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April 9, 2018

Personalized Learning Network [VIDEO]

A Personalized Learning Network (PLN) is about making connections and building personal relationships with teachers, school administrators, university professors, and experts around the world. Learn some simple tips to help you get started in establishing your own PLN and access new ways to communicate, collaborate, and build community.

Video Transcript

A Personal Learning Network, or PLN, is a group of folks who can advise, support, and discuss topics that are
relevant to their work. Many teachers use PLNs as a give-and-take forum to offer help and suggestions and also to trade resources with other educators.

To create a PLN, your best bet is to join Twitter, and then search for topics in which you are interested.
For instance, I did a search on 21st Century Learning, Makerspaces, and Educational Technology. Once I found people who were contributing to those topics, I followed them. And then I followed their followers and even some of their followers. It doesn’t take a lot of time to create an impressive list to start building up your PLN.

Some tips I have learned from my PLN–

  1. Stay positive. Nobody likes negative chatter on Twitter.
  2. Number two, contribute where you can. Start by retweeting or engaging people with a question.
  3. Number three, you don’t have to follow everybody who follows you. It is customary to follow people who do share the same topic interests as you do.
  4. Number four, look for Twitter users who have fewer followers. They’re more likely to engage with you. You can follow the big names, too, but they likely won’t have as much time to engage with everybody in their Twitter feed. Be sure to– at first, at least– offer more resources than ask for help. Celebrate, pump up, and compliment freely. Share inspiration. If you found it meaningful, someone else will too.
  5. Finally, be yourself. It’s very easy to spot someone who is overdoing it.

Soon you will learn that your network is the place to go for new ideas and inspiration and you have a new place to share your gifts with the world.

Be sure to subscribe to the Learners Edge blog, and receive more teaching tips that you can use in your classroom.

Looking for more information on how to connect with great educators and organizations to establish mutually beneficial professional relationships for sharing ideas, troubleshooting, and inspiration? Enroll in Learners Edge course 5024: The Well-Connected Educator: Building a Personal Learning Network and access new ways to communicate, collaborate, and build community

Learners Edge is passionately committed to providing you with continuing education coursework, materials, and tools that will help you succeed in your classroom and in your career.

Offering more than 100 print-based or online courses for teachers, you can earn the graduate credit you need for salary advancement and meet your professional development needs. Contact us today to get started!

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