Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/859531
Your Online Professional Learning Community Get inspired and inspire others at NEA edCommunities a n t t o c o n n e c t w i t h e d u c a - tors w ho share y our p assion f o r t e a c h i n g v i s u a l a r t ? N e e d t o c o m m u n e w i t h o t h e r n e w t e a c h e r s ? Are y o u a n E SP w ith a h o t t o pi c f o r di s c u ssi o n ? NEA edCommunities is the place for you. e online professional practice and learning area lets educators share their strengths, exchange ideas and resources, create innovative materials and tools, and engage with others committed to improv- ing student success. Free and open to all, it allows you to: • Connect with colleagues across the countr y and with virtual learning events to expand your professional development opportunities. • Collaborate with other educators. • Share classroom-ready resources and assessment and instruction materials. • Explore new ways of teaching and learning that work for your students. You can customize your NEA edCom- munities experience by selecting topics that match your interests, such as profes- sional practice or leadership. From there, you can find relevant groups to follow. You can also start a group to advocate and collaborate on an issue that matters to your students and school. C TA's G a b r i e l a O r o z c o G o n z a l e z , a member of the Montebello Teachers Association, oversees the thriving Com- mon Core K-5 group, which she started four years ago. e group aligns with her interests and expertise. In addition to teaching, she presents on the Common Core with CTA's Instructional Leadership Corps and at conferences, and maintains a blog devoted to the topic (Common Core Café, commoncorecafe.blogspot.com). Gonzalez finds that NEA edCommuni- ties offers opportunity to expand on her work. "I started the group because there are always questions after I present that I can't get to, and my blog doesn't lend itself to collaboration," she says. " The group is a great way for people to collab- orate with me and with each other, and to share resources and ideas — nationally." She notes that the posts and discus- sions are broad , ranging from lesson a n d u nit p l a n s a n d cro ss - c u r r i c ul a r approaches to literacy to math manipu- latives and getting your classroom ready for the year. Just a few of the many other groups in the professional practice category: • Digital Tools and Learning • Gifted & Talented in the 21st Century • Culturally Responsive Teaching • Middle School Strategies • National Board Certification • Secondary Math 6-12 • e Power of Health and PE Gonzalez thinks the advantages of NEA edCommunities are great and obvious. "It's one of the largest professional learn- ing communities for educators across the nation," she says. "It's a professional practice group where we connect and support each other, focusing on improv- ing student success. This is something provided with our membership, and it's free. We need to use all the resources we have out there." J o i n t h o u s a n d s o f o t h e r e d u c a - t o r s o n N E A e d C o m m u n i t i e s a t mynea360.org. W "The group is a great way for people to collaborate, and to share resources and ideas — nationally." —GABRIELA OROZCO GONZALEZ, MONTEBELLO TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 46 cta.org Back to School B R I G H T I D E A S