Personal Learning Networks are deliberately formed networks of people and resources that guide independent learning goals and professional development needs. They are based on the theory of connectivism where learners create connections in a network that contributes to their knowledge and skills without having to know people personally. An important aspect is identifying experts in your field through their blogs and expanding your network by checking their connections and blog rolls.

2. “The summation of human experience
is
being expanded at a prodigious rate,
and
the means we use for threading
through
the consequent maze to the
momentarily
important item is the same as was
used in
the days of square-rigged ships.”
Vannevar Bush, 1945

3. Personal Learning Networks
are deliberately formed
networks of
people and resources capable
of guiding
our independent learning goals
and
professional development
needs.

4. An important part of Personal
Lreaning Networks is the theory
of connectivism developed
by George Siemens and Stephen
Downes. Learners create
connections and develop a
network that contributes to their
professional development
(mathematical skills) and
knowledge.[The learner does not
have to know these people
personally or ever meet them in
person.

5. But a Network
isn’t just
following

6.  The first officially recognized
social network was
sixdegrees.com that launched
in 1997 and officially shut
down in 2000. According to
the Wharton School of
Business, as of October 2008
social networks impacted
more than 230 million people
worldwide.

7. RSS to save
the day!

8. Identify people in your field
whose work you admire
Find their individual and/or
organizational blogs
Subscribe to their blog’s RSS
feed
Expand the list of experts
you subscribe to by:
Checking their blog roll
Following links on their
blog to other blogs
Checking to see if your
favourite twitter users blog

9.  Class chatter that allows students to
continue discussion topics outside the
classroom (Parry, 2008)
 Follow professionals who are actively
engaged in particular topics or events.
For example, students can follow any
number of correspondents at MSNBC,
CNN, and other news outlets
 Writing assignments where students
build on each other’s tweets to generate
a story, poem, or haiku. (Parry, 2008)
 Collaboration with students from other
countries regarding specific topics of
political or historical significance

10. Respond
to Blog
Posts
Sharing Links

11. Researche
Searcher Learner
r
Roles
Assemblator of data, information, of subject matter, Innovator
knowledge technologies, how to learn
Activities
Search
Commu- Productivity Customi- Create
Gather Connect
Aggre nicate improvement zation
Share
-gate
Compo-
RSS Facebook/ To-do list, nents,
Chat/AV
feeds, Search panels,
Tools/Services
Twitter/ notes,
environment
conference
engines Ning comments
tabs,
Start page
links
widgets
Images/
Social Feel
book- AV Email, widgets
calendar and
marking Blogs, forum
look
wikis
Design
Choose learning
technology/ strategy
application Goals,
Processes
needs, Share
Plan
interests, results,
Share activities
Arrange motivation, evaluate
environment/ problems
environment
collaborate
Extend/modif Document
Perform
y results,
activities
environment analyze

13.  http://www.slideshare.net/rgibson/social-
networking-1517710
 http://www.slideshare.net/malinkaiva/from-
personal-learning-environment-building-to-
professional-learning-network-forming
 http://www.slideshare.net/bethanyvsmith/c
reating-an-online-personal-learning-network-
presentation
 http://www.slideshare.net/corinnew/creatin
g-a-personal-learning-network-5016387
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learn
ing_network