personalized learning at your fingertips: building a pln

Personalized Learning at Your Fingertips: Building a

Professional Learning Network

By: Torrey Trust

Agenda

What are Professional Learning Networks (PLN’s)?

PLN Tools

Information Literacy, Networking, Netiquette

PLN Overload & Survival Tips

New Age Teaching & Learning

In the information age, students must learn to navigate and evaluate an expanding network of information.

Highly effective teachers model this process of information analysis and knowledge acquisition by continually learning through collaboration, professional development, and studying pedagogical techniques and best practices.

What is a PLN?

A Professional Learning Network (PLN) is a flexible, teacher-driven activity space that facilitates personalized professional development.

Social Media Connection Information Aggregation

My PLN

Benefits of PLN’s

Flexible

Personalized

Practical

Real-Time Solutions

Instant Access

Benefits of PLN’s

Expertise

Reduces isolation

Increases opportunities for collaboration

Don’t have to reinvent the wheel

Best practices

Connected Educator Map

Information Aggregation

Staying up-to-date on new information by following multiple websites and news sources through RSS feeds.

RSS: Pushing Text from Individual Blogs to a Reader

Blog

News W

ebsit

e

Website

Information Gathering Tools

Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader)

Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/)

FeedDemon (http://www.feeddemon.com/)

My Yahoo! (http://my.yahoo.com/)

Comparison of RSS Readers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_feed_aggregators

Setting Up Google Reader

http://tinyurl.com/googlereadervideo

Education Sites to Follow

EduBlog Awards: Top Individual Blog List http://edublogawards.com/

Smartbriefs (Accomplished Teacher, ASCD, EdTech) – https://www.smartbrief.com/news/education

41 Great Blogs to Follow by Subject Area: http://tinyurl.com/41edublogstofollow

FreeTech4Teachers: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Social Bookmarking

Diigo.com

Join groups: http://groups.diigo.com/

Share resources

Receive daily/weekly emails with newest resources

Easy to add resources to Diigo (toolbar button) Can highlight resources, take notes, decide what to

share

Sharing Bookmarks with a Group

Social Bookmarking

http://vimeo.com/12687333

Social Media Connection Tools

These social media connection tools include: Social networking sites (Facebook, Edmodo, Twitter) Affinity-based group sites (Ning, Wikispaces) Real-time interaction tools (online chat rooms,

instant messaging, Skype, Second Life).

Featured Collaborative Tool

Edmodo (6.5+ million users) Join subject communities Create class groups (assignments, quizzes, grades) Facebook-style interface Quick responses from

members Personal library to

collect resources http://www.edmodo.com

Edmodo

http://tinyurl.com/edmodoPLNvideo

Featured Collaborative Tool

Ning Instantly chat with other individuals on the website Add & RSVP to events Join special-interest groups Listen to education podcasts Add RSS feeds to your profile page Write blog posts & create your own blog

Featured Collaborative Tool

Ning PLN’s for Educators: http://classroom20.com http://edupln.ning.com/ http://www.teacher20.com http://sschat.ning.com/ http://vodcasting.ning.com/

List of Networks: http://www.educationalnetworking.com/List+of+Net

works

Featured Collaborative Tool

Twitter Follow educators, experts, policymakers

Twitter4Teachers wiki Collaborative Google Doc of Teachers on Twitter

Share your own links and resources Join education conversations (see next slide) Share ideas, ask for help, receive feedback from

followers Connect with educators around the world http://www.twitter.com

Twitter Hashtags

Join education conversations: #edchat:  Over 400 teachers get together every Tuesday

at Noon EST or at 6PM EST to chat about a variety of pre-determined topics.

#Scichat, #mathchat, #engchat:  Talk with teachers who teach your core subject area (times vary)

#1stchat, #2ndchat, #3rdchat, etc.:  Talk with teachers who teach your grade level

#edtech:  Chat about all things new in educational technology 

View more education hashtags here: http://cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html

Tweetdeck

How to Use a PLN

Find & share resources

Connect with teachers around the world Collaboration opportunities Partner classes for lessons Ask for help/support

Solicit ideas

Share your voice

Learn from others (best practices/success stories)

Information Literacy

Ongoing process of sifting, organizing, analyzing and evaluating information and individuals in your PLN Start with well-known website/expert Look at number of subscribers and good reviews Look critically at the information Building a PLN should be a fluid process

“Crap Detection” – Howard Rheingold The Crap Test:

http://www.workliteracy.com/pages/the-crap-test/

Networking & Netiquette

Aim for building relationships NOT having 500 “friends”

Be a connector

Give AND receive

Build your expert credentials

Lurk & learn

Reach out (add friends, follow people)

Ethics & Privacy

What you post is permanent

Use the Grandmother Rule (would your grandma approve of your tweet/post?)

Don’t fear the tools, build your confidence

Understand the privacy settings of different tools

Resources: Facebook for School Counselors Guide.pdf Creating Social Media Guidelines for Educators How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your

School

PLN Overload

Thousands of blogs, websites, news sources to follow

Thousands of groups to join, discussion forums to respond to, and members to connect with

Figuring out social norms in the online space

TMI!

PLN Overload (Survival Tips)

Information Aggregation Start by identifying 2-3 information sources to follow

(including email subscriptions) Set a reminder on your calendar to visit your RSS

reader weekly

Collaborative Tools Try to connect with 1-2 individuals (via friend

request or responding to discussion posts) Ask these individuals about how to make the most

out of the activity space

7 Degrees of Connectedness

Rodd Lucier’s 7 Degrees of Connectedness Framework

Questions?

Thoughts?

Comments?

Questions?

Add Me to Your PLN

torreytrust@gmail.com

www.torreytrust.com

@torreytrust

http://edutechdatabase.wikispaces.com