Teachers

Your Own Personal Learning Network

Your Own Personal Learning Network
Sunday, 13 December 2009 15:45
Written by Jason Campbell

For several years, the concept of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) has widely conquered the web. Tech-savvy educators around the world are synchronously and asynchronously joining forces and communicating. Blogging, micro-blogging, and social networking have created a culture of "connectedness" whose insight, increasing knowledge, and experience has the potential to revolutionize the present education field.

Do you have your own PLN? If not, then it's time to get started.

A few basic tools/techniques are all that is necessary to start. A personal learning network can develop into a rich and complex resource over time. Here's a short overview of the three important components for building a PLN:

1. Social Networks

Facebook and Myspace are admired and very popular social networks that bring individuals together who share common interests. Educators who are seeking a venture into social networking, Ning may be better suited for them. There are Ning networks dedicated to nearly every topic possible. Join an active and recognized network like Classroom 2.0 and then branch out as your contribution and interests develop.

2. RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

RSS is a system for delivering frequently changing web content. News sites, blogs and other online publishers can syndicate their content via an RSS feed. Google Reader and Bloglines are among the more famed RSS aggregators. Sign up for an account and when you read a blog or other self-motivating and active content provider that you like, simply subscribe to their feed and let the RSS reader convey the web to you.

3. Micro-blogging

This is a form of blogging built on brief (140 characters) text updates. Presently, Twitter is the highly dominating micro-blogging tool and it's really easy to use. The stream of user updates creates a stable flow of information. That's why micro-bloggers build a network of individuals whose updates they choose to follow. The keys to success are following people who post interesting and relevant content. You should also be an active participant in the network.

Developing a strong PLN is a valuable and useful endeavor that will pay many times over for the time invested.

How can your personal learning network really help you?

It helps you to sort through all the data to discover the information that will be most constructive to you. In today's business world, we are all flooded with facts and figures, manuals, letters, reports, brochures, memos, and other printed resources that cross our field of vision every day. PLN's help you sort it.
It helps you discover learning resources and opportunities. You should find ways of sorting through the information that crosses our path. You can find that piece of data that is relatively significant to your work.
It coaches you and answers your questions. You can apply this knew knowledge to your job. This is particularly essential, since self-directed study, training, workshops, and personal observations produce so many questions. We search to plug that data into what we currently know.
It provides up to date information and wisdom in the course of discussion. This education comes from experience. It cannot be explained in a textbook, but must be personally demonstrated from one person to another.
Knowledge is a different type of economic good. Most economic goods if you share them with others you no longer have them. Knowledge however, you can share it with others and keep it. In fact, the value of knowledge increases when you share it with others. It builds the community. It's the snowball effect.

Building a personal learning network not only provides you information, but also helps others in the network learn. When you first begin it's difficult to know what to blog about. You can still do your part and make contributions. Have you read an article that might be of interest to others? Then share it with others in your network with a brief note that may help out others.

The most important thing is to start. A personal learning network can be your most powerful and educational learning tool no matter what the subject is. Knowledge really is power.

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