was the most frustrating part of the process because some of the laptops worked, some of them worked but were very slow to load, and some of them didn’t work at all.  Several students used their personal iPads or phones to listen to the presentation and they were very successful. It was a bit of a weird experience though because some students forgot to bring headphones and had to listen quietly from their computers.  Wes and I were both very self-conscious about how we sounded but luckily the kids loved it!
     Overall, the experiment went well.  We had the students fill out a survey afterwards and had a “debrief” session to get their constructive criticism.  Their biggest beef was that they couldn’t see us!  Who’d have thought that they would want to see us so badly!  They had great suggestions including shorten the length of the videos to ten minutes rather than fifteen and possibly even have students come by and be guests in the videos.  What great ideas!  They loved that Wes and I were conversational and continued our in class practice of making corny jokes.

In-Class Flip: Psychology
     I decided the next week to try the same thing with my Psychology classes.  I used the computer lab this time and did not have any technological issues with the video playing.  I tried to make the video fit into the ten minute time frame, didn’t (it was over 13 minutes), and ended up rushing.  The students’ biggest criticism afterwards reflected that they thought that I went way too fast.  For my part, I missed having someone else to record with.  It was a bit odd talking to myself and I wasn’t sure that the students would like it at all.  They still said that I was funny and that they enjoyed listening to me, so possibly it is my own personal thing to work through.  Here is the link to the video.

Flipping: The Real Deal
     After the positive feedback from the students, Wes and I decided we were ready to assign videos for homework to our US History students.  We recorded three videos that were between nine and eleven minutes in length.  The assignment for the students was to watch and take notes.  Overall the students reacted positively although there were quite a few students who did not watch the videos by the due date (we gave them almost a week).  I should have had them fill out another survey to get more specific feedback---I guess I still can.
     On my part, I’m so used to being the stereotypical “sage on the stage” that I had problems relinquishing being in the front of the class.  I worried that the students still didn’t “get” the information from the videos and basically reviewed it afterwards.  That is something that I need to work on, regardless of my flipping future.  My students need more exposure to critical thinking and I need to be willing to provide them that opportunity.  Honestly, this is one reason I love teaching because if I don’t get it right the first time, I can always try to be better in the future. 

My Flipping Future
     As the school year comes to a close, I don’t think that I will have the opportunity to do another flipped lesson for US History.  I have already bombarded the students with review assignments and I just don’t want to add any more to that.  Wes and I are, however, recording some of our review sessions for students to use outside of class to study from.  This is great for our students who don’t always get things the first time around and for the majority of our students who don’t have any clue as to how to study.  I’ve already uploaded some of my review of the Constitution onto YouTube and the students were very happy to hear that they will have that as an added resource.
     I may have time to flip my Psychology classes a few more times prior to the end of the school year.  Electives are such a different beast than Regents courses.  I love the freedom from being bound to a test! I always have so much that I want to teach on Abnormal Psych that I never have time for and flipping will be the perfect remedy for that problem.
     Speaking of Psychology, I got accepted to ninth annual American Psychological Association (APA)/Clark University Workshop for High School Teachers on July 22-24, 2013 at Clark University in Worcester, MA!  And I was thinking about not applying!!!!  I’m really excited about this opportunity and the positive impact it will have on my Psychology classes in the future!
     So, stay tuned and I’ll keep you updated on my flipping process.  It’s certainly something that I am still very eager to do and do successfully.  That’s why there’s summer, right?  Do work on all of the things that there just isn’t time for during the school year!

