Blog Post 5. PLN's What are They? 1

What are Personal Learning Networks (PLN)?
Personal Learning Networks seem to be the best way to connect with people and tools that you can use when you need help, someone to talk to, and collaboration for new ideas. Teaching in the 21st century you have to be up-to-date on all the technology children are using. Incorporating this into your every day classroom prepares them for the future. If the students are already ahead of our generation, how can we better ourselves to teach effectively? Through PLN's you can ask questions, find websites, blogs, and get help in a matter of seconds. As teachers it is important that we continue to learn.

In Vicki Davis's blog, Personal Learning Networks Are Virtual Lockers for Schoolkids she states, "A PLN becomes a student's virtual locker, and its content changes based on the student's current course work". She explains how her students use iGoogle to help organize their their research. "Constructing a PLN is the essential skill that moves my students into the driver's seat of their own learning.", Davis Says.

If teachers want to be effective in their classrooms creating their own PLN is the way to do just that. Using sites like Edutopia, Creating and PLN with Web 2.0 Tools, and Twitter to form your own personal learning network. It can link you with more people and new ideas. Everyone, teachers and students, can be thinkers and investigators.

How can they help you as a teacher? How are they formed?
There are many ways to form a personal learning network. Dr. Strange has said that Twitter is a very good source. He provided us with links to sites that help you organize those PLN's, Symbaloo and Netvibes, as well as a list of helpful educators and their twitter namesProject 6.

They can help you be a learner yourself, as well as teach your students to look farther than just what google has to offer. It can connect you and your students all over the world. They can make skype calls with scientist who can explain their questions, they can email professors to get more information, and they can even send a quick tweet and wait for a response. The students stay engaged and interested with all the different resources they now have access to.

Who will be the first additions to your PLN?
I have already created a twitter account, separate from my personal one, just for connections in the more professional education world. I have added Dr. Strange, Dr. Vitulli, EDM310 Staff Members, classmates, authors, Education Weekly, edu blogs, and many others. I have enjoyed looking through my TweetDeck at what people post. They usually have links and helpful hints. Although, I am just starting my PLN it has already been helpful. I am excited to add to my personal learning network, especially when I do need help or ideas in my higher education classes.