Assignment #1 PLN

YAY I finally was able to 'unblock' blogger from my schools filter! Finally I can post my first assignment for class!

I'll be honest, I recently have started decreasing my connection to the Internet ever since I started my student teaching. Knowing that students can find thing about me and everything being so public in a way "creeped" me out. Thinking that I'm not just going to start my own blog, but also starting my own PLN really rubbed me the wrong way. Once I started researching PLN my fears started to dwindle. I'm so excited for students to start searching for me so that they can see how to be connected in an educational sense. 

While searching for how to start a PLN, it was funny to first run into the road block that PLN also used for thePolish zloty. Once i started focusing on Personal Learning Networks the list became endless.

#1 -http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/04/5-things-you-can-do-to-begin-developing.html

 This site was helpful because it not only talked about the positive role PLN's have in the educational world, but it also gave 5 easy steps to starting your own.

1-Join a professional social network. 

2-Pick 5 Blogs you find interesting and start reading them. 

3-Set up an iGoogle account and subscribe to the blogs you selected in Google Reader. 

4-Become a part of the conversation and start commenting on the blogs you read. 

5-Join the microblogging phenomena by reading Tweets at Twitter. Start by selecting 5 well-known Edubloggers to follow and watch all the great stuff they have to share.

I think theses 5 are very similar to last Monday's class when we were talking about creating your own blog and accounts, then lurking, then joining the conversation, then starting to create your own conversations. I think the hardest part about PLN's will definitely be the time it take to keep updated not just to update your own, but to also follow AND continuing the conversation on others.

#2 http://edupln.ning.com/

This site, although not flashy, had a very basic and approachable layout that made the site very easy to navigate. The site was both a PLN and a resource for others to start and share their own PLNs. It highlights videos, podcasts, and individual sites. The featured blogs were helpful to browse because it gave me a sense of how others have created their sites.

My favorite part about this site is that it has a variety of groups that you can join. I think this is a site that I will keep in mind as I start my own PLN. It seems a very good place for a new-be like me. Also in past courses I have used "ning" (which is affiliated with this website) and it was a very easily and reliable so I think I will be able to use this site in the future. 

#3 http://www.tobincls.com/learningnetwork.htm

This last website is actually more of an "old school" blog post from someone named Daniel Tobin. Why I decided to mention this site is for the simple fact that this took the approach of a PLN in a business aspect and not just a teacher or education aspect. Also although I know of many social networks, and I would classify myself as "technology savvy" I have never heard of a PLN and this article was written in 1998.

Overall thought I liked how Dr. Tobin connects PLN's to the four stags of learning: data, information, knowledge and wisdom. The most influential part of the article was, "yd""You learn every time you read a book or article, every time you observe how someone else is doing work similar to your own, every time you ask a question. An important part of learning is to build your own personal learning network -- a group of people who can guide your learning, point you to learning opportunities, answer your questions, and give you the benefit of their own knowledge and experience." I think that it is important that we realize that both teachers, and students, are on the Internet most of the day and we are always learning, even if the things we are learning are useless.

Speaking of learning... I'm quite excited to see what I learn once I create my own PLN.