Sunday, February 15, 2015

Blog Post #5

PLN what are they?

This picture has logo's popular personal learning networks. In the center is a picture of a woman. Branching out from her picture are the seperate categorizes: Search engines, reference tools, bookmarking, social networks, and learning communities. Each of those branch out further to so the logos of the networks.


A PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time. (http://www.edutopia.org). PLN's are fantastic for teachers to use to consult with other educators or experts. No one knows everything so PNL's are a great way to tap into other peoples knowledge to better yourself as a teacher. 

 Dr. Mark Wagner offers some great tips on how to form your PLN at Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips. His first tip is to connect. Leave comments on blog post or podcast. Sitting back and just read, watching, or listening is not enough. You need to be present and engaged. Second is to contribute. Share your knowledge and your struggles with others. Your contributions are valuable to people who do not have the same experience as you. Be patient, building a good PLN sometimes takes time so don't give up if you don't get a response immediately. Another great tip he gives is to be authentic. Anyone can copy someone else but no one has your exact experiences, knowledge, or point of view so share it with others.

 You can begin to create you own PLN through a number of ways. Twitter, Pinterest, Classroom 2.0, and Linked in are all great networks to use to start your PLN. All you have to do is sign up, look around to find other educators who you find interesting, and then follow/add them. Over time you will find more people to add to your PLN and hopefully others will add you to theirs. My first additions to my PLN will be Vicki Davis, Mary Beth Hertz, and Lisa Dabbs. 
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 22, 2015 at 6:41 PM

    Paige,

    I also found the 10 tips from Dr. Wagner to be useful. Especially authenticity. In todays society it is so easy to create something using someone else's work. There's so much more reward behind creating something of your own. I am all for showing the world what you know, not what soemone else already has.
    You did a great job at explaing your insight on PLN.

    - Johanna

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  2. UnknownFebruary 22, 2015 at 10:52 PM

    Good job on explaining your idea on what a PLN is. I myself tried to use a PLN, but did not quite get the hang of it. You did an excellent job though and mentioned a lot of the major points.

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