Social Learning
In today’s digital age, technology is becoming more of a primary network to connect with people in a given field. One way to make those connections is through personal learning networks(PLNs). By utilizing PLNs to expand my professional network, I can expand my knowledge of content and communicate and collaborate with educators and instructional designers worldwide. There are many benefits of using PLNs. I have been expanding my PLN since I started my journey as an educator and instructional designer. I have found some great networks to help expand my knowledge. That being said, there is always room for growth. I am always looking for new resources to help expand my PLN.
Benefits of Personal Learning Networks
Personal Learning Networks hold many benefits for anyone looking to connect with others or expand their professional knowledge. According to Oddone et. al (2019), “A PLN connects people and resources for informal professional learning.” (p. 103). One of the benefits of utilizing PLNs is that it helps people from the same field or interest connect all over the world. When I consider my PLNs, they allow me to communicate with teachers from different states and countries. This is beneficial because it allows me to stay connected to current trends and events in other parts of the world. I have been able to collaborate with other teachers from different states teaching similar content. Through these PLNs, I have been able to connect with veteran teachers and instructional designers as well as professionals just starting their careers. This has helped me meet people with similar backgrounds, as well as more experienced professionals. The PLNs have guided me to better myself as an educator and instructional designer.
Another benefit of PLNs is that they are mostly accessible anytime and anywhere (Haas et. al, 2020). This makes it easier to expand professional resources. It is not always easy to get leave to go to professional development events. It can be a hassle to take a day off of work to travel to attend professional development in person. With PLNs, you are given access to hundreds of professional development tools right from your device. I can access these resources at a time that is most convenient for me. This has not only given me access to more resources to better my career but also allowed me to attend more training. With technology constantly progressing, it is important to stay up-to-date with current trends. By having access to PLNs, I can stay current on technology trends. There are so many benefits to PLNs and having access to them anytime and anywhere has helped me improve my education practices.
Current Personal Learning Networks
I have some great resources in my current personal learning network (Found in Appedix A). When I consider the resources in my current PLN, many of the tools are social media networks. There are many benefits to using social media as a tool for PLNs. According to Pradeepa and Hema (2022), “Social media is possibly powerful in that it is universal and controllable.” (p. 20). I utilize social media daily in my personal life. By utilizing the tools I use daily as part of my PLN, I am accessing these resources more frequently. One of the social media tools I use is Instagram. I have a separate Instagram account for connecting with professionals in the education and instructional design field. I use Instagram to get instructional ideas and connect with others in the field. Similar to Instagram is Facebook. I use Facebook exactly like Instagram. One way Facebook is a different PLN is that I follow curriculum developers, so I can stay on trend with the curriculum I am using in my classroom.
Outside of social media, I utilize other, more professional tools, as part of my PLN. One major part of my PLN is educational blogs. These blogs allow me to follow veteran teachers and instructional designers as they share their experiences in the field. One way that I utilize these blogs, is by following content-specific educators or designers. For example, I subscribed to the blog “JD’s Reading Rockets”. This blog helps expand my knowledge of reading tools and provides me with resources to improve my students’ reading skills. Another blog I follow is “Class Tech Tips”. This blog keeps me up-to-date on current trends in technology. A more significant blog that I follow is “Education to the Core”. This blog has resources and content for all different subject areas. Another professional tool I use is Linkedin. Although Linkedin can be considered more of a social media tool, I utilize it specifically to explore possible job opportunities in education and instructional design.
Expanding My Personal Learning Network
Although I do have great resources in my current PLN, upon reflection I have noticed some areas that are lacking. Through my resources, I discovered three additional PLNs I would like to add to my network (Found in Appendix B). One way that I would like to expand my current PLN is by finding a blog specific to instructional design. While I was researching instructional design blogs, I came across the blog through the site “Talent LMS”. What drew me to this blog was that it had over thirty-four pages of blog posts specifically on instructional design. As someone just starting their career as an instructional designer, I still have a lot to learn. What also drew me to this blog, was that there were multiple contributors. I like the idea of getting to learn from a few different designers.
Another tool I want to incorporate into my PLN is podcasts. I love listening to audiobooks in my spare time because they allow me to multitask while I am listening. By utilizing podcasts, I can learn while I am working on other tasks. One podcast that caught my eye when I was searching was the podcast by “Elearning Coach”. Connie Malamed hosts the podcast and she has a significant background in instructional design. She has written two books, created a digital community for instructional designers, and created digital courses(The Learning Coach, 2021). When I was exploring her blog to find out more about her podcasts, I felt drawn to her as someone who could mentor me and guide my knowledge as I start my career as an instructional designer.
The last resource I found to expand my PLN was the Association For Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). I remember exploring this association during one of my courses in this program. By getting a membership with the AECT, I would be gaining access to publications, communities, professional development, and more. What drew me to this association was that it had different resources for instructional designers and educators. This organization would be a great resource to add to my PLN because of the vast amount of tools this would give me access to. I would be able to explore publications and network with other designers. This would help me stay up-to-date on trends in technology and instructional design. This would also help me connect with other instruction designers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many benefits to having personal learning networks. My PLN is constantly expanding as I gain more knowledge and access to additional resources. By utilizing these PLNs, I am able to connect with other designers and educators and expand my knowledge of the content. Although I have great PLNs in my current reservoir, my plans to expand my PLN will help me become a better educator and instructional designer.
References
Haas, M. R., Haley, K., Nagappan, B. S., Ankel, F., Swaminathan, A., & Santen, S. A. (2020). The connected educator: personal learning networks. The Clinical Teacher, 17(4), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13146
Pradeepa, K., & Hema, N. (2022). Enhancing Learning Technology: By Incorporating Social Media Platforms in Language Teaching Classrooms. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 12(13), 19–28.
Oddone, K., Hughes, H., & Lupton, M. (2019). Teachers as connected professionals: A Model to support professional learning through personal learning networks. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 20(3), 102–120. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i4.4082
The Learning Coach. (2021, September 6). The eLearning Coach. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://theelearningcoach.com/
Appendix A
Current Personal Learning Network
Appendix B
Expanding My Personal Learning Network
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