Professional Learning Network Websites for Teachers: A Comprehensive Guide

Finding time for professional learning throughout the school year presents a significant challenge for educators. However, being part of a learning community can act as a catalyst for both professional and personal growth. Teaching can be an isolating profession, and this isolation, coupled with a lack of support, can lead to burnout. Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) offer a way for educators to escape this isolation by connecting with like-minded professionals, thus becoming part of a supportive community.

What is a Professional Learning Network (PLN)?

A PLN is a network of connections that educators create and engage in to enhance their professional development (PD). PLNs provide spaces for teachers to exchange ideas, collaborate, share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions about teaching practices and trends in education. They can broaden an educator’s horizons, push them beyond their comfort zones, and foster continuous learning.

Benefits of PLNs

Combating Isolation: PLNs help educators to escape the isolation that can become part of the profession.
Supportive Community: By connecting with like-minded professionals, educators become part of a supportive community that can help in many ways.
Idea Exchange: PLNs provide great spaces for teachers to exchange ideas.
Collaboration: PLNs provide great spaces for teachers to collaborate.
Resource Sharing: PLNs provide great spaces for teachers to share resources.
Meaningful Discussions: PLNs provide great spaces for teachers to engage in meaningful discussions about teaching practices and trends in education.
Broadened Horizons: PLNs can broaden an educator’s horizons.
Continuous Learning: PLNs foster continuous learning.

Forming and Connecting with PLNs

There are various ways to form and connect with PLNs, including:

Online platforms
Social media
Participating in conferences and webinars
Interacting in professional learning communities provided through organizations

Schools can also play a role in helping educators build a PLN by offering time for professional learning community (PLC) groups to form and work together throughout the year.

Types of Professional Learning Networks

National and International Educator Organizations

Many organizations are focused on specific content areas or have a global focus. Exploring offerings in your community, state, or even at the national or international level can be beneficial. One impactful organization is the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Becoming a member of ISTE and joining some of their professional learning networks can be a great starting point.

Read also: Understanding PLCs

State Education Organizations

State-level educator organizations often focus on content or grade levels and offer various opportunities for educators. These can include networking events like local meet-ups, conferences, and online learning programs such as webinars, or options through social networks. For example, PAECT, the Pennsylvania ISTE affiliate, holds regional events in person and virtually. Many other states also have ISTE-affiliate organizations that are worth exploring.

Social Media Networks

Social media networks can be powerful tools for building an online presence and connecting with other educators. Participating in groups like EduMatch, which offers topics for conversation, fun icebreakers, and a space to connect and learn together, can be a valuable experience.

Edtech Programs

Whether becoming certified in a specific area of focus, such as Microsoft Educator or Google Certified Educator or Innovator, or becoming an ambassador for one of the many edtech companies, you’ll find many opportunities to be part of a community.

School-Based PLNs

Schools themselves are a great option for forming a PLN through committee involvement or PLCs. These groups can be created to explore a specific focus, explore different methods of learning, or collaborate in a book study or other self-directed initiatives that teachers select to explore more personalized professional development. In schools, PLCs help educators explore new ideas and have a group to check in with, where they can teach one another about different technologies or methods to try in their classrooms.

Examples of Professional Development Opportunities and Platforms

While professional development courses are an obligatory requirement for teachers across the US, they are also an excellent opportunity to expand your skills, advance your career, and provide higher-quality instruction and support to your students inside and outside the classroom. With dozens of options out there, educators need to choose what courses to take to not only comply with state requirements but also to extract the highest value for their professional and personal growth.

Read also: Learn about CPPLP Certification

Here are some of the top professional development opportunities for teachers:

