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"I often begin my workshop on personal learning networks (PLN) for educators by asking these questions: Who is in your learning network? Who do you learn from on a regular basis? Who do you turn to for your own professional development?" Read 10 great tips for expanding your PLN

"As educators, we aim to be connected to advance our craft.  On another level, we hope to teach students to use networks to prepare for them for a changing job market.  But what is the best way to approach PLNs?" This blog post has some great tips for developing your PLN and transforming your own learning.

Great rationale for why networks matter. Peggy Bentlley does a marvelous job of using Tweets to support the points she makes in her blog post. Must read!

Debbie Morrison, Instructional Designer, describes how educators can develop a personal learning network (PLN) that supports meaningful and relevant learning. She makes a nice distinction between the PLN & PLE, which is the framework that is used as part of the development of the PLN. If you don't know what a PLN is or have difficulty trying to figure out how to create one, this post will be helpful. 

"What is a PLN? Why is it important? In module 1, I go over how to build a PLN and where to find teachers and people to connect with. PLNs can be built with people you meet at networking events, online, blogs, social networks, and microblogs like Twitter. This is the first module of a ten module series."

What is a PLN? Why is it important? In module 1, I go over how to build a PLN and where to find teachers and people to connect with. PLNs can be built with people you meet at networking events, online, blogs, social networks, and microblogs like Twitter. This is the first module of a ten module series."

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered the educational benefits of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

There are different approaches to how to build and use a PLN (Personal Learning Network). Here are a few tutorials on how to build yours. 

Nice explanation of MOOCs. This is a new wave in online learning and professional development. It emphasizes the power of networked learning, as well.

A nice overview and challenge to consider building a PLN - professional/personal learning network. Answers the question, "Why a PLN?" and how to get started. 

Planet Nutshell produces short animated videos to explain products, services, and concepts. One of their series of videos is all about the Internet and Internet safety for K-12 students. The series is called NetSafe and it has 17 episodes that were produced for the Utah Education Network. The videos are labeled with grade levels so that students in high school don't watch videos designed for K-3 students. (Via Free Tech for Teachers)

"NY Times writers collaborated with the Common Sense Media writer Kelly Schryver to focus on the increasingly important and nuanced question "Who Are You Online?" Times and Learning Network content as well as offerings from Common Sense Media's K-12 Digital Literacy and Citizenship curriculum for teaching and learning about this complex issue." Lots of avenues to take this material in working with students.

Edutopia post on Project Based Learning & embedded video of Yong Zhao presentation at ISTE 2012, June 26, 2012.  "What makes someone successful in the 21st century is definitely not your ability to memorize facts. What will make someone successful is your relentless capacity to innovate, to create. It's your ability to network, to make friends from your own circle and from other countries. It's your ability to see through challenges, to look for opportunities in problems, and to take action to change things instead of waiting for someone else to do something, Meanwhile, he added, the U.S. is focusing on the wrong goal by aiming for higher standardized test scores. "Fixing the horse wagon won't get us to the moon," he said, referring to the current educational system as a holdover from an outdated era. 

"The PLN Matures. The Progression of the 21st Century Personal Learning Network" - learn how some educators are growing in good educational practice & collaboration and the process that is taking place in that development. Excellent post!

"How is it now that so many adults are reduced to tears when confronted by an unfamiliar technology?" One answer is that, "We have learned to become helpless; most likely by playing the traditional game of 'school'." Our evaluations through PD surveys, conversations, and focus groups indicate that teachers feel they don't use technology because they don't have enough training. Tom Whitby advises educators hesitant to use the modern tools of today, to stop relying on others and take ownership of their learning and suggests this can be done through developing a personal learning network.

Dropbox is one of those tools that's an essential for teachers, admin., and students

This list is considered the "best of the best" by AASL and is comprised of free, user-friendly sites that encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. They also provide a foundation to support AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. The sites offer tools and resources in content collaboration, content resources with lesson plans, curriculum sharing, digital storytelling, managing and organizing, and social networking and communication.

Ready for the next generation of textbook creation that utilizes good pedagogy? Imagine a living, breathing, dynamic textbook that offers different assignments for each individual based on their learning styles, allows for student-created work to be posted and featured based on accuracy/creativity votes and having students all around the world discuss content and share resources in real time through an integration with Google's new social networking service Google +.  Imagine all of this in a new dynamically changing interactive living 21st Century textbook ecosystem. Brain Mannix  would like to use the Blackboard/Collaborate platform as an engine to bring students and teachers around the world together to make this happen. Check it out!

Over 50 conversion choices - to PDF and from PDF to other formats online FREE

Will Richardson explores this idea: "By pairing personalized learning and technology, a teacher can help students learn what they need to learn through the topics that interest them most." How does "personal learning" fit into the structures we have in school learning environments?