IS LT 2467 Blog: Module 7 - Educator as Learner

Learning Your Best Way of Teaching, Including Tech Teaching

Professional Learning Communities - Also sometimes called Professional Learning Teams, are groups of teachers coming together to collaborate and learn from each other. While it's fairly new, the internet makes it easier for educators to connect and use those connections to aid in their teaching.
Tools such as Twitter or creating blogs are great ways to create online PLCs. There are also such things as Personal Learning Networks, which are usually set up my teachers themselves, while PLCs and PLYs are set up my schools or school districts.
"Even without connecting to other educators, there are many ways for educators to make the Web a valuable partner in increasing skills and in improving practice. The trick is knowing where to go for quality resources so that time is not wasted wading through volumes of search results or evaluating the credibility of the sources."
Lots of wonderful sources exits, including:

Along with using these online resources, you can also make the web work for you by using curation tools - ways to search collections and create bookmarks of good ideas and activities.
While some teachers get professional development through their school district, others have to look outward to help them learn new skills, particularly in the realm of technology.
Some online professional learning options:

You can also improve your own teaching not just by collaborating or learning from others, but also by following and doing your own research. While some may believe in learning styles, some research into the matter can find that Dembo & Howard (2007) found that they are almost a myth.
No matter how your school may help its teachers progress professionally, and no matter how the school may me set up technologically, you can know that you'll be prepared to tackle anything that comes at you as an educator.