Blog Post #5

Personal Learning Networks (PLN)
What are Personal Learning Networks (PLN)? How can they help you as a
teacher? How are they formed? How can you create your own PLN? Who will
be the first additions to your PLN?

The term PLN is very new to me because I have never heard of it before. After watching a few videos and reading about personal learning networks, I now understand how helpful they can be in broadening someone's learning horizon. According to my EDM310 teacher, John Strange, a personal learning network is those people, places, organizations and activities which enable you to learn. Project 6 - Developing A Personal Learning Network EDM 310 - Fall 2009. Basically, everyone is able to be in your personal learning network and some may say that you have always had your own PLN and not even realize it. Ever since all of us were little we looked for other people, whether it may be our parents, teachers, siblings, we looked to them for guidance and to teach us new things.

Personal Learning Networks can be extremely valuable and helpful for teachers! Obtaining a PLN gives you freedom to learn beyond your everyday circle of family, friends, educators, peers, and coworkers. Especially when you have established a personal learning network that involves the internet. The use of the internet is endless and so is the opportunities to learn new and exciting things. One great example of how teachers can expand their personal learning network is using Twitter. I never would have thought to use Twitter to help broaden my learning because I merely just use it to keep up with friends and to see news. I understand now though, that Twitter can be a powerful tool to use to find educators, experts, and others related to any given subject that I can contact in some way to learn more and collaborate with.

Here is a list of ways that educators are using their personal learning networks found on Once a Teacher…:
"– 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"

In order to create a personal learning network you must look for people and places that will help you learn. You can do this by using the internet to search topics that interests you. Searching will lead you to finding people who are well educated on the subjected and also those who are interested as well. Searching may lead to finding people on Twitter, Facebook, blogs about the subject, websites solely for the subject, etc. and then you can start connecting to those people and resources.
My first additions to my personal learning network will have be educators and teachers that I find on twitter. I plan to search and follow new people who have interests like me and others who are involved in education.