If you do a search of the term PLN you will be directed to some interesting websites…most of which do not pertain to the focus of this blog. When I say PLN I mean Personal Learning Network. A PLN is not the same as a PLE but in some ways they do compliment one another. Ironically, during my first MET course, ETEC 511: Foundations of Ed. Tech, I contributed to the on-going class wiki by adding information on Personal Learning Environments (PLE). It looks as though my learning, and my interests have come full circle.
In my original research I looked at how students could use PLEs to document their learning in an online platform – think e-portfolios! (Interestingly enough, the other course I am currently completing is ETEC 590 which offers a capstone opportunity for teachers and focuses on creating an e-portfolio of my MET experience). But I digress.
What a PLN is essentially is a network. That’s obvious; it’s in the name. But a network of who? or what? Will Richardson, in his recent book, Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education, defines them as ‘a set of connections to people and resources both offline and online who enrich our learning” (2011, p. 2) Flanigan (2011) describes PLNs as “teacher-driven, global, support networks”. I like the combination of the two definitions as they suggest the empowerment that comes with creating your own PLN, while recognizing the power of external supports.
When I think of my own PLN, I think about people, people that I know, people that I call, or see at meetings, or conferences. But in such a global world, a world that has been opened up by the web, I realize that my thinking is limited. I have to go beyond the people I see every day and instead start to create a network of people and resources that I can not only access, but communicate with, on a regular basis to enhance my learning and my students’ learning as well. This is where the web becomes unquestionably critical.
If you click on the image below you will see a snapshot of my current PLN, as I begin this journey. Notice that there are a lot of links but the links are not connected. I have made some connections with some people and some web sites and social media tools but they are all one way connections at this point. The connections are not inter-connected; I believe, this is the piece that is missing. The piece that this course will help to solidify. If solidification is possible in the read/write world in which we live and learn.
Click on the map above to see a larger version. If the map is too small once opened remember you can always click on ctrl key and the + key to enlarge it.