What is PLN? It's a thread of networking, where as Tom Whitby states "Each individual educator becomes a potential source of information."
What is a constitutes a thread?" One connection, a follower, a blogger, a person on Google + leads a thread, a link out to other who share a particular interest you have professionally. I see it as a massive spider web of helpers, those helped, guiders, followers, teachers and followers.
Through a tweet I came across this article, From Edutopia "A PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time. Participating educators, worldwide, make requests and share resources."
After reading the article from Edutopia and tweeting to share with others, I have realized the following the benefits of developing PLN can be 4 BIG C's!
- -CONNECT
- -COLLECT
- -COLLABORATE
- -CREATE
These big C's have shown me the how PLN will radically change your once limited access to new ideas, connections now to a global level! It's a process that requires time, effort and patience. Just within the first Edchat @NT2t, I realized that in order to stay up with the conversation, you need to be digital literal, know how to tweet quickly, know how mentions will be beneficial and necessary. There are live people on the other end there to inspire, guide you and teach you! I found that during this Edchat I felt, "connected" in more ways than one. Connected to other individuals on a human level, and also knowing that there limitless resources to help to improve your career. Being a teacher requires consistency, clear vision, creativity and a constant willingness to change. I can easily see how social networks can either be too overwhelming, because that was my initial thought. In order to counteract that feeling of overwhelm, balance and discernment will be key. Moving forward, I will learn to understand what I should learn and how I should apply it.
The first C, Connection, is the first step, it was wild to see how having a new follower brought me from thread to thread, first their blog, then to a friends blog and then I tweet and post on Google +, before I know it I have created a know I have created link in that massive social spider web for my new tweet follower. It was mind boggling to realize through the Edchat, the cofounder of Magic Schoolbus and Goosebumps was in that chat! Through that interaction, I went onto his blog, found some inspiration and ideas there and posted on my Google+!
Here's a real live example of "C" collaborate, Through the tweeter EdChat, I will now chat with a Google certified teacher about getting our school onto Google Education! That will transform the way the school I work at operates! She will know directly e-mail me and we will move forward on getting our school running with more technology.
I view tweeter as the spark plug that lights up connections that bring you to resourceful blogs, videos, etc. The benefit of tweeter is the life and active interaction of it! Through my light up connections, I found Feedly to be helpful to put all of my blogs into one place, it's a nice consolidation. Feedly is a very convenient way to stay up to date on any subscribed blogs, I found that tool to be extremely helpful. I subscribed to a blog "The Creative Classroom" and through this blog I learned a new speaking strategy tool. In fact it has become a routine activity.Through commenting on a a a blog regarding a frustration I experience in the teaching foreign language on ensuring total participation, the blogger responded back to my question and for some reason this shocked me to understand there is actually someone on the other end willing to give you a hand, to give you advice! Not only did she answer my questions, there are downloadable templates that I can customize for my classrooms.
The interaction with "The Creative Classroom" helped me to understand techniques to structure a classroom with focused goals and activities that bring in real life experience. It was inspiring to see that such strategies do work and that these people are willing to help you get there. Creating a link to credit the blogger is a great way of spreading the information and growing the network, I have subscribed to many blogs via link and reference. Because I was interested in "The Creative Classroom" whoever that blogger was following, I trusted that it would be another good resource. I would highly recommend blogs as a way to share knowledge and allow for instruction to others. I think it would also be a great tool for students to know how to create a blog, find blogs that are a useful resource for them, just as I do with other teachers.
The only challenge for all of the PLN sources is unwillingness to change, pride (not willing to learn from others) and over stimulation. Ah yes, you must become digitally literate to be able to navigate through tweeter chats. I still don't fully understand how mentions work, verus DM (direct message)...that will come in time, for sure. Social media needs to be properly harnessed to be able to absorb all the information and apply it in a balanced manner. Depending on what kind of person you are, one can fall easily into fascination with the social media tool and distracted with the plethora of information, etc. So it's a double edged sword, the information and knowledge is out on the web to guide you and help you grow professional. Use what works for youand take it all in pieces and steps. Bit by bit.
SNAGIT ZONE!!!
My Feedlys!
BLOG POSTS!
POST ON GOOGLE + Community
6 TWEET FOLLOWINGS
RETWEET 2x
HASHTAG
Edchat @NT2t
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