Journal #6: “Grow Your Personal Learning Network” (NETS-T I, III-V)

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-march-april-2009.aspx

Summary: David Warlick is an avid personal learning network (PLN) supporter and author of “Grow Your Personal Learning Network”. In his article, Warlick discusses the importance of creating, maintaining and learning from PLN’s. He states that it is “imperative” for educators to use PLN’s if they want to stay connected to the changing world. PLN’s offer educators great resources, which include; information sources, lesson plans, current events and trends, new opportunities, technology resources, and access to potential collaborators, all at a rapid pace. According to Warlick, there are three types of PLN’s; first, there are the personally maintained synchronous connections, secondly, the personally and socially maintained semi-synchronous connections, and thirdly, the dynamically maintained asynchronous connections. The major difference between these three PLN’s is the time (real time, intermittently, or independently) in which they are used to collaborate and network. Warlick concludes that a PLN’s drawback may be that it does not allow for easy cultivation of views and perspectives that are different from your own, due to the fact that most people in your PLN all share similar worldview ideas, goals and beliefs. Ultimately, in the educator’s realm, PLN’s are designed to help you network and have access to resources, otherwise unknown to you, to better the learning experience for your students and for yourself.

Question #1: What PLN tools have you previously used? Did you find them difficult to use and will you incorporate these tools in the future as an educator?

I am familiar with Twitter, Skype, Diigo, Ning, wikis, blogs, Google Docs, Google Sites, Facebook, IM’s, RSS, e-mail, and texting. Although I do not consider myself a “tech guru” most of these tools are very easy to use and I find myself feeling more comfortable and using them more frequently. I definitely plan to use these tools in the classroom, by either incorporating them into the lesson plans or using them as a means to communicate with students, parents and colleagues.

Question #2: Creating, maintaining, and growing a PLN can be time consuming. What steps will you take to make sure that you are not spending an excessive amount of time on your PLN, but still learning from it?

I was concerned that while managing my PLN, I may lose track of time and why it was created in the first place. Author Warlick advices educators to spend approximately 15 minutes daily learning, navigating and sharing with your PLN. I will make a conscious effort to spend no less than 10 minutes a day and no more than 20 minutes a day working with my PLN. I want to make sure that I am cultivating it while not abusing it.