1. Personalized Learning at
Your Fingertips: Building a
Professional Learning Network
By: Torrey Trust

2. Agenda
 What are Professional Learning Networks (PLN’s)?
 PLN Tools
 Information Literacy, Networking, Netiquette
 PLN Overload & Survival Tips

3. New Age Teaching & Learning
 In the information age, students must learn to navigate
and evaluate an expanding network of information.
 Highly effective teachers model this process of information
analysis and knowledge acquisition by continually learning
through collaboration, professional development, and
studying pedagogical techniques and best practices.

4. What is a PLN?
 A Professional Learning Network (PLN) is a flexible, teacher-
driven activity space that facilitates personalized professional
development.
Social Media Connection Information Aggregation

5. My PLN

6. Benefits of PLN’s
 Flexible
 Personalized
 Practical
 Real-Time Solutions
 Instant Access

7. Benefits of PLN’s
 Expertise
 Reduces isolation
 Increases opportunities for collaboration
 Don’t have to reinvent the wheel
 Best practices
Connected Educator Map

8. Information Aggregation
 Staying up-to-date on new information by following multiple
websites and news sources through RSS feeds.

9. RSS: Pushing Text from Individual Blogs to a Reader
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10. Information Gathering Tools
 Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader)
 Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/)
 FeedDemon (http://www.feeddemon.com/)
 My Yahoo! (http://my.yahoo.com/)
 Comparison of RSS Readers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_feed_aggregators

11. Setting Up Google Reader
 http://tinyurl.com/googlereadervideo

12. Education Sites to Follow
 EduBlog Awards: Top Individual Blog List
http://edublogawards.com/
 Smartbriefs (Accomplished Teacher, ASCD, EdTech) –
https://www.smartbrief.com/news/education
 41 Great Blogs to Follow by Subject Area:
http://tinyurl.com/41edublogstofollow
 FreeTech4Teachers: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

13. Social Bookmarking
 Diigo.com
 Join groups: http://groups.diigo.com/
 Share resources
 Receive daily/weekly emails with
newest resources
 Easy to add resources to Diigo (toolbar button)
 Can highlight resources, take notes, decide what to share

14. Sharing Bookmarks with a Group

15. Social Bookmarking
 http://vimeo.com/12687333

16. Social Media Connection Tools
 These social media connection tools include:
 Social networking sites (Facebook, Edmodo, Twitter)
 Affinity-based group sites (Ning, Wikispaces)
 Real-time interaction tools (online chat rooms, instant
messaging, Skype, Second Life).

17. Featured Collaborative Tool
 Edmodo (6.5+ million users)
 Join subject communities
 Create class groups (assignments, quizzes, grades)
 Facebook-style interface
 Quick responses from
members
 Personal library to
collect resources
 http://www.edmodo.com

18. Edmodo
 http://tinyurl.com/edmodoPLNvideo

19. Featured Collaborative Tool
 Ning
 Instantly chat with other individuals on the website
 Add & RSVP to events
 Join special-interest groups
 Listen to education podcasts
 Add RSS feeds to your profile page
 Write blog posts & create your own blog

20. Featured Collaborative Tool
 Ning PLN’s for Educators:
 http://classroom20.com
 http://edupln.ning.com/
 http://www.teacher20.com
 http://sschat.ning.com/
 http://vodcasting.ning.com/
 List of Networks:
 http://www.educationalnetworking.com/List+of+Networks

21. Featured Collaborative Tool
 Twitter
 Follow educators, experts, policymakers
 Twitter4Teachers wiki
 Collaborative Google Doc of Teachers on Twitter
 Share your own links and resources
 Join education conversations (see next slide)
 Share ideas, ask for help, receive feedback from followers
 Connect with educators around the world
 http://www.twitter.com

22. Twitter Hashtags
 Join education conversations:
 #edchat: Over 400 teachers get together every Tuesday at Noon EST
or at 6PM EST to chat about a variety of pre-determined topics.
 #Scichat, #mathchat, #engchat: Talk with teachers who teach your
core subject area (times vary)
 #1stchat, #2ndchat, #3rdchat, etc.: Talk with teachers who teach your
grade level
 #edtech: Chat about all things new in educational technology
 View more education hashtags here:
http://cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html

23. Tweetdeck

24. How to Use a PLN
 Find & share resources
 Connect with teachers
around the world
 Collaboration opportunities
 Partner classes for lessons
 Ask for help/support
 Solicit ideas
 Share your voice
 Learn from others (best practices/success stories)

25. Information Literacy
 Ongoing process of sifting, organizing, analyzing and
evaluating information and individuals in your PLN
 Start with well-known website/expert
 Look at number of subscribers and good reviews
 Look critically at the information
 Building a PLN should be a fluid process
 “Crap Detection” – Howard Rheingold
 The Crap Test:
http://www.workliteracy.com/pages/the-crap-test/

26. Networking & Netiquette
 Aim for building relationships NOT having 500 “friends”
 Be a connector
 Give AND receive
 Build your expert credentials
 Lurk & learn
 Reach out (add friends, follow people)

27. Ethics & Privacy
 What you post is permanent
 Use the Grandmother Rule (would your grandma approve of
your tweet/post?)
 Don’t fear the tools, build your confidence
 Understand the privacy settings of different tools
 Resources:
 Facebook for School Counselors Guide.pdf
 Creating Social Media Guidelines for Educators
 How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School

28. PLN Overload
 Thousands of blogs, websites, news sources to follow
 Thousands of groups to join, discussion forums to respond to,
and members to connect with
 Figuring out social norms in the online space
 TMI!

29. PLN Overload (Survival Tips)
 Information Aggregation
 Start by identifying 2-3 information sources to follow (including
email subscriptions)
 Set a reminder on your calendar to visit your RSS reader weekly
 Collaborative Tools
 Try to connect with 1-2 individuals (via friend request or
responding to discussion posts)
 Ask these individuals about how to make the most out of the
activity space

30. 7 Degrees of Connectedness
Rodd Lucier’s
7 Degrees of Connectedness Framework

31. Questions?
 Thoughts?
 Comments?
 Questions?

32. Add Me to Your PLN
torreytrust@gmail.com
www.torreytrust.com
@torreytrust
http://edutechdatabase.wikispaces.com