Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Blog Post #5

I swear I'm learning something new in this class every day! And what a great start to becoming a lifelong learner.

I had never heard of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) before today and it seems very helpful for an educator in the new technology-based learning generation. A Personal Learning Network is somebody's personalized space dedicated to their professional relationships, research sources, and commonly used tools/gadgets to help them in their research. The sites such as Netvibes and Symbaloo contain many tools to help someone begin a PLN (I think that Symbaloo would be a better choice for a beginner). Through these sites, one can gather as many contacts and online sources as they can and add them to their page. Whether they need an answer immediately, or they want to save research for later, the data will always be there. A PLN is an ongoing project; it can always be modified by the user and that's what is so helpful about it. By exploring the links shared by Dr. Strange for this blog post, I learned that a PLN is never finished and it is never perfect. Our personal relationships shrink and grow all the time; and for teachers it's always best to communicate with others that share your same beliefs and values about education. In some cases, it could also be helpful to get a different/opposing opinion about something, so a variety of sources is crucial.
This You Tube video is a great introduction for learning more about what a PLN is all about and how to create your own. Thinking ahead, if I were to make a PLN for myself I would include some Physical Education/Health teachers that have made a difference in their community because that is my personal goal. By collaborating with somebody who shares the same goals the possibilities are endless!
A conncetion between two people.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Shelby! I was assigned to post on your blog this week. I have to agree with you on learning something new everyday in this class. I have never heard of a PLN before this class but it has really helped me organize everything that I use. Great Post!!

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