Skip to main content

"Building a Bigger & Better PLN"



Educators, and professionals in any field for that matter, will find it increasingly difficult to keep current and informed without a well-established, organized personal learning network.
What is a PLN?
A personal learning network is a primarily web-based collection of personal connections and learning resources. PLNs provide 24/7/365 global opportunities to gather, review, and share information. "Personalized" learning, coupled with anytime collaboration, make PLNs centerpieces for professional development.


    This well-crafted video explains the process, and benefits, of building a supportive PLN.


    Key questions for personalized learning:
    • What do you want to learn?  
    • Who else is learning this?
    • Who are the experts?
    • How can I connect with like-minded people?
    • How can I share my knowledge?

    Here are a few terrific resources for starting, or developing your personal learning network





    While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of web resources to help you build your PLN, my personal favorite choices are Twitter and Google+. I use Twitter for breadth in my up-to-the-minute fact finding and sharing. Google+ allows me to obtain more depth, along with, more sharing options with like-minded, or interest-based "circles".  

    I also use a classroom LMS, Schoology, to provide a combination of local connections with students, teachers, and parents, while also providing global connections with other educators. Learning occurs daily from my PLN. My PLN experiences are personalized based upon my interests, my existing knowledge, and my professional involvement. I have been able to gain insight and information from giants in the educational field. Finally, I would find it nearly impossible to keep current with the constant changes that define educational technologies without the help of my PLN.

    Comments

    Popular posts from this blog

    Self-Directed vs. Self-Determined Learning; What's the Difference?

    "We need to move beyond the idea that an education is something that is provided for us, and toward the idea that an education is something that we create for ourselves." - Stephen Downes In this age of abundance of information, shifting classroom pedagogy isn't nearly enough to make learning in school more relevant and authentic for the learner. Self-directed learning ( andragogy ), and self-determined learning ( heutagogy ) are the ideals necessary in making students " future ready " to live and learn in a web-connected world. While original research applied these concepts to mature learners, it has become apparent that even young children have an abundant capacity for recognizing and directing their learning. Anyone who has observed toddlers learning how to walk and talk understand the motivation and skill development that quickly develops during these processes. Considered by some to be on a learning continuum, self-directed learning, and self-determined

    Board Games in the School Library: 3 Reasons Why It's a Winning Play

    "Play is the highest form of research."  - Albert Einstein “Play is the work of the child.”  – Maria Montessori In our recently remodeled school media center, we have a space dedicated to active engagement in fun learning activities. Part maker space, part literacy lounge, board games are being incorporated to promote a culture of joyful learning. Whether it's a game of Rummy , Yahtzee , or Scrabble , family game night serves as a communication elixir and solidifies our domestic climate of togetherness. Shouldn't similar opportunities for interaction, challenge, and fun exist somewhere in our schools? Broken families, cultural fragmentation, and poverty are impacting opportunities for children to play. As we unpacked and tagged our new media center games, I was more disappointed than shocked by the number of students who had never played Monopoly , Boggle , or Sorry . One skeptical teacher commented, "Oh great, now we're letting students pl

    The Classroom Experiment - Strategies to Promote Engagement and Learning

    Dylan Wiliam is a prominent educator in the United Kingdom. His ideas and strategies are consistently mentioned in education reform circles. On an uncharacteristically quiet evening at home, I stumbled across these BBC videos, The Classroom Experiment . Although it took nearly two hours to get through the videos, I came away thinking that the teacher is certainly the most important factor in student learning, and that student learning can be improved with persistence and a willingness to become better at failure. For those folks that feel that teachers can be replaced by technology, these videos suggest otherwise. The Classroom Experiment - part 1 (58:00) The Classroom Experiment - part 2 (59:00) Dylan Wiliam at The Schools Network Conference (38:00) Here is a summary of the strategies and changes that Dylan Wiliam instituted to increase student engagement and advance student learning. No raising of hands - use Popsicle sticks, or some other mechanism to randomize th