Content area
Full Text
What is a PLN?
A PLN is any group that helps you develop and learn. You may be interested in quilting, writing or cars. Or you may use your PLN for professional learning. However, a PLN is a two-way street. As well as learning from others, when you feel confident enough, you need to start sharing your ideas and learning, to give back to your PLN as well.
Your PLN can be facilitated by technology, be it face to face, or a combination of both. It doesn't have to be work-related, but in this instance, we'll look at PLNs for library staff for professional learning.
World-renowned educator Will Richardson says in a 2007 YouTube video that PLNs are:
... our own classrooms ...we can connect around ideas we are passionate about ... it doesn't matter where people are in a physical space, as long as we can connect to them and we can begin conversations about things we want to learn about (Richardson 2007).
Why do I need a PLN?
In the 11 September 2011 blog post, entitled 'Scooping means Curating', Tania Sheko, Victorian teacher librarian and Google Certified Educator says:
Developing a personal learning network has never been so important. Networking is a powerful way of having the best and most relevant resources come to you (Sheko 2011).
We know that many students are using technology in just about all aspects of their lives. Whether it be Facebook, Xbox live, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia or texting, children and young adults are connecting to the global community like never before. It's a way of life for them and they couldn't think of living any other way. If we are teaching these children, we need to prepare them for the world beyond school; whether that be after 3.30 pm or after Year 12, that means the online world. We can't teach them to be safe and savvy in theory. We need to be online so that we can experience the joys and frustrations of connectivity. We need to know how to be good digital citizens and to be good digital citizens in practice to teach our children digital citizenship.
Technology, education and life in general are all moving so fast today. To keep up with changes...