My thoughts on my PLN

My personal learning network has opened my eyes to a variety of technologies and resources that can, and will be implemented into my classroom. Although it started off as being very overwhelming, it has become much easier to organize the more I have utilized some of these tools. In a day in age where new ideas are at our fingertips via the internet, I now recognize the importance of having a well rounded personal learning network. Along with the variety of resources it connects us to; it also connects us to people around the world that share some of the same interests as me.

As I sort through the new technologies and resources that I have added to my personal learning network; the tool I think I will use the most is Delicious. It’s easy to follow and its user friendly tagging features allows me to maximize the internet and personalize it my professional and personal needs. It also networks me with other individual’s with similar interests or professions. It gives me the ability to hold on to tools that I find, and also expands my ability to find the perfect resource for a specific unit. Delicious is set up in a way that connects me to the web in a way that is useful, efficient, and timely.

Using Web 2.0 tools such as, Pbworks, Googledocs, and Wiki have expanded my ability to work on group projects or planning outside of school. They allow me to share documents with colleagues that need editing or additions. I also enjoy the fact that we can create documents and brainstorm ideas from the comfort of our own home. In my busy schedule this really allows me to work on school related documents and brainstorms in a time period that is convenient to me. In addition, I also have already utilized the survey features of Googledocs and websites such as Survey Monkey. These tools have kept me informed and connected with what is going on in the minds of my students.

Another addition to my personal learning network that I have begun to use regularly is Skype. I have been able to connect with friend and family on a more consistent basis. As many of the tools that I have included in my learning network are for professional use, I also included tools that keep me connected on a personal level. Although I have not yet had the chance to use Skype as a professional tool, I look forward to implementing it into my curriculum over the summer. I hope to plan several virtual field trips that take my classroom to places that are unrealistic for us to physically go. I also want to link up with other classes within our school and better yet throughout the world.

With all of these great tools, I have also been introduced to some tools that I do not think I will use much. I do believe that Twitter can be used for professional development and networking; I just don’t feel that it works that well for me. I also feel that it is a little too much information for me and it can be difficult to sort through what is relevant, and what is not. I do enjoy getting updates from organizations such as NEA, but overall I do not see myself using this tool to stay connected with family, friends or other professionals that share interests with me. In a day and age when instant gratification is front and center, Twitter satisfies this need. So as I may check it once and a while for professional updates, I do not foresee an increase in my use of this tool.

The last tool I want to speak of individually is the use of blogging. I have been using blogging in many of my college classes. For this, I see a great positive benefit. However, with millions of blogs out there, it can be difficult to sort through the good ones and the bad ones. I do include some blogs in my PLN and will continue to follow them. I just do not find it as the best way to get information. I will more so look at it as a way to share ideas and hear what others have to say about education and the world in general. I am not sure at this point if I will continue to write in a blog.


As I have reviewed many of the tools that I have grown to love, and others that I have grown to try and understand; I am finding out that many of my colleagues do not utilize any of these tools. I have tried to expand some of these tools to my colleagues and some teachers are just not interested. Over the summer our school district provides many opportunities for professional development. I have put a feeler email out to see if any teachers would like to sit down and share ideas about technology and more specifically some of their favorite resources. This can hopefully start a collaborative effort to stay connected and better utilize some of the great tools the web has to offer. My hope is that this will open some eyes to the vast resources and the great benefit of developing a PLN. I have already shared many documents via Google docs and that has seemed to be catching on as we have several district wide documents being worked on using this tool.

I also have shared the idea of a PLN with my students and some have really jumped aboard, while others have not. If they do not buy into the idea of creating their own, I will still benefit form expanding my curriculum and resources thanks to my PLN. I have already used my network to find great learning tools and handouts. I have found videos tagged in Delicious that I have been able to share. I have given surveys about what the students are interested in to provide myself with feedback needed to better engage them. I have used Polls everywhere to get quick feedback on a book or movie. I have gotten very interesting feedback on presentations via the use of voice threads. As education is changing every day, I am glad to say that I am changing my teaching style and boundaries right along with it.