     As a teacher in New York State at the start of the 4th marking quarter there are two big things that are constantly on my mind: the Regents Exam and the APPR.  These things do not necessarily bring the ideas of spring and renewal to the mind but they are a part of the world that I live in.  I could fight it or be really mad but I find that is a waste of my precious energy. And thus, I have accepted and to an extent embraced the APPR.
     About a month ago, I happened upon the blog of Amy Balling, a Bio teacher at Lancaster HS in NYS.  Her district is using the Danielson rubric for teacher evaluations just like my district is.  In addition to blogging about teaching and her family she discusses how she has been working towards meeting each of the aspects of the rubric.  It is fairly obvious that she too has embraced the APPR process and has even had a bit of fun with it.  And that got me thinking that I’d like to have some fun as well!
     To that end, I decided that I would try to get creative with my submissions of teacher artifacts.  Our district allows us to submit artifacts which illustrate our effectiveness beyond classroom observations.  I knew I wanted to talk about my class website but instead of writing about it I decided to create a screencast about it.  This was a great experience for me.  I’m planning on flipping some of my classes so screencasting was excellent practice.
     I think that I might take a page out of Amy Balling’s book and start discussing here how I’m meeting the requirements of the APPR.  That way we can all have fun with Charlotte Danielson together!

     Why did I create this blog?  Well obviously, at some point, my plan is to become an internationally renowned educational expert – particularly in the realm of curriculum and instruction.  A girl can dream, right?
     I created this blog in the hopes of helping other teachers and maybe starting a few conversations.  I also created this blog as a sort of personal educational journal.  Hopefully, as I continue my path through the realm of education I will be able to look back at my posts and see how I’ve grown as an educator. 
     With professional growth in mind, I hope that you will indulge me as I do a little planning and a little dreaming about one of my favorite topics: Professional Development. 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  *  *  *  *
I love teaching and I think that I am a good teacher but I want to be better. I have aspirations to maybe one day earn a PhD.  I am planning on beginning the process of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher this year.
     But like a greedy person, I want MORE! I have categorized my “demands” into three categories: gotta have it now, maybe next year, and in my dreams.  I’m a bit conflicted with my gotta have it now choices.  Am I biting off more than I can chew?  What do you think?  Regardless, enjoy my wish list and if you see Santa Claus, please tell him that I have been very good and I deserve to go to each of these events!

Gotta have it now!

• ASCD Conference on Teaching Excellence (June 28–30, 2013, National Harbor, Md.): My Superintendent actually recommended that I join ASCD.  I found out that my district will give me some money towards the conference fee and my sister-in-law lives in DC so I might be able to avoid paying for a hotel.  I’d like to one day go to the ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership but that happens to be in Las Vegas and in November and that’s not going to happen.
  
• Summer Institute for National Board Candidates: Since this is one of my immediate goals, and I want to be as successful as possible, this looks like a perfect opportunity for me.  The institute is described as being “created to give candidates an entry point to the National Board process that is experiential and inviting. Candidates will learn the fundamentals of the NBC process: core propositions, teacher standards, entry requirements, types of writing, and framework of accomplished teaching.”  This conference is about two hours away from me and the $175 cost includes meals and hotel.  How can you go wrong!  It is being held July 10-12th.  
  
• APA-Clark University Workshop for High School Teachers: This conference may have to move into the “maybe next year” category.  It’s a wonderful opportunity.  Twenty-five high school psychology teachers from around the nation travel to Clark University in Worcester, Mass. for three days (July 22-24) to learn from great professors about teaching psychology---what can be better!  Actually, what’s better is that it is free and within driving distance and housing is included.  Why would I not go (or at least apply)?  Because I am definitely going to go to either the ASCD Conference of the NBTC Summer Institute AND because I have been accepted to the Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute for this August.  *Can I just take a minute to say how excited I am about this?!?  Holy cow this is going to be amazing!!!* With an already busy summer scheduled, should I add on one more thing?  I’ll let you know what I decide.
  

Maybe next year?

• National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference: I have been to my local and state Council for Social Studies conferences but this is the holy grail.  Sadly, this year the conference is in St. Louis and the conference fee coupled with transportation and hotel makes this impossible.  Next year, however, the conference is in Boston (November 21–23, 2014) which makes this doable.
  

