This document discusses the author's experience creating a personal learning network (PLN) on Twitter for their EDU 210 course. It describes how the course introduced them to PLNs and how Twitter can be used as an educational tool rather than just social media. The author created a new Twitter profile focused on education and followed accounts related to teaching with technology, educational resources and trends. Initially they struggled to find people to follow but learned over time. The PLN has provided opportunities to learn and connect with others in education. The author plans to further develop their PLN by engaging more and tweeting their own content as their knowledge grows.

1. “It is not about the technology; it’s about sharing knowledge and
information, communicating efficiently, building learning communities
and creating a culture of professionalism in schools. These are the key
responsibilities of all educational leaders”. – Marion Ginapolis

2. Why Twitter? EDU 210 introduced me to the topic
of Personal Learning Networks. I had
never heard this term before and
had never even considered
creating one until I learned about
how useful it is.
Before this course I used twitter
strictly as a social media
connection not as an educational
use. I was very intrigued in learning
to use this tool in a new way by
exchanging resources and ideas
about teaching.
Twitter is very easy to use, tweets
are instantly received, you are
constantly updated with new
tweets, common trends as well as
people they suggest that you follow
based on your interests.

3. My Twitter Profile
I created a new Twitter profile for my PLN. This account includes
information about my schooling and future aspirations. I hoped
that this would help others better understand me and aid in
building relationships and connecting with those with similar
interests that can support me throughout my career
January 22, 2015
April 6, 2015

4. Who To Follow?
Initially I struggled finding people to follow. I began by using the Twitter
search engine and typed in education and it brought me to numerous
Twitter profiles related to education. Over the last couple months I have
added and dropped people based on the quality and helpfulness of
their posts. I learned a lot from using Twitter and as I progressed I came
very accustomed with learning who to follow and not getting
overwhelmed with the variety of choices offered.

5. Who Did I Follow?
Throughout this course I learned a lot about Technology in Education
and I chose to follow different people/organizations involved in
promoting education in classrooms. TeachersWithApps as well as
PBSKids provide helpful apps and games for learning.

6. Who Did I Follow?
Edutopia is a highly regarded general
education website out of the United
States. It offers a wide range of
resources and ideas. Their tweets help
me keep up with current educational
trends
WeAreTeachers offers educational tips
to better the learning of students. They
tweet about activities, books, and
resources for teachers to use in the
classroom.

7. Who Did I Follow?
EdTech K-12 Magazine’s tweets include
informative posts, resources, links,
images, and more. The wealth of
knowledge from this magazine
demonstrates the endless possibility
available when combining education
and technology
TED-Ed is a free educational website for
teachers and learners that offers lessons
worth sharing. The video library can help
you create lessons to impact learning.

8. Some of my Tweets
6 favourites!
At this time I feel as though I do not have
much to share so most of my tweets are
retweets. A few exciting moments were
when my tweets would get favourited or
retweeted!

9. In Summary
My PLN has offered me extensive opportunities to expose myself, create
connections, establish relationships, and form new opinions. Twitter was
very helpful in finding organizations/people who share similar interests to
me that are available as support. I have made some posts of my own
and spent time exploring the network and becoming accustomed to it
This being my second Education course so far I am more hesitant about
tweeting as my content knowledge is not fully developed. This will soon
change and my PLN will become more diversified as I gain more
experience.
My future goals are to further develop my PLN by engaging in more
discussions, tweeting more posts and keeping updated with changing
educational and technological trends