PLN's What are they?
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What is a PLN? : A PLN is a personal learning network. It is made up of "PEOPLE and TOOLS that you can call upon for help, consultation." (Dr. Strange's blog instructions).
At first I had no idea what a PLN was. After looking into it some more I have realized that I am still VERY confused about PLN's. From my understanding, they are to be used a central "hubstation" of information to use throughout your career. The people and connections you make throughout your life become part of your Personal Learning Network and can become very useful tools in research.
I really enjoyed the video A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment because it showed just how well capable these younger students are, in using technology daily. It makes it easier for student;s that are starting out with this technology because they have had it their whole life. Think about it, if someone was born tomorrow, they may never know what a cell phone looked like because by the time they are old enough to use them, the world's technology will have been so far forward. I love that young students know how to use a PLN and create lasting friendships/relationships that are studious and knowledgeable. When I was about 16 "Twitter" was just a fun little status updating tool. Fast forward 5+ years and it is now one of the world's largest growing social media base, and used by MILLIONS every day. I wonder how many of those users are younger than 18, and a step even further, I wonder how many are older than 21 and are educators. These things are great tools we need to keep being taught how to use effectively!
As far as my progress goes for my own PLN, I am still working. First I have to sit down and think about what I am researching and then whom I will contact I have been using Twitter for a pretty long while. I never thought it could be used in my own Personal Learning Network, but now that I do, I will probably begin following more teachers and students to see how they use technology and I can learn from them.
Using technology and these PLNs like this is so important right now because it allows us to set up our future classrooms and our future relationships to use for studies. I will be looking more into using other social medias aside from Facebook and Twitter to use in my PLN.
Jennifer, I am also still not completely sure how PLN's work. I do know, that they are very important to us and our futures as educators so we need to take them seriously. I suggested basing it around something you are passionate about involving education. Is there something that you've discussed in class that you want to learn more about? You could use project based learning or technology in schools. Make sure it is something you care about because the more you want to know about the subject, the easier it will be to search and get involved with your topic.
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