Group items tagged

This article gives a brief overview of PLNs but then gives tips on developing your own.

The author provides tips for educators to network and grow their PLNs. He likes to ask educators to consider the following 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? He provides some great ideas to expand your learning base.

As I begin to develop a PLN, reflecting on these three questions will be helpful. Including suggestions to expanding the network are equally helpful.

There are four main aspects to a successful PLN: 1. Tools - depend on learners ability level but commonly include social media 2. Connection - groups of people with similar interests and goals. There is no boundary for location of group. 3. Delivery - can be through any method the learner prefers 4. Opportunity - with the development of technology, this can happen anywhere the learner has access.

This wiki site was one of the most simplest definitions displaying the elements of a PLN: tools, connections, delivery, and opportunity. Tools allow the learner to use what is most familiar, connections provide the ability to build relationships with others, delivery includes how information is disseminated, and opportunity is when the learner has the time to practice.

This is a great site for someone new to PLNs. It provides a description of what makes up a PLN along with visuals. I also like the "growth" section of the wiki. In the first paragraph it discusses district PLCs. Many districts like to have vertical meetings, where all of the math teachers from elementary through the high school meet to see how their coursework aligns. These meetings are inconsistent because it is difficult to get all of the teachers out of class at the same time. Digital PLCs for vertical meetings would be a great way to allow for more constant collaboration.

The article discussed "connected learning communities" and how it is relevant in the digital age. There are three components (professional learning communities (PLCs), personal learning network (PLNs), and communities of practice (CoPs)) with these communities and different theories, experience and knowledge, effectiveness, anticipates growth or decline, challenges and dilemmas, and use of technology within each component.

The PLP (Powerful Learning Practice) model looked at three different learning connected learning communities to discuss what each one is, the effects on teacher professional development, challenges and use of technology to name a few. Personal learning communities, personal learning networks, and communities of practice were the three that were discussed. I like how in this article, Connectivism is tied into PLN's which demonstrates how these concepts of PLN's, CoP's, and Connectivism are interrelated. Within PLN's and CoP's, members are concerned about the content and "what they do" as well as interact amongst the group to achieve a higher purpose.

This article is fantastic as it encompasses all that we are studying right now! Each aspect was broken down very well and explained completely. I also appreciated that the authors talked about the anticipated growth, use of technology and value of a PLN, for instance. This is a great reference to refer back to later.

Connection between Personal Learning Network and the Constructivism theory. It explains how the members of the network are the ones that make the connection with another person with a specific intent that some type of learning will occur.

This article features an easy to digest definition of personal learning networks which includes a connection to connectivism in explanation of how PLNs work. The resource is made even more accessible in helping a reader understand the subject matter with a video and infographic examples of the authors own personal PLNs.

This article gives a brief overview of PLNs and the theories behind them. It explains connectivism and its role in the benefits of PLNs. It also gives two examples of the authors' PLNs in the form of graphics.

Summary: The authors of this article clearly prove that a learner who is in control of h/her own learning will benefit the most, especially if h/she designs and navigates h/her own network. A learner will learn whether the connection is strong or weak as long as h/she has: 1) a choice in what network is joined, 2) a true passion or interest, and 3) a flexible method of communication (could be in person or via technology).

This clearly follows the belief that personalized learning is beneficial to the learner. By getting to create your PLN you are strategically picking who to network with and the topics you want to be involved in.

In this article, the discussion of personal learning networks surrounds working professionals and how they manage their professional network. The article presents a model of personal professional networking with the goal of creating a personal learning network.

The study in the paper was interesting as it looked at K-12 educators and their use of Twitter to research, relate and form PLNs. Twitter and other social medias have allowed teachers to form networks that are specific to their needs and wants in terms of their own professional growth. In the "End of Isolation" the researchers findings touched on the fact that "over 82% of the time, the educators in this study chose to follow other educators or content experts related to their field of teaching so they were able to create a personal learning network meaningful to their professional needs." Now I just need to work with teachers at my school site to help them realize the individualized professional potential!

This study underscored the benefits of Twitter for the educational community. The article shared the advantages to new teachers in particular, where one participant stated it changed her vision and practice in the classroom. Very powerful!

