Recently I received a challenge from the Teacher Challenge blog (http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org) and because I benefitted so much from last month's challenges from the same blog, here goes.....! We have been asked to write a post about our PLNs. They mention the phrase 'What the heck is a PLN?' The phrase I love is 'PD in your PJs' because that is when I spend time with my PLN! A quote I came ac cross recently said, 'Technology is not the wave of the future, it is the tsunami of the present.' (by Janice Rolle) I am sure you may have seen a picture which has been circulating on emails showing the last minutes before the tsunami crashed - wish I knew its origin! Tho' it is a frightening image, for me it shows the rapid advance of technology. I have two questions foremost in my mind currently - 'Where is this taking us?', and "How do we keep up?" That is where my PLN comes in. They are my network of professionals with whom I share knowledge and they are the people who help me to keep in touch with my learners' futures!...I LOVE MY PLN! To be honest, I have learned more from my PLN than I have learned in a lifetime of teaching. So now, to summarise the make-up of my PLN I will briefly list how I connect to them and will share three examples of each.
1. TWITTER
My Twitter PLN has led me to so many amazing sites. I think that if I saw any of them at a Conference I would embrace them as long last friends even though I had only met them virtually. I love what Josh Stumpenhorst’s says in his blogpost about Twitter.... He even made a video about his Twitter PLN which I will embed here. It just sums it up, doesn't it! Twitter to me is invaluable. You follow the people who add value to your passion...and you GROW! Three Twitter friends who have helped my learning enormously are....
Here is a good post on how to use twitter as a teacher - http://teacherstraining.com.au/how-teachers-can-use-twitter-to-maximise-their-professional-learning/
2. BLOGS
I remember a time in teaching when you tried to keep all your good ideas a secret so that someone wouldn't steal them. Now, in the Social Media Age teachers invite you to take a peek into their classrooms in your PJs! I have all the blogs I visit collected in my Google Reader, and I love paying them a visit in the dead of night! I could spend hours telling you of all the ideas I have gleaned because they have shared so freely. The thing about blogs is you can visit and see what they have shared TODAY. Everything is so current. Three educational resource blogs I love visiting are....
a) LARRY FERLAZZO - He is so many interesting blogspots, uear after year. Here is one on PLNs - http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/12/21/the-best-guides-for-helping-teachers-develop-personal-learning-networks/
b) RICHARD BYRNE'S FREE TECH4TEACHERS
3. WIKIS.
Whew, there are so many good wikis to explore. Wikis are such convenient places to do projects, summarize what you are doing, and they are so easy to use - no HTML needed. Three wikis that I just love are....
4. PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORKS
These are springing up all over and they are of enormous benefit. They connect people together and one can always pop in and look ariound - and find such amazing stuff! My three favourites are....
5. WEBINARS. This is a fantastic way to grow. One can listen to the Web2 giamts from around the world on all sorts of topics. My favourites right now are:
a) Simple K12,
b) Classroom 2 close behind.
6. TUTORIALS ON YOU TUBEGenerally if I want to learn how to do something I go to You Tube. There are a number of good channels that you know will always have great stuff. My farourites are:
7. TEACHING WEBSITESGeneally websites seem to have faded into the diustance for me as far as a PLN goes, but there are still some amazing ones. My favourite of all time is...Richards...
8. SOCIAL BOOKMARKINGhttp://www.delicious.com/tag/pln
9. RSS FEEDS
10. PODCASTSTo be honest I haven't explored this avenue of a PLN but I want to start.
11. CONFERENCESOf course I love attending Tech conferences as you learn so much amazing stuff there. It is also a time to reunite with tech. friends from around the country.
12. FACEBOOK SITES
So, what should you do about your PLN? Get involved. Give in as much as you get out. Join, introduce yourself and make your presence known. Comment on good posts. Share your own perspectives. Spread what you have learned with others. Join Google Reader to keep all the blogs and wikis you follow in one spot. One thing I suppose I should warn against - with so much AMAZING stuff so easily available to us, it is easy to get consumed and spend hours exploring. This could lead you astray from other parts of your life that need a lot of attention. So, set yourself a limit of time, and don't follow everyone. Just follow those who speak to your needs at this time. Be selective and don't succumb to information overload. If there are days when you cannot get to Twitter or Google Reader, so be it. Balance must become a priority as you endeavour to keep up with the tidal wave.
Well, I am going to be giving a conference presentation on 'PD in your PJ' s at a national Tech conference in South Africa next month - so this post has helped me summarise the value of my PLN. As I said....I LOVE MY PLN.
