Supporting Student Personal Learning Networks (The Innovative Educator)

Educators are connecting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, Google Hangouts and more, as they develop personal learning networks as a tool for professional growth. Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are those connections individual learners make to suit their specific perceived learning needs. With the internet at our disposal, location is no longer a barrier to building solid and productive relationships; interest, knowledge and enthusiasm are all that’s needed.PLNs have become popular with educators because they are a fantastic way to receive anytime/anywhere professional development and support in their area of interest. At school, some educators may have only a few people who share their specialty and little time to connect; librarians, speech teachers, technology teachers, etc., are often the only such practitioner in a building. PLNs provide them not only with information and insight, but access to other practitioners, leaders and experts. Mutual excitement and deep interest on similar subjects brings together communities, resources and information otherwise inaccessible from within the walls of an unconnected school, workplace, or community.Educators know that in today’s world, value is found in more than just what you know; who you know and how to make the most of those connections and information is even more important. This holds true for youth as well. If we want young people to achieve success in the world today, we must step up and support students as they build their own 21st century rolodex, the PLN. While it is not unusual to find educators who have an extensive network consisting of bloggers they read and/or comment on, those they chat with on Twitter, and those they see and chat with on Google Hangouts, most educators have not helped their students develop PLNs of their own.