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New Technologies Can Keep You Connected and Help You Manage Information Overload by David Warlick

This RTNDF (Kent State University High School Broadcast Journalism) Listserv has been one of the absolute best resources I've had in my teaching career. The ability to ask questions to other teachers across the United States who are in my discipline, tackling similar problems/challenges has created, for me, my own Professional Learning Network. I LOVE this group and recommend you find a listserv if one is available in your discipline as well.

This article is from Ebscohost and does require users to log into Albertson's Library before accessing. This paper looks at shared social capital and what it means for teachers. It also looks at the difference and the benefits for teachers using online vs offline professional development resources as it relates to Facebook.

I was reminded that Google tries to rank sites for me based upon what it thinks I want. David Loertscher addressed siloing, which means your information group is too small and possibly too like-minded. Loertscher advocates that one should open your net just a bit. He suggests seeking diverse experts to follow on the Internet and identifies some of his favorites to gain a variety of voices.

Summary: This link is to a research paper done on the implementation of a Twitter supported PLN to teacher professional development. This was a study around the ways that a Twitter PLN can support teacher's professional development. I found this paper interesting because it outlined a few realities of PLN's.

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.

This is another resource that requires you to log into Albertson's Library using your MyBoiseState credentials. This article's focus is on middle school teachers and looks at the MSP2 Math and Science Pathways project. The project was focused on providing connected online experiences for math and science through the use of technology. It discusses how they used Ning and Wikis for collaboration and also presents some of the findings from the MSP2 project.

This article was found through Ebscohost in Albertson's Library and will require you to login with your MyBoiseState account to read. While this article is directed at school librarians the information applies to anyone that is interested in expanding their PLN. The article is written in an easy to follow format and has great graphics throughout. It discusses why you should develop your PLN and provides management tips on how to make your PLN effective.

Research regarding the benefits of being a member of a community of practice. While the information seems a bit forced (the communities of practice used for the study were exclusively face-to-face communities), the benefits of being a member of a community of practice still seem valid. According to the study, they are (1) autonomy and freedom to think beyond, (2) sources to ideas, (3) sounding board, (4) intellectual discussion, (5) like-mindedness, (6) alternative perspective and cross-pollination of ideas, (7) overcoming intellectual isolation, (8) move towards collaborative research, (9) response to research pressure, (10) synergy and leverage, (11) time and energy saving, (12) an informal ground for learning and training, (13) fostering of tangible returns, (14) driving research, (15) opportunities to met, (16) networking, information sharing and updates, (17) support and guidance, (18) sense of belonging, (19) identity, and (20) intrinsic fulfillment. As the article is about higher education, there are certainly some benefits that are more specific to their context, but I think the findings of the article are still valid.

Edublogs Teachers. This has a Step by Step process of how to create a PLN in just a few weeks. Very useful information given here.

Who can't use a step by step guide for PLNS? This is great. I can use guides for everything! I love quick breakdown and references that are presented in this blog. Thank your for sharing... I may be borrowing this into my diigo library! I think I now officially have a PLN to do list. Thank you for this find.

I love the step-by-step ease of this blog. Bookmarked this and definitely going to use it to my benefit!

Statistics on Teens and Technology from Pew Research Center.

LRNG is an organization who works with cities and organizations to connect students' learning with career opportunities, and to prepare them for life and work in the modern economy, by providing guidance and access to local and national opportunities, peers, and mentors.

This is one of my favorite teacher Instagram accounts to follow! She has awesome math resources and ideas!

Great idea to put a teacher Instagram account in the group! Instagram could work as an excellent resource to support a personal learning network for educators. I currently have an Instagram, but I don't post any school-related material. I will need to alter my approach to Instagram. Thanks for the suggestion!

This article explains how Online Multiplayer Games are the new model for communities of practice and how we as teachers should incorporate technology into our classrooms to utilize this networking capability.

MMOGs are a very interesting phenomenon to me. I took Dr. Haskell's GameBased learning course last semester. What a great way to engage students within COP and PLN.

This is a list I created summarizing the articles I found for the week 2 module in Edtech 543.

I especially liked the principal's reflection. There were sooo many examples of places to start. I think most people would be familiar with or able to set up at least a couple of these.

A great introduction to connectivism through illustrations. It shows the importance of employing connectivist strategies in the classroom so that students are able to strengthen the learning process.

George Siemens discusses connectivism and the importance that it will play in the future of education. He says that connections are more important than networks. He calls for a restructuring of the education system away from organized courses into open courses where learners explore and adapt connections to suit their own purposes.

I've seen this video previously and thought that Siemens has a great way of articulating what he's thinking and explaining connectivism. He has also done a Ted Talk that is engaging as well.

Preface: I am not counting this as a resource for my assignment, but I do think this page is awesome in that it offers so many established PLNs to join by category. If you are looking to grow or expand your PLN, this would be a great place to look.