Of course you do. Everyone has a Personal Learning Network (PLN). But how is your PLN working for you? Take a look at the two PLNs below and judge for yourself. You may be missing out – big time.
Personal learning networks have been around from the dawn of time. I know, you’re not quite that old. PLNs consist of the resources you go to in order to learn something, like solving a problem or developing a new skill. If you were from the dawn of time, your PLN would have been members of your tribe. You would have watched them and learned how to do things like crack nuts to get inside the shell. Likewise they may have learned from you, perhaps by watching you escape being lunch for a Saber Tooth Tiger by diving into a cave hole too small for the predator to enter.
Okay, these tigers are gone, but we still have our tribes (family, neighbors, colleagues, friends) and some are in your PLN. We also learn by reading books and journals, watching TV and videos, and perhaps by listening to a radio program. We also have some tools on the internet. Got a question, go to Wikipedia. Looking for something, do a Google search. A typical PLN for an educator looks like this:
by Alec Couros, licensed under CC/ATT/NC
The number of users of Web 2.0 applications, such as online Social Networking, has been growing exponentially around the globe. It is not just kids and geeks. Adults in education are joining in. Web 2.0 is not just for entertainment. It is being used for both professional development and instruction deployment. A rapidly growing number of educators are developing enhanced PLNs, like the one below:
by Alec Couros, licensed under CC/ATT/NC
Educators are connecting across grade levels, across disciplines and across the world. They are sharing resources and teaching each other. The are collaboratively developing materials and sharing what they know, find, need, etc. It could be about the technology: how to use it, what’s good, best practices, best products, implementations in the classroom or online. The collaboration could have nothing to do with technology, but focus on classroom management, book reviews, curriculum design or any of the other issues educators face. The breadth and depth of PLNs for these “networked” educators has increased dramatically. Likewise the learnings and skills of networked educators are also growing significantly.
So, how is your PLN working for you?
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Well written and interesting, Terry. I like the concept of a PLN. I’ll certainly give this further thought in the days ahead. It causes me to wonder how education in America does or does not promote PLN awareness.