Purpose of the Project

1. Creating a Community of 21st Century Teacher Learners: Social Networking for Middle School Teachers of PBL Brenda Collins Graduate School of Education, Touro University – California Introduction “It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts…it is to teach them to think.” Robert M. Hutchins • Survey Results Conclusions Teachers want to do whatever it takes to provide the best education for their students possible. They know that change can be difficult, but exciting. Teachers in NVUSD are hopeful for the changes to come, but they also know they need support for successful change. One of the wonderful tools available to 21st century teachers and learners is social media. This medium is making its way into modern education through the development of professional learning communities (PLC), called professional learning networks (PLN). Making sure that teachers know the power of being connected to a PLN and using it to their own and their student’s advantage is is not only exciting but necessary for successful integration into today’s world outside the classroom walls. 21st Century Student Skills and Teacher Skills A survey of 181 NVUSD teachers showed that 50% of them had concerns about getting the support they need to succeed at implementing the goals of a 21st century education. If the purpose of education is be produce citizens who can think, then education must prepare students to be citizens of the 21st century, who can critically think, collaborate and communicate in an information age. They must be citizens who can utilize rapidly changing technological systems and who are able to work with diverse populations and cultures. For success schools must create environments and learning systems to reach all learners regardless of their economic, educational or cultural backgrounds. Without ongoing professional development, teachers collaborating and supporting each other in their growth as educators, this may be another reform movement that comes and goes without success. Just as students need to be part of a learning community, who are given time and support to learn and grow, so do teachers need time and support to learn and grow. Literature cited Literature Review Blummenfeld, P. C. (1994, May). Lessons learned: How collaboration helped middle grade science teachers learn project-based instruction. The elementary school journal, 94(5), 539-551. ISTE, International society for technology in education [Technology standard for students, teachers, administrators]. (2011). Krajcik, J. S., Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., & Soloway, E. (1994, May). A collaborative model for helping middle grade science teachers learn project-based instruction. The Elementary School Journal, 5(94), 483-497. Blumenfeld (1994), stated that staff development needs to be an iterative, interactive process that includes enactment and reflection. Time for community building where members learn to trust each other is imperative. Participants much see themselves as part of a community of learners with a shared investment and where each sees the benefits of the community. Reflection, feedback and continued planning is necessary for continued growth. This continued process of teacher training requires a significant amount of time. Teachers collaborating, with peers, and experts discussing ideas, planning and enacting projects, reflecting and sharing their experiences is a necessary in the process of change. This cycle of collaboration allows teachers, to gain new views of instruction and to learn new strategies for success. As long as the relationship continues to be beneficial to the community, the collaboration will grow. Krajcik et al. (1994) stated that lessons from the past suggest that without supporting teachers, the movement for change will not be successful. Purpose of the Project The purpose of the project was to create an online professional learning network (PLN), to support middle school math/science teachers in PBL and 21st century teaching and learning. A Weebly website was used to introduce Edmodo as the vehicle to support the PLN. Edmodo then can be used by teachers to create their own learning network for their students. http://nvusdedmodo.weebly.com/ Edmodo PLN for NVUSD Middle School Math/Science Teachers Acknowledgments Thanks goes to Pamela Redmond for her ongoing encouragement and support. A special thank you goes to the Napa Cohort members who were not only motivational and inspirational, but were also invaluable to my success. Thanks also goes to my husband and family members and the Silverado MS staff for their continued tolerance during this past year. Finally, thank you to Napa Learns for their dedication and commitment to the teachers and students in the Napa Valley and for sponsoring my studies. For further information Please contact bcollins@nvusd.k12.ca.us or brenda.collins@tu.edu