In my dreams…

• Harvard Graduate School of Education, professional development: Ah, Harvard.  The ultimate dream.  This year they are offering 8 week-long courses.  I particularly like the look of Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in High Schools and Project Zero Classroom.  Project Zero Classroom “features various frameworks and tools that enable you to look at teaching analytically, develop new approaches to planning and make informed decisions about instruction”. Meow! Sadly, these courses cost $2,500 a piece and that does not include housing for the week.  I’m going to save up to make this dream come true!
  
• ISTE Conference: This June the conference is in San Antonio and again travel costs are the biggest obstacle.  I had actually asked our director of technology about going to this conference the last time it was in Philadelphia and was turned down due to lack of funding.  The next time the conference is in Philly is 2015 so I can certainly try again then.   
  

*Update: (3/28) I couldn't help myself- I applied for the APA Clark Workshop for Psychology Teachers.  It was just too good to pass up --- or at least to try for.  I'll let you know if I get accepted!

     Practice what you preach.  This is quote that teachers should live by.  If we expect students to develop 21st Century Skills such as curiosity, cooperation, communication, and critical thinking then we should be willing to do the same. 
     It would be wonderful to have a district that provided all that a teacher needs to be successful but in the age of budget cuts and ominous regulations we’d better not hold our breath! This series of posts on creating your own Personal Learning Network by using 21st Century Skills is meant to start you on a path towards filling in some of the gaps.  We can’t continue to expect someone to be there to spoon feed us information to keep us current.  We wouldn't want that for our students, so why do we sink to the lowest common denominator ourselves?
     I hope that you will be able to use your critical thinking skills to decide what type of PLN you need vs. what you want to reach your future goals.  Some ideas you may come across are cutting edge while some might be too good to be true.  Use your PLN to get real life reviews of what works and what doesn’t and ask questions about things that you don’t understand. 
     This is the start of possibly many new and wonderful doors opening to you and your students.  Make the most of it, choose wisely and don’t forget that we can never stop learning!

*I’ve included a few more links to help you on your quest to create a 21st Century PLN.  

     Curiosity and cooperation – obviously these are vital requirements to be a successful student and/or teacher no matter what century you are in.  The 21st Century, however, forces us to be willing to cooperate with people from around the world.  Thankfully, as I discussed in the previous two posts, there is technology available to assist us in meeting those goals.
     Now, we are ready to move on to the next component of 21st Century Learning: communication.   Although you do not have to contribute to your PLN the more you contribute, the more that people will be willing to contribute to you.  It’s always positive to have someone to bounce ideas off of or to discuss the best approach with.  I have found that since I am unfamiliar to so many of the new methodologies being used, I need to ask questions, a lot of questions!  I am much more likely to get people to answer me if I am willing to provide contributions myself.  Here’s how to get some serious skin in the game:

• Twitter- This is by and large the best way to create a diverse PLN and it’s not as hard as you might think! I’ll be writing a post on this topic later on.
  
• Edmodo- I had heard of Edmodo previously but did not have the opportunity to use it until I was selected to be part of the SMART Board turnkey trainers for my district.  The person who facilitated the training used Edmodo as a means for sharing resources with the group.  I became hooked!  I downloaded the app, joined a bunch of groups, and haven’t looked back. What can you do with Edmodo?  According to the website: “Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications.” Feel free to connect with me by searching for Dawn Clemens.
  
• Wikispaces- Wikispaces has been around for a while but should not be overlooked as a place to collaborate with others.  “A wiki is a space on the Web where you can share work and ideas, pictures and links, videos and media — and anything else you can think of.”  You can find and create many wikis on many different topics.  They are also great to use for class projects.  Just completing a search will offer a wide array of resources (for example Karen Brooks from Ulster BOCES has a wiki with specific resources for technology and the Common Core.   Many groups allow anyone to post within a wiki once you receive posting permission.
  
• Google Sites and Google Drive -  Create your own website using Google Sites to collaborate, plan, and share information.  Google Drive allows you to share and edit files with others via the internet.  
  

     My final post in this series will focus on critical thinking.  I'll also be including a bunch of other links to assist you in creating a PLN that works for you!

A variation of this post can be found in my original article “What is a PLN and Why Do You Need One” found here.