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Create a Personal Learning Network



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! And, it doesn't cost anything!

Lots of Great Resources on Personal Learning Networks

Resources on Social Media in Education

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. (see links below)
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.

My Personal Learning Network - find some people to connect with. 

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/tl_201001/#/10

http://sites.google.com/site/buildingapln/

http://www.edutopia.org/twitter-professional-development-technology-microblogging

http://sites.google.com/site/buildingapln/Home


Resources for PLN:

Ning - http://www.ning.com/ - host collaborative communities.

Classroom 2.0 - http://www.classroom20.com/ - Great site for 21st Century Learning

Educator's PLN - great site to use for creating a PLN

Twitter for Educators - interact - 140 character messages, conversations, share resources.

http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com/ - great place to find great people to follow.
Hastags - "#" - #edchat - Tuesdays at 12pm and 7pm ET - great discussion!
"@" is in front of username 

if Twitter is blocked at School, you can use TwitterGadget through iGoogle to access your Twitter account.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ - create your own page - connect with others.

Blogger - http://www.blogger.com/ - create and search for blogs to read.
Edublogs - http://edublogs.org/ - create and search for blogs to read.
Slideshare - http://www.slideshare.net/ - find, read, and post presentations.
Discovery Educator Network - http://community.discoveryeducation.com/ - over 100,000 participants, 
STAR educators, professional development sessions, blogs and more.
Delicious - http://delicious.com/ - share web bookmarks with others (and find some).
Google Educators Forum - http://www.google.com/educators/community.html - discussions about using 
Goolge's Applications in the classroom.
PBS Teachers Connect - http://www.pbs.org/teachers/ - discussions, resources, and more.
Professional Organizations - ex. National Science Teachers Association - http://www.nsta.org/ - most have resources, discussion groups, and more.
National Science Teachers Association communities - http://www.nsta.org/communities/ (NSTA members only)
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com - lots of great videos for educational use.
TeacherTube - http://www.teachertube.com/ - educational videos, documents, audio, and more. Also has a community discussion group.
Google Docs - http://docs.google.com/- share documents, presentations, and more with others. Create surveys.
Google Sites - http://sites.google.com/ - create web sites and wikis to share with others.
Wiki's - Wiki's are interactive web pages that multiple people can edit. It's a great way to have resources and ideas and let people add and comment on them.

WikiSpaces - http://www.wikispaces.com/ - free wiki hosting
PBWorks - http://pbworks.com/ - free wiki hosting
(Google Sites can also be sued to create wikis)

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


Prezi on creating a Personal Learning Network
http://prezi.com/9zmbybqvag5s/creating-a-personal-learning-network-pln/