PLN Response

What is a Personalized Learning Network? … My Experience

A Personalized Learning Network (PLN) can be a tremendously useful tool for anyone! According to TeachThought, a PLN is “a way of describing the group of people that you connect with to learn their ideas, questions, reflections, and references.” It is a fantastic way to acquire new skills and knowledge under one’s own area of choice!

Through the guiding of this week’s assignments, I was able to create a foundation for my own PLN! Since I am looking to be a teacher and a coach someday, I was looking for some wisdom and inspiration within the areas of education, mathematics, coaching, wrestling, and spirituality! These five areas make up a large portion of my future in my career as well as my life in general!

This is an example of a tweet that I found that fits right into my PLN!

Can technology support better test scores? With the right training it can. Middle school math teachers who participated in only two PLI trainings saw a 6% improvement by their students on the math section of their state standardized tests. https://t.co/AyJSHMZSVT

— ICT NETWORK SYSTEMS INC. (@ICT_NETWORK_SYS) February 12, 2019

Since a major part of one’s PLN is founded online, I took a generous amount of time to follow appropriate individuals on my Twitter and Feedly accounts! In just the time that I spent following these accounts, I have already stumbled across some valuable information and material that I plan on implementing in the classroom and on the field of competition! I am looking to continuously build upon my PLN so that I can keep growing in my career field and as an individual!

I also learned from experience and from reading “How to Cultivate Your Personal Learning Network” that our PLN’s are not just merely following other experts and co-learners, but also interacting with them! Research, reflections, asking questions, follow-ups, sharing information, consistent fine-tuning, and providing feedback are all essential components in maintaining an effective PLN! The more time, effort, and energy you put into your PLN, the more it will give back to you!

In the work that I have put into my PLN so far, I can already see some fine-tuning that needs to occur. Some of the accounts that I chose to follow might not have my best interests in mind or are just simply not worth my time to follow. They seemed like valid candidates from the get-go, but deeper research should be done to determine whether or not they are worthy of my attention.

Continually feeding my PLN should be a priority as well. Engaging with my network will not only help others, but myself in the process too. Asking and answering questions, providing feedback, and sharing quality information should all be done to help cultivate my PLN to its fullest extent! Retweeting, sharing blogs, commenting on material, following new people, unfollowing unsuitable people, and replying to fellow comments are all tangible ways in which I look to refine my PLN!

Hopefully, with this work, not only will I find inspiration from others, but also provide inspiration to others seeking it! Personalized learning networks can be a phenomenal resource for those looking to improve within their desired area of choice. It takes some work to create and maintain one, but in the long run, the benefits far outweigh the costs!