Seventh and Eighth PLN

NCTE Front Page

7. NCTE

This was an addition to my PLN this semester as well! It is specifically for English teachers, and it is filled to the brim with information for them. Www. ncte.org is a collection of English teachers from all around the U.S., and with that they share papers and articles that they feel are important to the field.


How did you find/create/use this resource? I found it through a professor this semester. He is a member of the NCTE, and he has spoken nothing but good things about the organization.

What prompted you to find/create/use this resource? One of my professors this semester spoke highly of the organization, saying that it was a wealth of knowledge for our field and it was one of the best one he's joined in his 50 years.

What did you learn from this resource? I have learned that not all English teachers are the same. It may sound like a "duh" thing, but it never occurred to me that there are some English teachers, who are in a field that is hard to grade normally, who are for things like strict grading. This is only the start of it, but it really opened up my eyes to the perspective for others in my field.

How will you benefit from this resource in your future teaching? With this resource, I'll be able to always recheck other's thoughts on topics that could benefit or hurt me. Think of it as a way of revising my philosophy on teaching all the time.

Facebook homepage

8. Facebook

Another monolith of connectivity, Facebook.com has been in used by me since I was in middle school. At first I used it as a space to get in touch with just my friends, but it has grown into a place where I talk to veteran teachers about specific topics.




How did you find/create/use this resource? I found out about this website the same way that I did with Twitter. Some of my friends were talking about what a cool website this was, and how it was soooo much better than Myspace.

What prompted you to find/create/use this resource? What prompted me was the cleaner interface mostly. While Myspace allowed user completely customize their page, it was also incredibly annoying. Weird layouts as well as the annoying music that the person put on. Facebook was just a lot more "professional" in the sense that it looked like an Apple commercial website with blue.

What did you learn from this resource? I have learned that a lot of companies and organizations use Facebook! It allows them to interact with their customers, let them hear their complaints, and respond accordingly. 

How will you benefit from this resource in your future teaching? I will benefit from it in the same way that I do with Twitter, although this website will be used for more in depth discussions. I have already begun using it this way, as I am friends with my teachers from my high school, and I am able to receive insight from them on topics that will affect me when I become a teacher.