PLN otherwise known as Personal Learning Network. What is PLN and how does it connect to a future teacher? Well, I am here to answer these questions!
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>True … you are a part of my personal learning network because I put you there. Your voice has a value in my learning journey. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/satchat?src=hash”>#satchat</a></p>— Dennis Dill (@DennisDill) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DennisDill/status/855749399913390080″>April 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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PLN is broken down into three parts. 1. Personal 2. Learning 3. Network. These things all combine to make something that influences our lives everyday. General PLN is a way to connect with people to learn from their stories and resources but we will be going a little deeper.
The first part is personal. This is a personal network because you are able to pick what you see. Just like Twitter, you pick who you follow and see what they post. You pick these people because their posts interests you and possibly share the same interests.
The second part is learning. The things you choose to follow or read influences your learning. Your learning is what your network is based on. What interests you? What do you want to know? This is all based on the subject you are trying to learn about.
The third part is the network. The network basically connects everyone to each other. Going back to Twitter, whoever follows you is connected to you on a network basis.
*These points are explained in greater detail from Teacher Challenges*
How can a teacher use PLN? The internet is an amazing place and it is awesome how much access we have to different resources. We are able to communicate and share ideas with a variety of people from across the world. We are able to take different tips and experiences from others so we can incorporate them into our own classroom.
One website I use for this is Pinterest. I can proudly say I am addicted to this website. This site has things called “pins” which is pretty much a link to a website/blog. There is a variety of topics to search for from tattoo ideas to book recommendations. Pinterest can be used by anyone! One board on my Pinterest is called “Teaching”. From the title, you can safely assume it is about teaching. I use this board to save pins about classroom management, different subjects to teach, and different projects to try with students. Some of these pins are just pictures that explain the post but when clicking some, it will take you to a blog that explains the topic! With Pinterest, you are able to choose what you look up and what you see on your feed. I would recommend Pinterest to anyone that has a social media. Pinterest is able to connect to everyone.
Steps to build my PLN:
- Take more time in what I read online.
- Choose who I follow carefully.
- Begin sharing my own experiences.
What are some of your steps for PLN? Comment below! 🙂
-Rachel
Rachel's Mind 