Social media is a powerful tool, no question about that. Its purpose and efficacy, however, are debatable. Most people utilize social media platforms to stay connected with friends and family, and as a source for news and current events. According to www.wersm.com, approximately one-third of people use social media for networking.
Networking is the action of interacting with others with the purpose of exchanging information, either in a professional or social context. A professional learning network (PLN) is a collection of curated professional connections where you go to learn and share. PLNs are individual to each person; think of it as your own personal lifeline to ideas and philosophies that relate to your professional practice. Read more on PLNs and tips for building your own network on EducationWeek.
Social media platforms provide an excellent opportunity to build your professional learning network. Here are some of my personal favourites.
Twitter is also a great platform to throw questions out into the universe, or to connect with specific individuals. I saw one educator ask a class of grade 6 students, “In 140 characters or less, what is your advice to the world?”, then sharing responses on his own twitter. What a great way to offer a global audience for your students! Another example was demonstrated by @MyrcAward, where teachers were encouraged to share their students reading MYRCA books to win a free author visit by posting pictures and tagging the author.
Those are a couple of ideas I liked. This post is part of a series on building your PLN.
Feedly has become a one-stop news shop to quickly browse relevant topics and flag things that I find interesting, without having to open and check a bunch of websites. Are you using a blogger feed to curate your PLN?
Although my Facebook account is primarily for personal use, I make a point of following local schools and teaching organizations. I’ve also found a couple useful professional groups including Teachers in Manitoba and Scholastic Teacher Advisory.
If you use Facebook for both professional and personal use, be cautious of what content you post and what privacy settings you use.
These are the tools I’ve been using to develop my professional learning network. I really believe this is an important process to engage with, and aspire to be critical of what I keep within my PLN. Have some thoughts to share on PLNs? What tools do you use to maintain your PLN? Please share with me in the comments!
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| Graphic from www.wersm.com |
Networking is the action of interacting with others with the purpose of exchanging information, either in a professional or social context. A professional learning network (PLN) is a collection of curated professional connections where you go to learn and share. PLNs are individual to each person; think of it as your own personal lifeline to ideas and philosophies that relate to your professional practice. Read more on PLNs and tips for building your own network on EducationWeek.
Social media platforms provide an excellent opportunity to build your professional learning network. Here are some of my personal favourites.
1) Twitter
While I’m definitely still a lurker, not yet a contributor, Twitter is a great place to connect with other professionals and engage with specific topics. I’ve connected with local educators, content gurus and authors/organizations, all who share relevant information for my personal development and classroom use. Hashtags allow you to filter content for certain topics of interest, like #mbedchat or #myrca.Twitter is also a great platform to throw questions out into the universe, or to connect with specific individuals. I saw one educator ask a class of grade 6 students, “In 140 characters or less, what is your advice to the world?”, then sharing responses on his own twitter. What a great way to offer a global audience for your students! Another example was demonstrated by @MyrcAward, where teachers were encouraged to share their students reading MYRCA books to win a free author visit by posting pictures and tagging the author.
Those are a couple of ideas I liked. This post is part of a series on building your PLN.
2) Blogs
My go-to resource has become my feedly page, where I’ve been adding education bloggers to my feeds. Tech tips, reading recommendations, new instruction strategies … it’s all out there in the blogging world. If you’ve found an author with philosophies that resonate with yours, add their blog to your feed and keep up with new ideas.Feedly has become a one-stop news shop to quickly browse relevant topics and flag things that I find interesting, without having to open and check a bunch of websites. Are you using a blogger feed to curate your PLN?
3) Curation Tools
Speaking of curation, have you checked out Wakelet and/or Pocket? Initially, I started with a google doc to flag resources and sites that were of interest or could be useful in my future classroom. This document quickly became lengthy and difficult to navigate. Using an online curation tool has allowed me to organize things for quick reference and easy sharing. There is an unbelievable amount of content out there. To stay organized and avoid getting overwhelmed, curate your resources!4) Facebook
I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, and as much as their policies grind my gears, many of today’s parents and many schools use this platform to connect with their communities.Although my Facebook account is primarily for personal use, I make a point of following local schools and teaching organizations. I’ve also found a couple useful professional groups including Teachers in Manitoba and Scholastic Teacher Advisory.
If you use Facebook for both professional and personal use, be cautious of what content you post and what privacy settings you use.
These are the tools I’ve been using to develop my professional learning network. I really believe this is an important process to engage with, and aspire to be critical of what I keep within my PLN. Have some thoughts to share on PLNs? What tools do you use to maintain your PLN? Please share with me in the comments!
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