Professional Learning Networks

Being a part of a professional network has given me an opportunity to grow, learn, and collaborate with others who share common interests and goals. Reflecting on my experiences in these communities has shown me how valuable it is to have places where ideas and strategies are received openly. Communities bring together people from all different areas in which they can network together to offer opportunities to enhance their learning. These types of communities allow me to gain insight that can help me understand and apply new concepts in my organization.

These are some of the professional learning networks that I’m a part of:

Ellucian Banner Financial Aid

https://www.ellucian.com/solutions/ellucian-banner-financial-aid

This software platform helps higher education institutions implement automation in financial aid. The system helps automate financial aid workflows, enhancing compliance with federal policies, and providing tools to use automation effectively.  Being a part of the network gives me a chance to collaborate with other individuals who also face similar challenges with implementing automation in financial aid, share best practices, and gaining more information about automating workflows in Banner.

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)

https://iste.org/

This organization supports educators and leaders in using technology to enhance learning. It provides resources and a community dedicated to innovative teaching about integrating technology in education.  This global network allows me to connect with other educators who are focused on pushing technology that improves teaching and learning outcomes.

EdTech Group

https://www.edtechgroup.com.au/schools/

This company provides technology solutions to support schools in creating dynamic learning environments. This company offers products and services that focus on learning management systems, cloud-based tools, and digital content that is for all types of educational settings. In joining this network, it has opened opportunities to explore different solutions and getting support that is tailored to the needs of different educational environments.  It has also created opportunities to collaborate with other members of the industry to transform education through technology.

Reflecting on Professional Communities

Within these communities, I continue to explore different resources such as articles, case studies, and webinars that highlight new trends in technology in education. Researching this content helped me stay updated on innovations, especially in financial aid which is vital to my role. Sharing my thoughts on new technologies, providing feedback from other’s ideas, and participating in discussions allowed me to envision new ways to push technology within our department (Virtue, Maddox, & Pfaff, 2019). This approach will focus more on my learning but also add value to new ideas being brought to the table.

Moving Forward to the Future

As I continue this program, the importance of professional learning networks is an essential component of my professional growth and development. These networks provide a vast amount of knowledge, and opportunities to collaborate with others and keep me up to date on the latest trends and practices in my field.  I will be actively involved with these networks by participating in the community forums, attending webinars and sharing my ideas from my own experiences.  This will help me build my skills and allow me to contribute my ideas to the community by offering constructive feedback.  These networks will set the foundation for lifelong learning, allowing me to adapt to these challenges and opportunities along the way.

References

Virtue, E. E. , Maddox, G. , Pfaff, K. (2019). The Lasting Effects of Learning Communities. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 7(2), Article 6. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1240093.pdf

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