Week 8 It’s all about connecting

“Everyone you will ever meet, knows something you don’t.” Bill Nye

I have been an advocate for Personal Learning Networks for a while, well before taking this class; although the class has validated my interest and commitment to the practice of nurturing a PLN.  The class has also offered me new connections and challenged me to look for new connections on my own.  I read class assignments, but also end up following tangents while completing assignments; in the process, I find new PLN members.  I’ve also realized I’m a collector.  I collect new names of authors, bloggers, educators using technology, and educators whom I consider subject matter experts (SME’s) in disciplines for which I have professional needs or just a passing interest.  I include still others in my PLN for no obvious reason, except that they have a unique perspective.  I find names by reading blogs, tweeting, and by attending conferences and workshops. I follow names because others with similar interests follow them.  Some I follow for an extended period, and some I follow just for a few days.  Some I eliminate because my learning needs or wants change, and some have been part of my PLN for months or years.  One could say that I have multiple PLN’s, as my learning interests are broad and diverse.  I once had a PLN focused on the Civil War, a period of our history I find intriguing, to say the least.

I mainly use Twitter and Google + for my PLN.  I have two Twitter accounts, one for my personal use, and one to which I contribute professionally.  I use them for different purposes, but in both cases I find things I wouldn’t have found without Twitter: new information, new resources, new opinions.  I hope I also offer valuable tidbits to others.  Twitter tends to be for following connections whom I don’t personally know.  I use Google+ to connect with colleagues in New Hampshire and around the country; we share resources and ideas, often on subjects related to learning and technology. 

Recently I saw an example of how effective social media can be in making connections, not necessarily for a PLN, but to use knowledge to respond to other needs as well.  I recently attended a national conference with several New Hampshire colleagues and colleagues from around the country.  Many of these contacts were or have become part of my PLN.  We connected using various social media tools after the conference. We use those contacts to expand our learning and to access new resources.  One of my NH colleagues is Dr. Shane Bradt, who teaches and consults on using GIS. Another colleague, Megan O’Neil teaches personal finance in Maryland.  The area in which she works was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.  Using Facebook, she sent out a plea from a volunteer coordinator looking for support for a small Maryland town.  As someone in her PLN, Shane responded, offering GIS tools to help create a system to match volunteers with specific needs.  Because they are part of each other’s PLN contacts, Megan had learned enough about Shane’s expertise to link him with someone who needed that expertise fast.    

In his blog post, Miguel Guhlin references Christopher Parsons’ four things to do with the “overwhelming amount of unorganized content” each of us finds online: read, evaluate, critique, and write.  Outside of this blog for class, I haven’t arrived at the “write” stage.  Posting to Twitter and Google+ is a somewhat less intimidating (and faster) way to share ideas and content.  But I see the value of intentionally building and using a PLN.  Moreover, I like Guhlin’s gentle encouragement to try blogging. Two comments from Guhlin’s blog especially resonate with me; “We need to think of learning as an experience that happens when we connect with others.” And the second comment,  “Whenever there is contact with other educators, I find my enthusiasm and energy for education renewed.” I totally agree.