Blogs on Professional Learning Network (PLN)

Editor's note: Anne O'Brien is our guest blogger today. She is a project director at the Learning First Alliance, a Teach for America alumna, and a former public school teacher in the greater New Orleans area.

The Obama administration has made turning around America's lowest performing schools a cornerstone of its education agenda. And with good reason -- all children should have access to an excellent education.

Cheska Lorena (@MissCheska) is a self-described "twenty-something New Jersey native, certified HS biology teacher, and a huge ed-tech enthusiast." A native of digital communities, she was the natural choice for this week's #edchat. Feel free to share your thoughts in the space below this blog.

--Betty Ray, Community Manager (@EdutopiaBetty) and Elana Leoni, Social Media Marketing Coordinator (@elanaleoni)

What is community?

Twitter's afternoon #edchat session on February 16th was a flurry of great thoughts and conversation. Many tweeters gathered together to discuss how to build communities in classrooms in both online and offline settings. The conversation kicked off with an attempt at defining community:

140 Speakers, 64 Sessions, 2 Days, 1 Stage

That's the way Jeff Pulver, creator of the 140 Conference, summed up the most recent installment in Los Angeles.

Basically, the 140 Conference brings together all kinds of people from the Twittersphere to talk about how Twitter is changing the way they do things. Over the two days we heard, of course, from the business world and celebrities.

I always enjoy having art teachers in the groups of educators I work with. Their presence is good for me, and good for the group. They tend to be more conceptual in their thinking.