Blog Post #6

A Personal Learning Network is made up of any person or tool that can help an individual learn and succeed. Almost anyone can be in a PLN. As children, before we are in school, our parents make up our PLN. As we grow and move through life our PLN changes. Teachers, advisors, professional contacts, and even peers can all be a part of a PLN.

Personal Learning Networks can be very helpful in any profession. Teaching is very creative profession, and a PLN can help teacher come up with new, creative ideas for the classroom. Also, education is always evolving, and it is very useful for a teacher to have a PLN in order to make sure he or she understands new laws or standards. A PLN can even be used to help solve problems in the classroom.

Perhaps the easiest way to establish a Personal Learning Network is through the internet and social media. With the internet we literally have the entire world at our fingertips. At the click of a mouse a teacher can communicate with a colleague via email in another city or state. Another way to establish and maintain a PLN is social media. With social media, we can be connected to anyone in the world. It really is a great tool when it's used responsibly. My PLN will being with my professors from college and maybe some of my classmate. Watching this video with Steve Anderson can be really helpful when thinking about building a Personal Learning Network.

Building Your PLN
Creating a PLN with Web 2.0 Tools