Of all the resources I have read thus far on PLNs, this particular article forced me to think deeper and reconsider my interpretation of this concept. First of all, I found that the article provided a picture of the quality of interaction that can occur within Twitter. The data collected by researchers provides an in depth look at Twitter as a PLN - a feat that few other resources I have read have accomplished. By detailing the amount, quality, and type of interactions and connections, a tangible conception of a PLN emerges, even for someone who has little to no experience with Twitter. Of the 10 surveyed, a majority of their connections and tweets were professionally related. According to Nussbaum-Beach (video I posted), the difference between a PLN and a CoP is the familiarity of the people and the connection to an idea or problem. However, this study provides a different perception of a PLN that is largely professionally based with strong two-way connections. These conclusions made me wonder if it is possible for facets of a PLN on Twitter to transform into a CoP. Further, at what point can one argue that a PLN has successfully transform into a virtual CoP? Thanks for sharing. This was an excellent read!

This is a guest written article about creating a PLN. It has very good graphics illustrating a PLN. It also describes the different components of a PLN including information aggregation tools and the social media connections. It even shows the step for a beginner to get started including resources to use and also blogs to follow. Short and sweet and to the point.

Hi Cinnamon! Great resource! I really thought some of the graphics and links included in the article were helpful. The section on information aggregation and social media connections at the end of the article was especially helpful.

This article provides a snapshot of how personal learning networks work and their benefits. Torrey Trust explains that PLNs allow for professional development to be catered to your specific needs at that moment. Educators can seek instant feedback for questions or ideas they may share. She also outlines the main tools that make PLNs work, information aggregation and social media. It is a good article to for educators new to PLNs. It provides a good understanding of why PLNs are important to professional development and also explains the ways in which the information is shared.

YouTube video giving great reasons for the PLN, the role of the PLN and an overview of one person's PLN.  Gives one a pretty good understanding of the 'why' and 'how' of Personal Learning Networks.

I think the author makes a great point with the "two-way street" analogy. It helps differentiate the qualities of PLNs versus PLEs and reminds us that we can be a valuable resource in others' PLNs.

In this video, the author explains the reasons educators should focus on building their Personal Learning Networks. This guy is pretty funny and does a good job explaining why PLN's are important.

Video offers great description of the importance of PLN's and although there is a lot of discussion on ways to create a PLN, the importance of communication is highlighted as the key to a successful PLN.

This tutorial gives a step by step description of how to create your own PLN as a teacher. A 5 minute video provides the importance of creating a PLN and tools to use. There are various links on how to use social media to grow your PLN. Another list provides links to specific tools to use to help grow your PLN or join another PLN.

This resource does have some excellent resources. I look forward to exploring more of the how-to aspect in future modules.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of PK-12 teachers using PLNs for professional growth. The research questions focus on how P-12 teachers describe their PLNs, what teachers learn from PLNs and how they believe PLN activities affect their teaching, and how teachers perceive their participation in PLNs affect their students' learning.

Learning communities help to share the responsibilities of student success within a school system. Since PLNs require a shared goal, when used in a school it helps align the vision for students, teachers, and administrators. PLNs are a continuous cycle of research, planning, and implementation. They are data driven and reflected upon. Everyone within the PLN is responsible for the development and implementation of the community. When everyone participates it creates an environment of trust and expertise that can be shared equally amongst all of the members. The learning that takes place within PLNs helps to keep school systems aligned and functioning.

This was a very interesting article that really had me thinking deeper bout PLN. One specific line " Learning communities convene regularly and frequently during the workday to engage in collaborative professional learning to strengthen their practice and increase student results" really caught my eye. How does one find time for such intensive participation? Separate from that I like the idea of learning being a group responsibility and not just an individual one.

Hi Ryann, I love this article and how it chunks the topics into easy comprehension for the reader. Collective responsibility stuck out to me the most. I think this is so important whenever tackling a project as a team. The team is interdependent and I think its important for each member to take responsibility of their strengths that they bring to the table. Nice article!

