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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN)




What is a PLN? A PLN is a way for you to make connections and share ideas and resources. You have one with colleagues that you work with. You can also have one online where you can reach and connect with educators from around the state, country, and world. Talk about a great resource!

Quotes about PLN's:
@kylepace:Because of this PLN,not only do I grow professionally, but I have made professional connections and friendships around the world
@wmchamberlain: #edchat a PLN lets us access the best of the best, not just someone close by. "Dont I deserve the best?" Gaston
@djainslie: My PLN opened the world to me 'the world is open'
@JasonFlom: PLN's flatten the world, removing barriers to collaboration, corroboration, and general camaraderie.
@wmchamberlain: #edchat a pln gives me hundreds of intelligent people to solve my problem. Whats not to love?
@cybraryman1: A PLN is a collection of interconnected minds that share ideas and information.

Functions of a PLN: Connect - Collaborate - Contribute

Benefits of a PLN: Teachers become: Aware, Connected, Empowered, Confident, LEARNERS!
(oh, and everything listed here is FREE!)

How to get started with a PLN:
  • Sign up for an account with one of the resources. Start looking around and find people and groups with the same interests as you.
  • Ning-Classroom 2.0, Discovery Educator Network, PBS Teacher Connect and Google Educators Forum are great places to start.
  • With Twitter - follow someone you know, like me (@daveandcori) and see who they follow.
Some other educators to follow on Twitter: @rmbyrne, @web20classroom.
  • Search for blogs and web sites that cover topics you are interested in and subscribe to them via email or RSS feed. See who they follow and blogs they subscribe to also.

Resources for PLN:
Classroom 2.0 - http://www.classroom20.com/ - Great site for 21st Century Learning
  • iGoogle - http://www.google.com/ig - custom, personalized start page
    • Google Reader - - read RSS feeds - embed in iGoogle
    • Twitter - via Twitter Gadget (works in school) - embed in iGoogle