My PLN Is My Justice League

Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman are three of the most iconic members of the DC comic book universe. Each member is equipped with a unique skill set that they utilize to combat the forces of evil. However, there always comes a time when their powers are stretched to their capacity and are not enough to claim victory on their own. When this happens, the individuals unite to form The Justice League, one of the most formidable teams to grace the comic book universe. When the Justice League unites, they utilize all of their gifts to find a solution to a problem that is aligned with their purpose. I am part of a Justice League that is better known as my Professional Learning Network (PLN). I can tell you that the members of my #PLN are the mightiest force around whose battle to ensure learning for ALL (this includes students, adults, and community members) through building the leadership capacity of each other comes second to none. 

Last week, I had the opportunity to present #TweetsThatLead at the #SLATEInWI Conference (School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education) on #TwitterChats and the power of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) with Jenny Restock (@jrestock3). Let me begin by saying in no way shape, form, or fashion are we Twitter experts. We were faced with two problems that exceeded our capacity. First, how could we generate the authentic power of Twitter with our audience during our session? On many occasions we listen to the presenter make a personal connection with their subject matter that does not always resonate with the audience because they have not tapped into that experience. When this happens we are asking the audience to trust the word of the presenter. We knew that we needed to eliminate the bias from our perspective and experiences with Twitter. Secondly, we wanted to make sure the experience was interactive and that everyone that attended our session would indeed feel the power of engaging with individuals that did not reside within our four walls. 

Our solution to our first obstacle was to ask members of our #PLN to use #FlipGrid to share the power of Twitter and Twitter Chats. 

Jay Posick (@posickj)                                              Sharin Teebo (@virgilalligator)

Rachelle Dene Poth (@Rdene915                            Chris Cooper (@cooper1503)

Two Guys (@twoguysde)                                         Cory Radish (cradisch_wc)

Jodie Pierpoint (@jodiepierpoint)                            Paul O'Neill (@PaulOneill1972)

Bethany Hill (@bethhill2829)                                  Josue Falaise (@josuefalaise)

Marlena Gross-Taylor (@mgrosstaylor)                  James Varlack (@JV_Lack)
Kathy Miller (@KMillerSAIL)                                Rich Czyz (@RACzyz)

Colleen Skiles (@sckiles80)                                    Elaine Mendez (@ElemCoach)

Jessica Johnson (@PrincipalJ)                                 John Miller (@mexusmx)

Barbara Gruener (@BarbaraGruener)                      Valerie Tilton (@valerietilton) 

If you want to contribute, please click on this link and leave your response.

Then it dawned on me as I was reaching out to my PLN to solicit feedback on the proposed questions, "if we genuinely wanted to demonstrate the power of a PLN why not invite members of my PLN to the chat?" I knew this would be a stretch considering the time of day and work schedules but what was the worst thing that could happen? My PLN did not disappoint and they were more than excited to answer the call. These members of my PLN helped facilitate an authentic Twitter Chat experience at the #TweetsThatLead session:

Marlena Gross-Taylor (@mgrosstaylor)                    Rachelle Dene Poth (@Rdene915)

Paul O'Neill (@PaulOneill1972)                               Colleen Skiles (@cskiles80)

Jim Smith (@MrDataGuy)                                        Pam Hubler (@specialtechie)

Elaine Mendez (@ElemCoach)                                 Dr. Josue Falaise (@josuefalaise) 

Cory Radisch (@cradisch_wc)                                  Kathy Miller (@KMillerSAIL) 

Andrea T. Gabbadon (@ILM_Consulting)               Naomi Austin (@AustinELA8)

Mollie Haubenschild (@mheilberger)                       Jodie Pierpoint (@jodiepierpoint)

Laura Busch (@llbusch)*                                         

Laura Jennaro (@Laura_Jennaro)*
Jay Posick* (@posickj) (Dave Burgess (@burgessdave) responded to Jay in the chat :)

This does not include the numerous educators that gave me words of wisdom and encouragement leading up to the presentation and inquired to how the presentation was received. 

Honestly, due to the collective experience and knowledge of my PLN, the smartest person in the room was the room. Our collective intelligence was utilized to introduce people to Twitter, connect new educators, and grow our PLNs. The Justice League has an infinite number of members with unique gifts and talents and we should as well. Twitter has allowed me to remove the artificial barriers that often confine educators to a box and feeling of isolation. Very similar to my alter ego, "Batman" I remember there was a time that I shunned being a connected educator. If I accomplished anything, I wanted to make sure it was off of the sweat of my brow or based on my own merits. What I have come to learn is that my own merits were a fallacy that protected me from the fear of depending on others and/or letting others down. The true growth to achieve my morale imperative was linked to my ability to belong to a collaborative team. Nothing great was or ever will be accomplished in isolation. Mr. Too Legit To Quit himself, Kevin Honeycutt (@kevinhoneycutt) asked the audience, "what is your digital footprint?" If I google you, what would it say? Who are you connected to, because this work can not be done alone and our kids need us now! I have to reiterate, the task of leadership and educating the future is far too great of a mission for any one individual to shoulder alone. 

A few days after the presentation I was contemplating what would be the next steps for #TweetsThatLead when I received a Vox from fellow #EduGladiator Core Warrior Paul O'Neill. Paul asked, "what would #TweetsThatLead do for an encore?" Paul went on to say that, "he is sure that we are doing great things for our students, families, and staff members within our buildings on a daily basis. However, are we reaching our full potential?" This moment was a defining moment of a PLN for me. PLNs see the potential within you and push you to manifest that potential in your service to others. Members of your PLN help you step outside of your comfort zone and take risks. Members of your PLN mobilize to support as you navigate the uncharted terrain of your journey that will light the path to new horizons. My PLN is still growing and challenging me to not become content with the status quo by extinguishing the shroud of isolation around my leadership. I have grown immensely due to each and every one of you. I hope that I will be able to return the support to you in the future. Thank you PLN for being my Justice League. Batman signing out.