Diagram by: Alec Couros
I have only recently become more savvy in learning through my Personal Learning Network (PLN). I used to spend hours on the internet, hunting for information.
The old me:
- Googled lesson plans
- Rarely bookmarked
- Visited only my favorite resources…sometimes (Edutopia, T.H.E Journal,eSchool News, Teacher Tube, etc.)
- Only used Facebook for socializing
- Had a Twitter account because I heard about it, but I never really used it
- Wasted a lot of time looking for that “awesome website I saw a couple months ago, but I don’t remember what it was titled”
- Shared “stuff”…but only in my school
Now I:
- Still Google Lesson Plans, but I know how to use quotes and + and – now AND have you seen all the cool Google tools on the left?
- Bookmark the sites I need to access for work
- Use iGoogle as a reader to bring the information to me
- Follow my favorites on Facebook (Glogster, Edublogs, etc.)
- Use twitter to follow Ed. Tech experts (and more…)
- Use Later This so I don’t loose that awesome website that I don’t have time to read right now but don’t want to loose it…
- Share globally through my blog, google sites, classroom 2.0, wikis and more
- Jeff UTecht’s Stages of Personal Learning Networks Adoption
If you look at Jeff Utecht’s Stages of Personal Learning Network Adoption, I think I go back and forth between Know it All and Balance. I often find myself wanting to learn more and more and more, and then there are days when I’m all good and know I can tap in when I’m ready.
I think I manage my PLN pretty well, but I also know I have a lot to learn. There are tools out there that can help me manage it all better, and the best is probably yet to come, and then something better will come along.
What’s your Personal Learning Network like?
