![\"learn\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/libe477\/files\/2015\/03\/learn.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMy key takeaway after exploring all these topics would be the importance of creating a PLN. This is something that for a variety of reasons, I haven’t made a priority. The season of my life was so busy when I started my first teacher-librarian position (a 2-year old, a 3-year old and a 5-year old), that I fell into a survival mode, learning what I needed to to be successful in my job, but not reaching forward with professional development.\u00a0That changed when I started my diploma five years ago. The learning curve is very steep. \u00a0I can relate to\u00a0Dallas<\/a>, (Gillingham, 2015) who didn’t know what “ICT” meant before taking this course…I was the same for “PLN.”<\/p>\n I realize how important it is to keep growing, sharing and collaborating as a teacher-librarian. As mentioned in a previous post, I am a “yes” person at my school. This is true in all aspects except professional development. One of the main reasons is because most of the pro-d days are on Fridays, which is my job share partner’s day. What I have learned in this course, however, is that you don’t have to be at a pro-d event to network and grow. When you create an online PLN, the options are limitless, you can custom fit it to your particular needs and passions. This was a bit of an “ah ha” moment for me, and has made professional development more do-able for me.<\/p>\n Jean MacLeod<\/a>, in her blog, says that “PLNs are simply a Web 2.0 way of tapping into collective knowledge, and getting feedback from people with similar interests” (MacLeod, 2013). This makes sense to me. I like the heart picture she used above to depict PLNs. There are so many choices and paths to connect with others. The key is to choose a few tools and jump right in. No more excuses, JUST DO IT!<\/p>\n Here are a few online tools I have been using to develop my PLN:<\/p>\n The Daring Librarian<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n