What is a PLN?
If I had to define what a ‘Personal Learning Network’ is, I would keep it simple and broad:
n. – the entire collection of people with whom you engage and exchange information, usually online.
Personal Learning Networks, or PLNs, have been around forever. Originally, they were your family and friends, maybe other educators you worked with, but as the internet and web 2.0 tools have become nearly ubiquitous, PLNs can include tons of different communities – social networking sites like Facebook, blogs, Twitter, wikis, social bookmarking tools, LinkedIn, and so many more. Basically, anyone that you interact with is apart of your PLN, whether they are social contacts, professional peers, or experts in their field. Most of the ‘learning’ takes place on-line now, because it is simple to find and connect with others with similar interests from around the world.
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PLNs have immense value!
So, why bother thinking about your PLN? Whether you’re a full-time mom, a full-time teacher, or a full-time student, your PLN can be extremely interesting and helpful. The beauty of people communicating online is the ease of finding and sharing information and – if you ask for it – the group feedback that you get on ideas and projects.
Here are some ways that educators are using their PLNs:
- Professional development – learn from content-area specialists
- Locate resources for your classroom, such as free websites and software
- Get lesson plan ideas from master teachers
- Learn about new technology and how to integrate it into your teaching
- Find collaborative solutions
- Find interesting links to education news
Students can also reap the benefits of tapping into their PLNs. Here is a wonderful video called “The Networked Student” that shows how on-line networking can enhance students’ 21st century skills.
When you have a large group of people combing through vast amounts of information and collectively identifying the most useful, entertaining, or valuable parts, it only makes sense to tap into this collective knowledge!
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Build Your Own PLN
If you’re interested in expanding your PLN, here’s a directory of some of the best web 2.0 tools:
| Category | Value | Examples and Guides |
|---|---|---|
| Social Networking | Keeping up with personal, more social contacts like friends, family, and former students | Facebook, Myspace |
| Microblogging | Populated with educators from around the world who share best practices and resources in short bursts | Twitter, My guide to Twitter, Plurk, Utterli |
| Professional Profiles | Find other professionals and experts in your field | LinkedIn, Brightfuse |
| Wikis | Community-monitored sites that can function as websites or for group organization and projects | Wikispaces, pbwiki, wetpaint |
| Blogs | Great sources of information such as classroom best practices as well as personal opinions; Blogs monitor the heartbeat of new trends in education and the commenting back and forth leads to many great ideas and relationships | WordPress, (check out my ‘Blogroll’ to the right – they’re my favorites), Blogger, Typepad, Alltop – top blog headlines by subject, Technorati – a blog search engine |
| RSS Reader | RSS means “Real Simple Syndication” – an RSS reader is a tool that allows you to keep up with many of your favorite blogs, all in once place (see this video ‘RSS in Plain English’) |
Netvibes, (My Netvibes), PageFlakes, Google Reader |
| Nings | Communities of people interested in similar topics, with forums and messaging | Classroom 2.0, Future of Education, Ning |
| Social Bookmarking | Share bookmarks with others, see what others are bookmarking; you can join groups and get email updates on new bookmarks | Diigo, Diigo Groups, Delicious |
| Webinars | Live, on-line presentations or conferences, with real-time chat, hosted by experts on specific topics; Great way to learn about new things and to meet new people | Classroom 2.0 Live!, EdTechTalk Live, Elluminate – host your own!, Dim Dim |
| Backchanneling of conferences | When there are neat (and expensive) conferences that you can’t attend, follow conversations and links about the highlights | Twitter search – use acronyms like ‘NECC’ or ‘SXSWi’ |
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What to Expect – Stages of PLN Adoption
There are certain stages that most people seem to go through when building their PLN before settling into a comfortable niche. It may take a little time, but you’ll eventually find that a rich PLN can elevate both your personal and professional life to new heights.
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7 Comments
May 5, 2009 at 6:53 pm
This is a nice approach to explaining a PLN. You are quite right. It does take time to participate and build, but once you do you have a huge base of knowledge.
Sometimes, I know just the person who can answer a question. Other times, I learn something that takes me in a whole new direction for the better.
Online learning can be very serendipitous. You have to leave behind the worry that you are going to “miss” something, because something is always going on! I’m so happy to have gotten to know you as part of my learning network.
June 25, 2009 at 11:48 am
Hey, great write-up on PLNs!
Every teacher today should know the best ways to access useful content online. Connecting with other teachers and content providers is the best way to help improve the craft of teaching and ultimately to help students I think.
I did my own PLN-alogy here:
http://teachersaid.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/the-constant-conference-building-a-pln-with-twitter-blogs-and-plurk/
July 11, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Great write up. I love how you broke down the web 2.0 tools and gave examples. Very clear for teachers new to PLN and web 2.0
August 8, 2009 at 6:45 pm
[...] other teachers. The One Comment a Day Project brought me many new blogs to follow and broadened my PLN. I hope to be able to revisit some of these blogs during the school year, although the demands of [...]
September 15, 2009 at 7:18 am
What a great explanation of PLN and their value! Such an important part of teaching today. We have heard numerous accounts of how teachers are relying on their PLN for ideas, support, and collaboration. One resource I would add for finding a PLN or adding to your PLN is http://www.facebook.com/iteach — you can search teachers there and the community is huge. Or find more colleagues at http://www.weareteachers.com
Thanks again for an always thought provoking blog!
September 29, 2009 at 9:07 pm
[...] choose how you use your personal learning network (PLN) [...]
November 20, 2009 at 1:06 am
I am currently working on my MA in Digital Learning in the classroom. Reading your post really made me understand PLN much better. I believe communicating and networking is so important in the life of an individual and in today’s society, the internet allows us to communicate faster and broader in many areas. Whether it be from a blog to twitter, each type provides different values, and as an educator they can be utilize to a tremendous degree. Thank you for breaking them down easy to understand.