My Professional Learning Networks
When I first set foot into the classroom as a first year teacher, I felt thoroughly supported by the teaching community thanks to my involvement in learning networks. As soon as I had announced to my Facebook friends that I was teaching, I was inundated with support. I received classroom supplies and teaching materials from my student teaching mentor teachers, professors, community members, and previous childhood teachers.
Twitter and my PLC (professional learning community) at school are probably the PLNs I contribute to most. By continuing my professional development through the three new communities, I hope to be able to eventually contribute and collaborate more. I hope to do this through Twitter, presentations associated with various learning communities, and this website.
I have been involved with NCTM (National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics), CTCTM (Central Texas Council for Teachers of Mathematics) , TCTM (Texas Council for Teachers of Mathematics), and ATPE (Association of Texas Professional Educators). I would like to become more involved in: Google for Educators, Shake Up Learning, and TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association). My new job as the Digital Skills/ STEM teacher has allowed me to learn more about the ISTE standards and because of that, I am now an ISTE (International Society for Teachers in Education) member.
Facebook Groups
I have had a Facebook page since I was a freshman in high school and I recently have learned how valuable it is to have a PLN to troubleshoot, share and learn new ideas for teaching. The school I started working at in August 2020 just recently adopted G Suite for Education- Enterprise Edition, so being able to ask questions, troubleshoot and learn more in PLNs has been so helpful.
Flipgrid Student Voice Ambassador Group
I would like to work towards the various Google Educator Certifications because it would be very useful knowledge to have. My students have Chromebooks and I would love to know more about how to best utilize them. I currently use GoogleSlides for easy presentations of lessons that include a lot of graphics or for when I have a sub (I just put it on a USB Flashdrive and plug it into the TV). I also have organized all of my teaching activities into GoogleDrive.
International Society for Technology in Education
I am now an ISTE member! The year of 2020 has proven to be a year full of challenges and perseverance. However, leaning into good quality resources makes life as a teacher much more do-able. ISTE hosts excellent technology conferences and provides educators with useful knowledge for successfully implementing technology.
Texas Computer Education Association
I hope to become a member at TCEA as I learn more and develop as an educator in the DLL program. I will work to attend a TCEA conference in the future. I know I will learn more about all that TCEA has to offer as I develop in the DLL program at Lamar University.
Central Texas Council for Teachers of Mathematics
I have attended and presented at local CTCTM meetings and had great take-aways. It is a great resource for Central Texas teachers. CTCTM hosts a spring and fall conference. Both have good raffle prizes, excellent sessions, and there always is an impressive keynote speaker. Previous keynote speakers include Cathey Seeley and Cathy Yenka.
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics
I am going to attend NCTM’s CAMT in July of 2019. NCTM published many great books, including Principals to Actions, Taking Action: Implementing Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices in Grades 6-8, and Mathematics Formative Assessment 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning. NCTM also publishes informative journals which target math concepts for specific grade ranges. They are filled with useful, fun activities as well as research.
Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy
The Institute does an excellent job of putting on an international conference and fostering relationships between professionals involved in all industries. I delivered a presentation over my action research from my senior year at Baylor. I researched meaning and purpose in the math classroom. The conference allowed me to develop relationships with great people and receive insightful feedback. I look forward to working towards publishing my research.
Why do I attend conferences?
I always leave conferences with fresh, new books to read and ideas to try in my classroom. After I have more experience in the classroom and become more familiar with using new ideas in the classroom, I know I will need to contribute to the networking communities and present.
I know it is very common for people to feel shy when it comes to submitting program proposals for conferences. However, I have seen again and again that all teachers, even pre-service teachers, have a topic of expertise or great creative ideas that can be beneficial to other teachers. When I am able to share about what I have recently learned and I can initiate a conversation about something I am passionate about, so many resources, relationships and opportunities arise.
Please share other networks you recommend and what resources on those networks you’ve been able to benefit from in your classroom.
APA Citations
Advancing Teaching and Learning with Technology in Education. (2019). Retrieved July 3, 2019, from https://tcea.org/
CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS. (2019, April 6). Retrieved from https://ctctm.weebly.com/
Google For Education. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2019, from https://edu.google.com/teacher/Home. (2019).
Retrieved July 3, 2019, from https://www.atpe.org/en/HomeHome. (2019).
Retrieved July 3, 2019, from https://shakeuplearning.com/Index. (2019).
Retrieved July 3, 2019, from https://www.nctm.org/Lutz, M. M. (2019, May 07).
Ms. Meredith Lutz (@MsMeredithLutz1). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/MsMeredithLutz1
Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Promoting Mathematics Education in Texas. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2019, from http://tctmonline.org/
Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2019, from http://www.viktorfranklinstitute.org/Home.html
Education with Meaning 
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