Journal 6- Grow Your Personal Learning Network (NETS I, III, V)

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning & Leading with Technology (36)6, Retrieved from http://istelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Grow-Your-PLN.pdf

There is nothing new about PLN’s. Whether you realize it or not, we have always relied on PLNs for information and knowledge. The only thing that’s changed is the resources; the actual networks that we use. Instead of our PLN consisting of family, friends, and the media, we now rely on ICT’s (Information and Communication Technologies). We now have access to information worldwide at the click of a mouse. These new technological PLNs are imperative for educators who want to keep up with the ever-changing culture in today’s society. There is a wide variety of notable PLNs that are floating in the large ocean of the internet nowadays. The most popular amongst educators are Skype, Google Reader, Second Life, Mailing Lists, Diigo, Ning, Delicious, Google Talk, wikis, and blogs. This advancement of PLNs through technology is a pretty recent phenomenon and these magnificent sources just continue to multiply. There are three main types of PLNs. The first is the personally maintained synchronous connections. This is the classic method that exposes one to people who can help assist with questions and solve problems. A modern example of this PLN would be chat rooms, instant messaging, and even Skype. The second type of PLN is the personally and socially maintained semisynchronous connections. This source of PLNs is very relevant in today’s world. These are sources such as Facebook and twitter. They allow you to have live discussions with any given person and collaborate with people who nowhere in close to you in geographical distance. The third type is the dynamically maintained asynchronous connections. The first two types of PLNs connect you to people; this PLN connects you with content sources that one finds helpful. With his method you sign up for RSS feeds using an aggregator. Like blog feeds. Another commonly used PLN that fits this category is the social bookmarking service such as Diigo.

Question 1: What do you feel the most commonly used type of PLN is today?

Answer 1: I think that we use personally and socially maintained semisynchronous connections the most. The two most popular website/social networking tools in the world today are Facebook and twitter. Although the majority of people that use these tools use them for personal use, there is still a lot of PLN communities who use these popular social networks.

Question 2: What PLN source would you most recommend for future educators?

Answer 2: Between Twitter and Diigo, its pretty close but I think that Twitter has the edge. Along with following educational gurus, Twitter also gives you the option to chat live with people from around the world that share common interests. It also has live shows such as Live Class 2.0. There are just so many people who this tool that your possible sources are pretty much endless.