I always love Sylvia Duckworth's graphics and illustrations! She does a great job creating a visual display of a concept. I also like that they included that a PLN allows for a lot of choice - who to connect with, how much you want to add, and you can take away as much or as little as you like. Thanks for a great link, Lindsay!

http://valenciacollege.edu/faculty/development/tla/documents/CommunityofPractice.pdf In this article, Smith summarizes the work of Lave and Wenger related to their social learning theory known as Communities of Practice. Smith reiterates that learning should not be an individual endeavor but rather something that takes places with a social context. He summarizes the article with three main ideas: "Learning is in the relationships between people." "Educators work so that people can become participants in communities of practice." "There is an intimate connection between knowledge and activity."

http://web.stanford.edu/~eckert/PDF/eckert2006.pdf A relatively short explanation of Communities of Practice, their meaning and purpose. The writer also makes a comparison between Communities of Practice and a Speech Community. According to Eckert, "Communities of practice emerge in response to common interest or position, and play an important role in forming their members' participation in, and orientation to, the world around them."

One of my favorite websites for keeping up with current trends in educational technology is Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne. The website is regularly updated and provides valuable tips and resources.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

1. Arts Integration: Resource Roundup. (2013, April 17). Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/arts-integration-resources
All points of arts integration -- from benefits and implementation to linking the arts with core curriculum -- are covered in this roundup of useful Edutopia blog posts, articles, and videos.
2. Buncee | Create, Present and Share Engaging Multimedia Lessons. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.edu.buncee.com/
A tool to create engaging, interactive, multimedia presentations.
3. Integrating the Arts with Technology: Inspiring Creativity | LD Topics | LD OnLine. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/30245/
This thoughtful article demonstrates how integrating the arts with technology can inspire creativity, especially for students with disabilities.
4. Mariel. (2014, March 11). Why Should We Encourage Technology Integration In Our Arts Curriculum? Retrieved from https://www.psarts.org/encourage-technology-integration-arts-curriculum/
A useful article showing the benefits of integrating technology in the arts curriculum.

Cross-Curricular Unit: Language Arts

1. Folktale Writer's Workshop | Writing with Writers | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/folktalewshop_index.htm
A complete lesson for writing within a genre.
2. Roblyer, M. D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th ed.). Pearson.
3. Six Characteristics of Folktales Flashcards | Quizlet. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://quizlet.com/23074770/six-characteristics-of-folktales-flash-cards/
4. StoryCreator - Create Your Own Book | StoryJumper. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.storyjumper.com/main/help
This is a website for creating Ebooks. It is simple to use and provides plenty of scenes and props along with interesting text boxes for your pages. I choose this Ebook creation tool because I felt it would be simple enough for elementary aged students to use.

Digital Game-Based Learning

1. 6 Basic Benefits Of Game-Based Learning. (2013, March 15). Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/technology/6-basic-benefits-of-game-based-learning/
2. Banville, L. (2016, October 1). Brain Trainers May Kick Start Learning in Students. Retrieved from http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2016/10/01/brain-trainers-may-kick-start-learning-in-students/
3. Byrne, R. (2010, February 22). Ten Interactive Geography Games and Maps. Retrieved from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/02/ten-interactive-geography-games-and.html
4. gamifi-ED - home. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2016, from http://gamifi-ed.wikispaces.com/

Social Networking and Walled Gardens

​1. Amanda Lenhart. (2015, April 9). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/
2. Anderson, E. (2015, May 11). Teenagers spend 27 hours a week online: how internet use has ballooned in the last decade. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/11597743/Teenagers-spend-27-hours-a-week-online-how-internet-use-has-ballooned-in-the-last-decade.html
3. Padlet is the easiest way to create and collaborate in the world. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://padlet.com/
4. Safety First: Social Media and Securing your Kid's Safety | Visual.ly. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://visual.ly/safety-first-social-media-and-securing-your-kids-safety
5. VoiceThread - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ed.voicethread.com/
6. What is walled garden? - Definition from WhatIs.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/walled-garden

Acceptable Use Policies

1. 1-to-1 Essentials - Acceptable Use Policies | Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/1to1/aups
Guidelines for schools on writing AUPs.
2. Education World: Getting Started on the Internet: Acceptable Use Policies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml
Guidelines for writing AUPs with additional resources.
​3. Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library? | Librarians | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/techpolicy.html
An explanation as to why a school needs an AUP, with guidelines and examples.

Video Integration in the Classroom

1. Multimedia in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://fcit.usf.edu/multimedia/overview/overviewa.html
An explanation of how and why to use multimedia in the classroom. Explains relative advantage of using multimedia.
2. Video in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://edtechteacher.org/tools/multimedia/video-classroom/
A great resource! Gives a variety of ideas on how students can create videos for the classroom, how teachers can integrate videos into the classroom. Explains video file formats and names a variety of video sharing sites.
3. Why Use Video in the Classroom? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/resources/video1.html
Explains how to utilize videos in the classroom.

Shared Google Docs and Google Sheets

1. 34 Interesting Ways to use Google Docs in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KRts3A_nrnwpr40hxZY9eKrRzu7pxFajKUEBay6foR8/embed?usp=embed_facebook
2.Dr. Alice Christie's Using Spreadsheets in K-12 Classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.alicechristie.org/edtech/ss/
3. Sharing and Collaborating. (n.d.). from http://www.gcflearnfree.org/googledriveanddocs/sharing-and-collaborating/1/
Tips and video tutorials on how to share and collaborate on Google Drive apps

Basic Suite Software

1. Google Docs; Microsoft Word: Word processing programs that allow users to create documents, flyers, lesson plans, etc.
2. Google Sheets; Microsoft Excel: Spreadsheet programs that allow users to input data into rows and columns and apply mathematical formulas to the data.
​3. Google Slides; Microsoft PowerPoint: Presentation software that allow users to create colorful and interactive presentation.

These are two resources to be used in understanding the integration of technology in education. The first resource is a complete guide to "clearly defined guidelines on what works best when it comes to matching the needs of the educational community with technology's capabilities." The second resource is an article from Edutopia discussing 21st century learning using effective technologies.
Roblyer, M. D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th ed.). Pearson.
What Is Successful Technology Integration? (2007, November 6). Retrieved August 30, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description