This blog by Tom Spiglanin discusses what a Personal Learning Network is and how his was constructed. He discusses specific characteristics that he believes makes his PLN valuable and describes it as a hardware store, rather than a tool in his toolbox.

When I designed my creative expression on PLNs, I thought of keywords that were consistent in my research such as share, network, connections, etc. In this article, I found it interesting that the author described his experience as "on-fire learning." I found other keywords and phrases in this article that I can add to my list, such as global sounding board, camaraderie and support. When reflecting on this topic, it makes me realize what strength PLNs provide individuals and groups.

This discusses the importance of connected learning and all the ways one uses a PLN. It also talks about how the definition of a PLN has changed over time and how many of the original ideas are now obsolete but that the idea behind it all is still that it is about being connected and learning from others, and also helping others learn.

This article is a guest post by a student who describes her PLN. It is an interesting self reflection about how this student realized she had a PLN without ever actively creating it. The article goes on to discuss how she developed her PLN and the major pieces that are in it.

I love that you included a student's perspective on PLN. I particularly liked her perspective on Internet Safety. My favorite quote is one we should all remember, "Common sense is a valuable thing".

Bryan, I really appreciate this article. Maybe because I can identify with Conner Wood's journey into blogging and PLNs. His revelation of a group of people he can trust thousands of miles apart connected by the Internet and his desire to meet them resonates with me. Many times I have wanted to meet my own cohorts. Wood's reflection on the quality of his selection of progressive educators is not lost on me either. His desire to opening your PLN to a variety of fields mirrors my own. "One can have a network of the top people in one's own field, but if one cannot talk to those people about anything else, what is the point?" Pinging your PLN for the "personal" as well as "learning" seems a recurring theme.

A chapter from Carter and Nugent at VSU which has a nice phrase, "Personal learning networks are based on the premise that learning occurs through interaction with multiple people and in multiple contexts through virtual communities." Somehow I like that. It goes into more detail and explores the, 'abstract concept that is learning.' A big read which take more time to go through but has some effective descriptions. Moves on to CoP as well. A chapter to return to.

The article begins by addressing what a PLN is where a learner joins an informal, web-based communities and they create a network so they can learn whenever, wherever they would like. This article describes a PLN in the context of adult education and the role of the adult educator. The article describes what a PLN looks like. Last, it gives ways to help adults to learn in this type of culture and implications for this. As many articles do, this pushes for a change in education and change their model of teaching to fit this digital age.

Here is a book chapter that details the theoretical implications of using PNL for Self-Directed Learners. This chapter talks about the different ways that learners learn within COP/PLN and how this learning takes place formally, informally and incidentally.

This blog post is an attempt to discover the definition of a Personal Learning Network as compared to Personal Learning Environment.  Ironically, the author uses his PLN to help determine the definition. Great example of a PLN in action.

Excellent blog post in which the author ponders what a PLN really is. He asks for a definition and compares PLNs to PLEs. Worth a read and review of the comments.

This is a great site to get started understanding the benefits of PLN's. In particular, I like the fact that when discussing the benefits of PLN's the author, Education in America, brings up the fact that even though teachers are surrounded by students and colleagues, teaching can be an isolating experience. I've been there, and I know that having a PLN has not only made me feel connected, but also it has helped me share ideas in a more personal way.

I liked the fact that this site recognizes that "teaching can be an isolated profession"! Very interesting article.

I have to agree with the statement in this article about teaching being an isolated profession. I felt that many times and often wished that I had the remedy. In hindsight, I think a better network would have been helpful. Most of my time spent in a traditional classroom setting (face to face instruction) was as a lone teacher in a very small school. A better PLN would have been very helpful.

This is a simple resource that explains personal learning networks for those being introduced to it.

The first section of this resource is great for someone new to PLNs. It expresses how PLNs provide the tools and resources that allow for an educators continuous growth. I also like that this resource explains that teachers may still have face-to-face PLNs within their district or subject area. However, it is beneficial to have the digital PLN as well to allow for growth that can expand further and can be accessed at all times. In addition, this article emphasizes how it is important to remember the "personal" part of PLNs, you can adapt your PLN to your changing needs.