1. “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on
experience.” John Dewey
William Ferrite, Garry Adam (2014).,The Innovative Educator: Developing Your Personal Learning Network (PLN).
(online image). Retrieved from http://teachersusingtech.weebly.com/personal-learning-networks.html

2. EDU 210 was my first education class and the concept of a Personal Learning
Network was new to me. I had previously never heard of the term much less thought
of the idea of establishing a PLN.
Prior to this course, I thought of my seldom used Twitter account, as strictly a social
media tool. Using it to learn and exchange resources and ideas about teaching was a
foreign concept. I was intrigued by the idea of using this tool in a completely new way.
I feel that twitter is relatively easy
and efficient to use. Tweets are
instantly received, keeping one
constantly in touch with their
network.
FREESTAK. (September, 2012). Twitter Campaigns. (online image). Retrieved from
http://www.freestak.com/2012/09/twitter-campaigns/

3. I altered my existing profile to include some information about myself with respect
to my schooling and future aspirations. I hoped this would help others better
identify with who I am and aid in forming relationships and connections with those
that could support me throughout my career.
Date: January 20, 2014
Date: April 11, 2014

4. Initially I struggled finding people to follow. I began with those that were within my
network at school. I then looked at who my initial contacts followed and added some
that had the potential to help develop my PLN. Over the past coupIe of months I’ve
added and dropped people based on the quality and usefulness of their posts.
Finding groups to follow was like a chain reaction. I quickly went from not knowing
who to follow, to being overwhelmed with the enormous range of choices.

5. As my network increased I soon felt inundated with tweets. It was difficult keeping
track of all the potentially valuable tweets. I created lists which provided me with an
organization framework for viewing my feeds. My contacts are now organized into
three groups; literacy, technology and general education.
Ultimately my PLN needs to be well rounded and consist of a variety of educational
stakeholders (teachers, subject-area experts, professional organizations). As I
continue to advance in my career, I will add new contacts by actively seeking
“experts” in different fields of education (science, social, math etc.)

6. I have a strong interest in literacy, and believe that it lies at the foundation of learning. I
chose to follow a number of highly regarded people in that area. Both Kimberly Tyson
and Donalyn Miller provide helpful tools, resources and insight into the world of
reading.
Kimberley provides practical
ideas for incorporating literacy
into all instructional activities.
Donalyn is the author of the Book
Whisperer and provides much
inspiration and excitement to this
curriculum area.

7. I am following a number of educators who have an expertise in technology. Both
Edudemic and EdTech K-12 Magazine, tweet frequently throughout the day. Tweets
include; informative posts, resources, links, images, and more.
The wealth of knowledge gleamed from these contacts demonstrate the seemingly
endless possibilities available when combining technology with education. Their
Twitter pages includes a link to their websites.

8. One resource in my education list is
2Learn.ca. This contact provides a broad
range of relevant and timely resources
pertaining to various curricular areas.
2Learn’s ideas and correlate highly with
the Alberta curriculum.
Edutopia, is a highly regarded general
education website out of the U.S. It offers
a wide range of resources and ideas.
Through their tweets, I am able to keep
up with current educational trends.

9. At this time I do not feel I have very much to share and so I have not tweeted much. I
have experimented a bit by retweeting a few tweets. I have started to “favorite” specific
tweets so that I can refer back to them at a later time and have begun exploring the
world of hashtags.
My moments of excitement with
respect to my PLN came when a few
of my tweets became “top tweets,”
were retweeted, or favoured.

10. Privacy Issue - tweets can generally be read
by anyone.
Not great for visuals - I am a visual learner
and it is often difficult to display visuals.
Amount of information- it is sometimes hard
to tweet within 140 character limit. At the same
time, with so many tweets being sent, there is
often information overload.
Time management - I needed to set time
limits as to how long I would spend on my
PLN. In twitter, conversations are not threaded,
and tweets are quickly buried within feeds. It
is time consuming discriminating between
valuable tweets and irrelevant ones.

11. “PLNs are deliberately formed networks of people
and resources capable of guiding our independent
learning goals and professional development needs”
~ Corinne Weisberger~
My PLN is growing outside of Twitter.
Throughout the course I have continued
to use Pinterest to bookmark sites and
resources that may be helpful for me.
I have also started to following a few nings
such as the Educator’s PLN
http://edupln.ning.com/ and classroom 2.0
http://www.classroom20.com/
I am also starting to following some
educational blogs. Two of my favorites
are: Two Writing Teachers
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/
Literacy Connections
http://www.literacyconnections.com/blog

12. As I continue to develop my PLN, I realize that this is having an effect on my TPACK
Model. Through Twitter I’ve been introduced me to new technological skills and have found
new ways to incorporate pedagogical strategies. I have also learned more about education
curriculum which has enhanced my content knowledge. As a result my “circles” are larger
and are moved closer together.
Content
Knowledge
Pedagogical
Knowledge
Technological
Knowledge
TPACK
Pedagogical
Knowledge
Technological
Knowledge
Content
Knowledge
TPACK
MY TPACK
Framework today
MY TPACK Framework prior to EDU 210
- created in Module 5

13. When reflecting on the current stage of my PLN, I used the model developed by
Jeff Utecht. Currently, I feel I am at Stage 2. I have immersed myself in various
networks and continue to actively search for those that will help me shape my
learning experiences. I am revaluating my PLN, and beginning to focus more on
my contacts and the purposes they are serving.
My current
position

14. My PLN has offered me opportunities to expose myself to different viewpoints, ideas,
and opinions. Twitter has been helpful in finding people who are knowledgeable in
their field. I have made some posts and have spent time familiarizing myself with the
network of people I am following.
This being my first Education course, I am hesitant to tweet and am content to just
absorb information. I recognize that at this moment my PLN is not yet balanced but it
will become more diversified as I gain more experience.
My future goals are to further develop my
PLN, post more regularly, participate in a
discussion/chat, and to continue to look
for connections and ideas.
Patnoudes, E. (October, 2012). Why (And How) You Should Create A
Personal Learning Network.(online image). Retrieved from
http://www.edudemic.com/build-personal-learning-network/
Right now everything is new to me. I am
not yet able to look at the information I
am receiving with a critical eye.

15. THE END
"It is the language of reflection that deepens our knowledge of who we
are in relation to others in a community of learners"
- Carole Miller and Juliana Saxton, University of Victoria.