This document summarizes the findings of a teacher-librarian's inquiry project exploring the development of personal online learning networks. The teacher-librarian began by building their own network in order to better understand the tools and process. They then introduced network concepts to colleagues through surveys and collaboration tools. While most colleagues were interested, few began actively building networks initially. The teacher-librarian concluded that ongoing modeling and support is needed for colleagues to fully develop online networks, but that the project started important conversations and early adoption for some. Their next steps involve continuing to expand network use and keeping dialogue open with colleagues.

1. Online Learning Networks & School Based Leadership Library Specialist Presentation June 2009 Andrea Sykes

2. My Question If I begin to develop a personal online learning network linked to my experience and practice as a Teacher-Librarian and school leader, can I utilize these experiences to help my colleagues begin to create their own networks?

3. My Rationale I am very interested in personally exploring and better understanding personal online networks. Although web 2.0 tools have become commonly used by many people in a variety of contexts, they are not widely used by teachers in my school. I hope to introduce my colleagues to some of these important new professional learning tools as I explore them more deeply.

4. My Plan Build my understanding of professional online networks by exploring a variety of sites and developing understanding of web 2.0 tools. Find professional journal articles and information related to the topic. Survey staff at my school to gather baseline data. Ongoing creation of content and linkages within my network. Ongoing anecdotal data gather from the responses of colleagues and my own learning. Follow up survey of staff.

5. My Project Begins....

6. Developing My Own Online Learning Network: Part 1 –Making Connections Not So Distant Future Future of libraries panel presentation 8 hours ago Ministry of Education Updates CoLearners Rebooting Literacy in the 21st Century 21 hours ago Techlearning A Gateway to Your Local Newspaper 22 hours ago open thinking Twitter Search in Plain English 22 hours ago Remote Access Playing with Opera 1 day ago Creating Lifelong Learners iSchool Video 1 day ago Weblogg-ed #IranElections: Why We All Need to be Editors Now 1 day ago The Thinking Stick Year 1 in Bangkok and ISB: A reflection 1 week ago Sue Waters Blog Need WordPress MU Support? Here’s Where You’ll Find it! 1 week ago Virtually Learning Librarian Manifesto 5 weeks ago The librarian edge 23 Things & Avid Online Learners 1 month ago Making online connections with experienced thinkers really helped me develop perspective and understanding about my question.

7. Developing My Own Online Learning Network: Part 2 – Learning the Tools Wikis (Wikispaces, Wetpaint, Netcipia, PBWorks) Twitter Ning RSS Blogger Picasa The amazing world of Google! (my not-so-secret addiction) Learning to use web 2.0 tools gave me better understanding of the function of the tools and helped me begin to imagine how to use them for a variety of purposes.

8. Developing My Own Online Learning Network: Part 3- Beginning to actively collaborate The wiki I created for my colleagues at school to share and communicate about common teaching experiences was a great springboard for further conversations.

9. Understanding Points of Entry and Understandings.... (Surveying my colleagues)

10. Understanding Beliefs and Attitudes All of my colleagues believe that it is important for students to learn to use emerging technologies for their future personal and professional lives. While many are keen to use online collaborative tools with students, there is a significant number who are only moderately interested in this idea.

11. Survey Results – Start of Inquiry Almost all of my colleagues were using web 2.0 tools socially but very few had begun to develop their own personal /professional learning network. 100% indicated that they wanted to learn more about the use of web 2.0 tools for professional learning.

12. Survey Results – End of Inquiry The data shows that a few teachers began to explore the creation of their own personal learning networks by the end of my inquiry project. However I feel that almost all of them became aware of and interested in understanding online personal/professional networks from the dialogue that my inquiry initiated.

13. My Learning and Next Steps

14. Concluding Thoughts Building an online personal learning network took more time than I had expected. In order to feel comfortable supporting others in learning about/building their own online personal learning network I needed to feel secure in my own understandings about this idea. At the beginning it is hard to separate learning the communication tools from learning about teaching and learning utilizing the tools. I will need to be continually mindful of this when supporting colleagues on this learning journey.

15. My colleagues are comfortable using online collaboration tools socially. I need to continue to work to help them expand this comfort zone into their professional learning and then into their teaching practice. My inquiry project began a conversation at my school and now there are early signs of the development of personal learning networks in some of my colleagues. I feel that I have laid a good framework upon which to build further work related to professional online learning. The timeframe for this project was only enough to create a beginning. I will continue to engage in this work for a long time to come.

16. Stages of PLN Adoption – Jeff Utecht As I worked within the context of my question, this theory became more and more relevant. I was deep into the stages but most of my colleagues still had a big journey before reaching stage 1.

17. My Conclusion YES!!! By developing my own personal online learning network that was linked to my experience and practice as a Teacher-Librarian and school leader I developed strategies and understandings that helped my colleagues begin to create their own online learning networks. (However, it is a much more gradual and ongoing process than I anticipated at the beginning of this inquiry. Support, encouragement and ongoing modelling will be required for this work to continue.)

18. My Next Steps Increase the use of my school PD wiki and/or transfer our collaborative online work to our new Academic Workspace tools. Tidy up my RSS feeds and utilize information gathering tools to seek the information that is related to my interests. Continue to build my own learning within the context of my professional learning network Increase my own contributions to the online leaning network(Keep my blog going, comment on the blogs of others, actively contribute to twitter) Keep the conversation going with my colleagues about the amazing teaching and learning opportunities that exist utilizing web 2.0 tools. Continue to model effective use of online collaborative communication for my own teaching and learning.