When I heard the acronym PLN I
thought about Professional Learning Networks. I was reminded of my Twitter account,
a few blogs that I follow. I thought of my colleagues, both at the school I
work at and in my continued education at Missouri Baptist University. However
after reading the first few chapters of Personal Learning Networks by Will
Richardson and Rob Mancabelli (2011) I realized there is so much more than what
I know of PLN.
For starters, a PLN is much more
about a Personal Learning Network than a Professional Learning Network. You,
the learner, are at the helm of the
ship. As the book points out, there is not a syllabus or even a direct path (Richardson
& Mancabelli, 2011, p. 54). You have to decide what you want to learn.
Edublogs has a wonderful resource on how to get started found here
. PLNs have several applications and
using them effectively can be a bit daunting.
Richardson and Mancabelli have some
key ideas about what makes PLNs successful, for personal learning and for
student learning. Before that can happen teachers need to understand what a PLN
is and how to use it. As the authors
state, “Teachers often have tried a little as a user in PLNs but not as a
producer” (Richardson & Mancabelli, 2011, p.34). I know that describes me.
I love to read what others write, but by nature am a private shy person. I get
nervous any time something is published online. I know my students will not
have the same fears, as they are growing up in a world where being social
online is an everyday reality.
Sometimes, I find myself thinking
that especially with technology my school is always behind, and it seems a intimidating
trail to stay abreast of new technologies. Richardson and Manacabelli argue
though, is it is not about the technology, but the way the school embraces the
shift from standard learning to personal learning (2011, p. 34). So with
excuses out of the way I need to find a way to plug in.
Chapter two gives several great
ways to start. Twitter my personal favorite was on the list. I like Twitter
because, you can get caught up very quickly on what is going on. Admittedly, I
spend my fair share of time looking at personal favorites such as the news,
weather, and the occasional drawing or picture posters. I do follow a few
educators and some great magazines such as Edublog and Tom Whittaker. I am
primarily a reader, and not a poster though. I think I have had 2 tweets in my
year long time as an account holder. The ladder diagram on page 55 of the PLN
book really hit home to me. If it was a DOK chart I would be on the lowest
level. Not good. I am going to try and share more both in Twitter and in
blogging, not as an assignment, but for personal growth. Some resources I will
probably use are Kathy
Shrock’s Twitter for Teachers , Edudemic’s Teacher’s
Guide to Twitter, and this fun little infographic found at USC online.
Thank you to those that read my
post despite its length (and probable spelling and grammar problems).
References
Richardson, W. (2011). Personal Learning Networks: Using the
Power of Connections to Transform Education. Bloomington: Solution Tree Press.
Thanks for the Twitter guides! I plan on using Twitter more to expand my PLN, too! I'm going to save these guides to my Feedly.
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ReplyDeleteI can relate to your realization that there is so much more to personal learning networks. After completing the reading, I felt the same way. I only had a brief introduction to PLNs in another online class and my misunderstanding and lack of understanding made the PLN acronym a bit scary for me. When I originally learned about PLNs I immediately thought about all these amazing educators creating phenomenal lessons and selling them on Teachers Pay Teachers. Their blogs are riddled with inspiring anchor charts and beautifully decorated classrooms. I felt inadequate to contribute to such a network with such superior knowledge. While I still have these feelings, after reading, I understand that it's more about everyone learning and not just being an astonishing contributor to education's digital network. Thank you for sharing your point of view on personal learning networks. I enjoyed reading your insight and takeaways.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment on the amazing educators on TPT. Their posts are fabulous. One of my favorites when I taught 2nd grade was Mrs. Lemons http://www.stepinto2ndgrade.com/. She really has a polished, insightful, website and blog. I can't even imagine the amount of work she puts into it. Hopefully I can contribute to the learning like she has. Thanks for the reply.
DeleteI enjoy reading your post! Thank you so much for the link to Twitter guidelines. I have tried using Twitter a couple of times for educational and personal reasons but have a really hard time. Hopefully this will help me out. I have heard wonderful things about using Twitter as a PLN but I need to figure out how to use it. Using Twitter and these blogs is something new for me but I am very excited to use them. I too am very shy about publishing my thoughts but I enjoy reading everyone else's thoughts and ideas. Thank you all so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt is okay to start out as a "lurker." Many of us do. It is when we begin sharing our own thoughts and learning that the power of PLNs is realized. You've probably heard, "If you want to really learn something, teach it to someone else." This applies to PLNs as well. :-)
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