This week, I chose to review my classmate Evelyn Schoahs’ blog post on PLNs and Education. I loved what Evelyn had to say about her PLN and learning goals moving forward as a future teacher.

What I loved about Evelyn’s blog post!

I loved hearing about what kinds of social media platforms Evelyn uses for school/work, but also for creative projects. I love using Pinterest as well because it can be a great source of inspiration, but it doesn’t suck me in as other platforms do sometimes. I also resonated with Evelyn’s reflection on professional platforms and teacher networks. I am also trying to make more of an effort to incorporate those networks into my PLN.

While reading Evelyn’s post, I came across a new resource, the EdCan Network. I hadn’t explored this resource before, so I was glad to learn about it from Evelyn! It seems really useful for finding a community of other educators and for accessing professional development support. I’ll be sure to explore this resource more in the future as I develop my teaching practice!

The place of AI in the classroom is something that is becoming more and more important to think about. I agree with Evelyn that it is important for students to learn about how to use AI properly so that they can engage with AI online. I am also hesitant about the use of AI in the classroom and hope to explore opportunities to learn more about how I can teach students about it effectively. I appreciated how Evelyn linked her thoughts to our course readings!

Finally, I resonated with Evelyn’s closing thoughts about how it can be hard to engage with a diversity of perspectives and platforms. I am also trying to seek out new connections and leaders in the field of education that I can get inspired by. I follow the blog of the superintendent from where I grew up, Chris Kennedy, who recommended an author with interesting thoughts to share about education and some connections on LinkedIn who have cool resources about AI and Education. I’ll include them below in case anyone wants to check them out!!

  • Yong Zhao — Author and Professor at the University of Kansas
  • Adam Garry — Leader in AI Literacy
  • Marcus Blair — Teacher in SD67, passionate about AI implementation in schools

My suggestions

One suggestion that I have going forward would be for Evelyn to include more specific information about where in the readings she found the themes and conclusions that she mentioned. I have read the articles she mentioned before, so I know what they discuss, but for someone who hasn’t read them, it might be helpful to include a page number that they could go to.

Overall, I loved reading Evelyn’s post! I think she shared her ideas very clearly and put thought into her reflections for the week. I think she did a great job of incorporating the course readings and sharing a new resource! I also appreciate her willingness to be vulnerable and share what she wants to work on going forward as a future teacher.

Great work, Evelyn! I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

— Sofia