Your Name and Title:
Greg O'Connor
Inclusive Learning Technologies Consultant
Country from Which You Will Present:
Australia
Language in Which You Will Present:
English
Target Audience (such as primary school teachers, high school administrators, students, etc.):
Primary & Secondary Special Education and Learning Support Teachers
Short Session Description (one line):
Using social media tools supporting the building of powerful Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) without geographic boundaries.
Full Session Description (one paragraph minimum):
Let’s share! Not just within your own country but reaching out across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK, SE Asia and beyond! Keeping up with technologies and the successful strategies for effectively applying them in diverse learning support and special education classrooms is difficult. Using the time-honoured strategies of listserve participation and occasional conference attendance, as funds are available, is simply no longer enough.
However the collection of freely available resources and valuable time-sensitive advice for special ed teachers and those supporting struggling students has grown exponentially on social media channels - supporting building of powerful Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) without geographic boundaries.
This session will provide a comprehensive overview of these online resources and networks. I will show you through the Facebook Groups, Twitter hashtags and key influencers that are most useful in the field. LinkedIn groups, Slideshare pages, Google+ circles and influential bloggers around special ed and learning support will be introduced.
In my experience, special educators and learning support teams have been less enthusiastic than their mainstream peers in embracing social media to build powerful, extended PLNs. This session aims to help accelerate and expand adoption of these tools by like-minded colleagues globally. Breaking down the barriers of sharing only at school, district, state or country-wide level. Breaking down the barriers of sharing only within school hours. Breaking down the barriers to sharing associated with reduced funding available to support conference attendance. Let’s share!
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
Handout for session including extensive list of websites and social media tools available here
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