Participate - Joining a DLC

Today I want to share with you a few Digital Learning Communities that I really enjoy.  Digital learning communities are a great way to learn and share information with individuals and groups whom share the same passion for a common subject matter. 

The first is The Criminal Justice Cell - eLearning for CJ Professionals.  "The Criminal Justice Cell  is a personal learning network (PLN, a site that will encourage discussion and collaboration concerning the topic of criminal justice(CJ); specifically research, practical implementation and education. It is recognized that this is a rather broad subject, so in order to facilitate organization and participation the broader topic of criminal justice will be divided into specific areas of interest. These areas of interest would include, but certainly not limited to issues such as victim studies/issues, problem solving courts, restorative justice, corrections, investigations, special populations, environmental criminology and so on. The intent is to create a safe and welcoming environment that would encourage and nurture the collaboration of criminal justice professionals, academics as well as students."

The second DLC that I find useful is the Southern Criminal Justice Association.  "The Southern Criminal Justice Association is a regional organization affiliated with the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. SCJA is a professional association serving criminal justice educators, researchers, practitioners, and students committed to the ongoing development of criminal justice science and practice. Member states include Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands."

The third DLC I find useful is We The Teachers.  We The Teachers has great resources, lesson plans, discussions and much more information that is useful to all teachers.  This site allows you to gather information and collaborate with teachers from all over the world.  

​Teacher Tube is another great site. "Teacher Tube's goal is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos. We seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill."

TeachAde is a great social networking site.  TeachAde.com is unique because it is one of only a few websites dedicated to supporting classroom teachers, while remaining completely free and easy to use. Members are able to interact and contribute by uploading and sharing a variety of files, including multimedia files and complete lesson plans, for others to download and enjoy. These files can then be distributed to the registered users of TeachAde based upon individual users profiles. This complex back-end system tied to an easy to use "my workspace" page allows for one member, such as a talented fifth grade math teacher in Ohio, to connect to others with whom they can share information or collaborate on current needs, such as a new fifth grade math teacher in California.

I have joined the Southern Criminal Justice Association because of the available research. The Southern Criminal Justice Association represents the area that I live and work in with research conducted in my community. The only drawback for this DLC is the small fee associated with joining. However, as a criminal justice professional the information is well worth the fee. 

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