Today I have spent some time on reading the first post on the PLN Challenge.
Watching this Voicethread that Michael Graffin started and adding to it made me think about my PLN. I am still building on my PLN and since I am still at homewith my son, I have trouble keeping up with Twitter, reading blogs and do my own posting. I hope that me starting to work will help me being more organized.
So, why is a PLN important to a teacher living in Norway?
Well, since it was some time since I did any fulltime teaching I think a PLN is useful to get on top of what is out there - resources, websites and new technology. I also think it is important to teach my students how to use social media and web tools in building their own learning and social networking. I would also like to show them how important it is to be able to express yourself in writing and speaking, not just in your own language but also in other languages.
I would also like to think that I will be saving some time not having to do everything by myself. Having help finding good resources or even having somebody to collaborate with saves time and gives more possibilities for reflection and evaluating. I am all for the sharing of ideas and plans!
At the same time we have to think about the "balancing act" we have to do not spending to much time on Reader and Twitter. I agree with Michael Graffin, who in his blog post A Connected Teacher's Balancing Act from June 17th, 2011 writes that "I already do more professional learning online in a week than most teachers do in a year, but there’s no point wearing myself out. I’m better off curling up with a book, or taking my new camera out for a spin." It worries me sometime how caught up I get in the thrill of it all, and then I realise that I also have to be in the offline world. I guess that's why it sometimes goes several weeks between my postings or me checking into Twitter. I hope that my PLN that I am trying to build will understand.
Many thanks for the wonderful publicity, Anna!
ReplyDeleteAs you've stated here, the beauty of a PLN is that "you don't have to do everything by yourself". We don't have to be experts, as we can connect and collaborate with experts.
Congrats on a thoughtful post, and best wishes for the PLN Challenge.
(I'm not sure if I've come across you on Twitter - you'll find me as @mgraffin.) :-)
Thanks for the visit Michael, it's really great to get some feedback on the things you write. From now on I am following you on Twitter, tweet you soon!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you again Anna! Glad we can stay in touch through these challenges and following each other. I wish you the best in creating a powerful PLN!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is difficult to keep up with Twitter and blog posts. The same thing happens to me and I am working. Once online, it is easy to get caught up in all of the reading and learning that we are doing and the balancing act is so important to remember. I think that balancing act is especially difficult for teachers as we are constantly looking for new ways to improve and add to our teaching and we take that home with us.
I am still figuring out Twitter and hope to work with my students on blogging in my French classes in September. I hope it gives them more of a sense of how the language can come alive.
Karen
http://firingonallsyllables.edublogs.org
You're absolutely right about balance. Right now I'm not working in a school, so I tend to devote most of a day to PLN catch up and then will go away and come back again in a few days. Good luck with the challenge!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, your PLN will understand. The key is to remember it is your PLN; it's personal and it's how you want to build it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the Challenges!