Creating Your Own Personal Learning Network

Creating Your Own Personal Learning Network Utilizing the Web for Personal and Professional Growth

1,407,724,920 Internet Users!

How Much Data is Flowing?

2-3 terabits per second move over the Internet (est. March, 2008) = 2,000 - 3,000 gigabits per second = 2 - 3 Petabits per second

172,800 – 259,200 Pitabits per day

63,115,200 – 94,672,800 Pitabits this year

That is… The entire contents of the Library of Congress every 5 seconds!

That is… The entire contents of the Library of Congress moving over the Internet more than 2,305,282,680 times this year!

And Guess What…

That number is only the amount of information moving over the Internet.

This number DOES NOT INCLUDE all of the countless times more information stored on all of the computers connected to the Internet!

1 Terabit networkable hard drives – holding about half the amount of information moving each second on the Internet – are becoming standard fixtures on HOME networks around the world!

A River of Data Flowing Past You! Let’s look at what can you do about it.

First… Four Stages of Learning

DATA – The river flowing past you

INFORMATION – The Data you pull from the river and assign relevance and purpose

KNOWLEDGE – The Information that you actually keep, apply, and use personally and professionally

WISDOM – Combining Knowledge with intuition and experience over time in a way that makes your personal and professional lives better

The Solution – Create a Personal Learning Network! Personal Learning Network – A group of people who can guide your learning, point you to learning opportunities, answer your questions, and give you the benefit of their own knowledge, experience, and wisdom.

Learning is Becoming an Open Source Project

An Open Source project is a software product that is collaboratively built.

Everyone has access to help build the product if they have something worthwhile to contribute.

No one owns it. No one takes credit for it.

Everyone gets to use the product… even those who did not help build it.

The “Sage on the Stage” is dead! Most of us just don’t know it yet.

The Dark Side

A PLN Can be a Tender Trap!

It is estimated that a new Web 2.0 type application is released every 10 minutes!

It’s easy to get so infatuated with the bells and whistles of Web 2.0 applications that you forget why you started to look for new applications in the first place… to make your personal and professional life better… not more complicated.

Be Smart. Refuse to Play the Game!

It’s OK to be ignorant in the 21 st Century!

Not a single human being on earth knows about all of the interactive applications on the Internet... Not one!

Don’t be intimidated by those who try to make themselves feel important by constantly pointing out applications with which you are not familiar.

Remember! It’s not about swallowing the River. It’s about gaining wisdom!

In the End… It’s All About the Network!

By using the power inherent in many social-network-oriented web-based applications, you can ensure that the River flowing past you is made up of stuff that you want and need to make your life better.

Once you’ve managed and channeled the River of data, your goal is to then choose wisely what is important and useful to you from your personalized stream… and let the water wash everything else away!

Before You Take the Plunge

Develop a strategy for storing and organizing multiple URL’s, User names, and Passwords

KeePass - Open Source Windows Software http://keepass.info/

Create a disposable email account specifically for registering on social-networking sites. Don’t use your main ISP account’s email. http://yahoo.com , http:// google.com

Develop AND practice good password skills.

Join the DEN!

Discovery Educator Network

One of the best teacher resources I’ve found… ever!

View Introductory Video

Webinars, resources, and local, regional, and national events presented by leaders in technology-oriented education

Signup today!

http://community.discoveryeducation.com/

Blogs, Podcasts, and RSS

If you think a blog is just a place to complain about your boyfriend, you’re wrong!

Blogs are now one of the most important parts of a Personal Learning Network

Podcasts are not just for kids either!

In conjunction with the wise use of RSS feeds, blogs and podcasts can really help you control and direct the flow of the data River.

Some Good Educational Blogs

http://cliotech.blogspot.com/

http://weblogg-ed.com/

http://www.teach42.com/

http://www.halldavidson.net/

http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/media_matters

http://technorati.com/blogs/tag/education (start now… there are over 22,000 of them)

RSS – The World in Your Inbox

Really Simple Syndication

Find the RSS, HTML, or Xml logo

Right-Click, Copy Link Location (PC)

Paste link location into your RSS feed reader.

Reader? Many Browsers read RSS. Google has Google Reader, and many third party feed aggregators are available.

Beyond Blogs

There are a host of other tools you can use to manage the River and create your own Personal Learning Network

You want to find tools that… Suit your own personal learning style Function well Integrate with other tools Don’t waste your time with frivolous content