A PLN, or Professional Learning Network, is simply a way in which educators can connect with other professionals both inside and outside of their respective schools. Many educators use TeachersPayTeachers to help in their lesson planning and to gather resources to use in their classrooms. Teachers often put assignments, templates, and activities on TPT for a small price or completely free to assist others. Because many teachers find themselves presenting the same content as others due to state or country-wide expectations for learning, TPT is an excellent resource to use. Don’t reinvent the wheel!

Another platform teachers may use in a positive way is social media. Keeping a class social media, especially ones that students also engage in on a regular basis such as Instagram and TikTok. Do keep in mind that safety should be the top priority while engaging in social media. Checking with your school’s IT department and the administrative team to ensure the safety of yourself and your students is a necessary step. That being said, keeping a classroom social media can really boost student engagement both in and out of class and become a source of positive content and affirmation to break the negativity so easily proliferated by social media platforms. It can also bolster positive student-teacher relationships, as students do get excited when their teachers express interest in things they enjoy. Furthermore, parents are able to make a better connection with the school and the teachers through social media. Having student work be showcased in a post is a great way to maintain relationships with stakeholders as well as students themselves.

A great digital tool to utilize internally is a shared Google drive. Using a department-shared group of folders or a whole Drive is useful for easy resource-sharing and a simple way to pass around impertinent information such as bell schedules, templates for similar kinds of lessons, testing tips and information that are applicable to multiple subjects, and so on.