A PLN is a personal learning network. In his article Footprints in the Digital Age, Will Richardson shares 5 ideas for how teachers can build their own network and why it is so important.
"More than ever before, students have the potential to own their own learning—and we have to help them seize that potential. We must help them learn how to identify their passions; build connections to others who share those passions; and communicate, collaborate, and work collectively with these networks...
But to do all that, we educators must first own these technologies and be able to take advantage of these networked learning spaces. In this way, we can fully prepare students not just to be Googled well, but to be findable in good ways by people who share their passions for learning and who may well end up being lifelong teachers, mentors, or friends."
Here are five ideas that will help you begin building your own personal learning network.
- Read blogs related to your passion. Search out topics of interest at http://blogsearch.google.com/ and see who shares those interests.
- Participate. If you find bloggers out there who are writing interesting and relevant posts, share your reflections and experiences by commenting on their posts.
- Use your real name. It's a requisite step to be Googled well. Be prudent, of course, about divulging any personal information that puts you at risk, and guide students in how they can do the same.
- Start a Facebook page. Educators need to understand the potential of social networking for themselves.
- Explore Twitter (http://twitter.com/), a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users to exchange short updates of 140 characters or fewer. It may not look like much at first glance, but with Twitter, the network can be at your fingertips.
From the November 2008 issue of Educational Leadership
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