Fullmind Learning Can’t Wait Podcast: This podcast is a great free online professional development resource for teachers. By listening to episodes of the podcast and filling in a short Podcast Reflection Form, teachers can earn Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) or professional development credit hours. The podcast covers a wide range of practical and interesting topics that inspire teachers to be better educators and provides them with actionable tips on how to innovate education in a way that benefits students.
Back to Basics Learning Dynamics: This organization offers professional development opportunities for educators, school staff, and administrators along with other education services. Back to Basics Professional Development Programs fulfill state requirements for credit hours through customizable modules that allow teachers to focus on the most relevant topics and skills in their field of work.
SimpleK12: SimpleK12 provides a range of professional development courses for teachers and others in the education field. The company aims to empower teacher voices and choices through relevant topics and coursework. The professional development topics are developed by education experts in a way that addresses today’s classroom needs and supports student achievements.
40 Hour Teacher Workweek: This organization offers online courses that aim to prevent educator burnout and teacher attrition. Some available courses come with graduate-level university credit options, which is a key part of professional development and license renewal.
ed2go: ed2go provides teacher professional development opportunities along with dozens of other online courses in various areas. Teacher PD courses cover both the fundamentals of the educator profession and advanced career training.
edWeb: edWeb offers a wide range of professional development opportunities for teachers and others in the education field. Unlike other OD service providers, edWeb operates as a professional learning network that strives to make it easy to collaborate, engage in peer-to-peer learning, and exchange innovative ideas and resources. Educators can join edWeb Communities and benefit from edWeb Professional Learning.
Model Teaching: Model Teaching aims to deliver a complete professional development solution for K-12 educators. This includes approved online courses, university-partnered academic credit courses, and courses for schools and districts.
The Heritage Institute: The Heritage Institute offers a selection of 100+ online professional development courses for educators. Available courses allow teachers to earn credit, Clock Hours, Professional Development Units (PDUs), and Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Grassroots Workshops: Grassroots Workshops provides tailored online professional development workshops to ensure that each teacher is able to meet their specific needs on their own timeline. Teachers can choose instructors from a pool of leaders in education.
Ed Leaders Network: Ed Leaders Network offers engaging professional learning experiences inside a robust learning management system and online community. Educators can access on-demand, video-based courses and be awarded professional development hours.

Maintaining a Mature PLN

As your virtual network grows, you may find that it becomes too big to manage or that you spend too much time trying to keep up with all of the information it provides. Here are a few tips for maintaining a mature PLN:

Set “bite-sized” goals: It is impossible to keep up with all of the information and people in your network every day. Set small, manageable goals to make your network work for you. Remember that this your personal learning network for informal learning. You decide how and when to use it.
Seek out diverse connections: One of the benefits of your PLN is that you can connect with people around the world that share your professional interests and beliefs. However, if your network always reinforces what you already believe, is it challenging you to grow as a professional? Be sure to seek out diverse connections that don’t always agree with you: use your PLN to connect with teachers in different cultures and contexts, explore alternative opinions, and examine new or controversial issues.
Schedule occasional network clean up sessions: Some teachers are tempted to try every new networking tool and have several hundred connections in their network. Managing these “overgrown” systems can be difficult and may lead to network fatigue. Schedule occasional network clean up sessions to remove unneeded contacts, tools, and resources that aren’t directly helping you reach your professional development goals. You can’t hurt a virtual networking tool’s feelings - if it isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to let it go.

Professional Development Requirements for Teachers

Continuous professional development (PD) is a requirement for US teachers in order to renew their license, advance their career, and enhance their salary. In most states, educators need to renew their teaching certificate every 3-5 years to remain eligible to teach in public and private schools. This necessitates obtaining a certain number of professional development credit hours in addition to completing graduate coursework, submitting a background check, undergoing an exam, and paying fees.

While educator license renewal requirements vary from state to state, the need for professional development is universal. Nonetheless, each state has different requirements for the number of professional development credit hours that teachers need to get each year. The typical range is 10-30 hours per year or 50-150 hours per 5-year renewal cycle. Moreover, not all online and in-person courses available to teachers fulfill the legal professional development requirements. In other words, it’s important for teachers to check the specific rules in their state to ensure that they meet all prerequisites for certification renewal and career advancement in their location.

In addition to fulfilling the qualifications for being state certified, professional development for teachers has other important benefits as well:

Read also: Navigating University Degrees

Maintaining up-to-date knowledge in your field of instruction and teaching best practices
Adopting new techniques and innovative technology in the classroom
Developing soft skills required to work with and support different types of students with various educational and emotional needs
Getting training in new areas such as alternatives to suspension
Bringing better outcomes to students

Getting Started

It can be overwhelming to think of where to start. It simply takes that first step to engage with others at a conference, via social networks, or in local educational organizations.

Learning Forward Conference

Learning Forward's Annual Conference is a valuable event for educators.

Save the date: Dec. 7-10, 2025

Theme: Bridging Professional Learning and Student Success

Learning Forward builds educators' knowledge and skills to lead and sustain highly effective professional learning, equipping leaders at all levels with the tools to meet educator and student learning needs head-on.

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