I have only been a part of two online learning communities, ELC and Edmodo. At my school we have been participating in different PLCs. The PLC I am involved in is the technology PLC. A PLC is a professional learning community. By being a part of this PLC, I am able to share and exchange idea with other teachers to create new learning ideas for my students.

Our PLC group meets once a month and we learn about new technology programs and resources that we can incorporate in our classroom. This past month we learned about Publisher, and we are expected to integrate it in our teaching and then report back to our PLC. My students were researching about different animals, and then we wrote our first draft with pencil and paper. I created a template on Publisher for my students to use to create their final draft. It amazed me to how well most of my students picked up the concept and were able to create the final draft.

One thing I really like about the PLC is that it is made up of a group of teachers from different grade levels. This is a wonderful opportunity to bounce off ideas and brainstorm with one another. It is also interesting to see how different grades approach a similar task. Since we started meeting with PLCs this year, it is a learning process. I think something we could improve for next year, is that if we have a technology PLC we could create an OLC, and interact online before we meet in person. In the article, Teachers and Community Members Practice TLC with PLC, reconfirmed something I learned this year about PLCs. It mentioned that each person comes up with their own ideas and when co-workers come together they create even better ideas. "When you put all these minds together, the end product comes out much better (Ullman, 2009).

Edmodo is a great tool. I've never used it in my classroom, but when I was taking a MCPS class we used it. It's a wonderful tool to store resources and communicate with peers. As you use this with your students, I also think it was just as valuable as an adult. It made our learning community closer and personal. I feel like this resource is most beneficial with the older grades, than the younger ones. Has anyone tried Edmodo with younger students? Is it beneficial?