Blog Post #5 Part 1

PLN's What Are They?

What are PLN's?
PLN’s are personal learning networks. You have probably been using them all along and didn't even know it! In Developing a Personal Learning Environment, Dr. Strange writes, “It is those people, places, organizations and activities which enable you to learn.” I have groups of people that I know or follow to help me with certain types of information. I also have different websites and applications that I use. Tying these sources together and creating a network is a PLN.

How are they formed?

In A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment, we learn how to use Symbaloo to create a network of applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Evernote, YouTube, and Delicious. The girl in the video has all of her saved information in one place. I had never heard of Symbaloo and decided to create an account. I think it is a great idea to have all your personal interests and information in one place.

How Can you create your own PLN?

You can create your own PLN by signing up for Symbaloo or Netvibes. Another way to create a PLN would be through Blogger or Twitter. In Michael Fawcett Discusses his PLN, we learn that following people on Twitter can give you new opportunities to learn, communicate and collaborate. I have also recently signed up for Twitter and have enjoyed following people who are interested in the same things that I am.

Who will be the first additions to your PLN?

The first additions to my PLN will be classmates and staff from EDU 310. I will also follow other educators on twitter and follow their blogs. I will be able to keep all this information together by using Symbaloo. On Symbaloo, I will add Facebook, Twitter, Google, Evernote, YouTube and more to keep all the important things I am learning about in one place.