What is a PLN? That is what I asked the first time I heard our professor, Dr. Strange, mention it. It stands for Personal Learning Network, and I've since grown in an understanding of its importance. William Chamberlain offers some great advice about PLNs on his blog. Before the internet, people still had a circle of mentors, associates and friends from whom they could learn. For many, because of limited time and a smaller sphere of influence, the circle did not include many people. With the internet, people can accumulate an endless list of respectable resources and access anytime again and again.
Starting my PLN was the biggest hurdle to overcome. If one hasn't already established a relationship with education professionals or if he, like me, has not been exposed to names of those with strong credentials for offering insight, a few simple actions can go quite far. They did for me. Let me share what I have done to get started with my PLN, introduce you to some of the people who comprise it, and offer you some of my experiences along the way.
(1) Start with someone you know and respect. For me, I did not have many education professionals to consider, and I was not about to adopt advice or advisors blindly. Who better than Dr. Strange? Dr. Strange has an extensive PLN; some within his PLN -- like William Chamberlain, Michael Fawcett, Jarrod Lamshed, Joe McClung and Kelly Hines -- are named and linked on his personal website. Add Dr. Strange to this mix of professionals and you've already got a valuable PLN. Since everyone has their own preferences and their own contacts, one can add to his PLN by borrowing some of the individuals others recommend and use.
(2) Open a Twitter account. Regardless of whether you are fond of Twittering, there is no denying its potential for enlightenment and professional growth. Many education professionals use Twitter to post quotes and concise thoughts; others use it to recommend links to interesting articles and websites.
(3) Search for Education-related RSS feeds to add to your iGoogle page. I've got a few really useful feeds: NPR Topics: Education, Educational Technology and US Department of Education. Occasionally, I notice an article on one of my feeds that is about something we have discussed in our EDM 310 class (like Google and its many, many wonderful uses).
To date, I have within my PLN a hodge-podge of Dr. Strange's contacts and some of my fellow student-peers. After leaving comments on William Chamberlain's blog and writing about some things about it on my blog, Chamberlain left me a comment. I have to say, it felt good. It is much like the reassurance I get after my instructor reads my blog posts and comments. Although comments do not have to say much, the fact that someone I esteem as an education professional has taken time to read my perspectives and to provide some favorable insight, encourages me to learn more, write more, and grow more. Although my EDM 310 class is nearing completion, I have learned the value of a PLN and look forward to helping it grow in months and years to come.
Great!
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