After reading about PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) this week, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Maybe it’s because the end product of a PLN, a community of learners from around the world interacting regularly through various online platforms, seems so far away. It might be because I am just overwhelmed in general with all of my coursework, teaching and home responsibilities. So, as I embark on this journey of creating my own PLN, I need to take a deep breath and remember to take it one step at a time.
I suppose I have already started a PLN though my IT&DML program. I am regularly posting, reading, discussing and responding to colleagues in my classes. Most of this is done through Google+ and blogging. So, I’m off to a good start, but where do I go from here?
I have saved (in Evernote) Dr. Mark Wagner’s article “Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips.” This should be a great resource as I take small steps to create my PLN. I like how Wagner nudges us to do more (“Merely reading, listening, or watching is not connecting.”) I also need to interact with others, contribute ideas and ask questions in my PLN. As the only seventh grade language arts teacher in my school, and only one of two in the district, I see the value of creating a PLN. I am looking forward to taking the next steps and getting to the day when I wonder how I ever lived without a PLN.
July 28, 2013 @ 14:08
Agreed Tim. We already started our own PLN. Now it's a case of figuring out how to tap into..and draw upon the expertise available in larger, more established PLNs.