One of my favorite ELA resources is author and educator Kylene Beers.  She has written many books that are well-loved by ELA educators, but recently published Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading. A Facebook group was created for

teachers to gather and talk about how they were using the strategies discussed in the book.  There is a good deal of activity on the page, including document and lesson sharing. I consider this a great PLN for ELA teachers of all grade levels.

 

 

My favorite place for interacting with others is on Twitter.

@E_Sheninger  Eric Sheninger is a former high school principal and is currently a Senior Fellow with ICLE.  You can read more about him on his website.  He co-authored Learning Transformed:8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools Today. He is active on social media and is an expert in the innovation process.

@GCouros George Couros, learner, educator, and author is leading a mindset revolution.  His book, The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity, has provided a framework for anyone that wants students and educators to become their best. He publishes a lot of content on social media and is worth a follow.

@ISTELearnSpaces  The ISTE Learning Spaces PLN is the Professional Learning Network for those who love to redesign their classrooms to provide engaging learning opportunities. I follow this PLN because I am in the process of a renovation on my campus. We are in the demolition phase, so I am not interacting, yet.  Once the active design process is happening, I know I can turn to this group for support.

@JColley8:  Jared Colley is an English teacher.  He presented at TCTELA in January of 2017 on gamification in the ELA classroom. Jared has become a mentor in my process to innovate what I ask students to do in the classroom.

I also follow @ASCD and @ISTE and participate in chats whenever possible.

These have been wonderful learning opportunities for me. I enjoy the deep discussions that are possible via Twitter, but also have found the 5-minute PD approach to be just as valuable.