Blog Post #5 - Personal Learning Networks

“In short, a personal learning network (PLN) is a group of people who you connect with to increase your knowledge of a particular subject (The Tech Edvocate).” As an educator, we must remember to continue our own development and maintain our professional growth. This can be as simple as questioning how we can create opportunities outside of traditional tools. PLNs offer us an environment where we can collaborate and learn from a variety of different professionals. We can individualize the process by selecting a network and platform that best allows for us to make personal collections. The purpose behind participating in PLNs is to create a comfortable place to collaborate and learn with others. Sharing our own experiences and being receptive of other’s is how we better our practice.

I recently partook in a PLN, specifically a Twitter Chat. The topic discussed

was “Creating a Classroom Community;” it was hosted by OK2Ask EdTech (@SFLOK2Ask) and moderated by Kevin Bower (@BowerKM). I chose to attend this PLN because it is becoming more and more difficult to create a sense of community in the classroom as students are currently learning virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are many benefits of participating in a twitter chat, including but not limited to the organization/structure, easy navigation, accessibility, variety, and timeliness. However, in addition to many great qualities of a PLN, there are also some challenges, such as face-paced commenting, internet requirement, limited times offered, structured questioning, and number of participants. This is still something that I would do again; although, next time, I may look into the questions earlier on to see if it truly meets the applies of my desired classroom environment. I would also look for a Twitter Chat that has shown success in the past so that there are enough active participants to hold an enlightening conversation.

PLNs, like Twitter chats, can be beneficial for educators in general, and my personal future classroom/career, by providing opportunity to connect with professionals from your field to expand on topics that relate to your practices. In a less broad view, it can enable educators to talk with others in their subject area to explore new methods, strategies, and topics. In turn, the educators can take what they have learned through the conversation and apply it to their teaching within the classroom setting. There is also PLNs available for wide ranged audiences that discuss more general content. This is a way for professional development to be carried out simply and effectively.

Resources:

1. PLN resources

2. ISTE PLNs

3. OK2Ask EdTech

4. The Tech Edvocate

5. TedTalks: Learning Networks