Who's in Your PLN?!?

Social media has become quite the norm in everyday life.  How many times a day does a person check his or her Facebook status?  How many times a day do people tweet what is happening or update their Facebook status?  It is likely that most people can pinpoint what their friends are doing, where they are and who they are with by simply opening an app on their mobile devices or checking in on their computers.

Herein lies the question?  Who is in your PLN?  First the acronym, like all other acronyms in educational jargon must be defined.  A PLN is a Professional Learning Network.  The term is a spinoff of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) that has become a mainstay in educational jargon and is based on the research of Dufour, Dufour and Eaker.  But, the PLN broadens the educator's professional horizon beyond the school.  The PLN is a network of educators connected through social media sharing best practices and ideas that have improved student learning.

Currently, the PLN is most utilized on Twitter because Facebook has become more of a real-time photo album or public journal for people to share with longtime friends, family and acquaintances.  Twitter is more impersonal.  On Twitter, one can follow politicians, comedians, celebrities, athletes as well as educators across the globe!  Often times, educators on Twitter have never met in person, but simply link to each other by viewing a hashtag (#) that has been created to categorize the subjects of specific tweets.  After finding the education based hashtag, the educator can choose to follow and friend as many fellow "Tweachers" as possible.  There is no magic number, but a blog by Steven W. Anderson, a technology specialist with the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, provides an excellent beginners "How To".

As Mr. Anderson states, creating a PLN can be a bit of trial and error.  Twitter is also not the only resource an educator can utilize to create a PLN, but it is a start.  Blogs, similar to this one, can also provide insights on how to best utilize the ever-changing landscape of digital education.  One rule of thumb is to start with a small group of followers that may be focused on your educational interests or subject matter and then expand based on how the conversation progresses.

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Social media has changed the way we communicate.  It has changed the way our students learn.  And, it can be a powerful ally for professional development.  So, take the plunge and join your fellow Tweachers and create your own PLN.