The ABCs of Establishing a PLN

There is much reward that comes with being a "connected educator" with a robust PLN (Professional Learning Network). It's a great way to unify within a large school while also connecting and learning with others outside its walls. A wider perspective is essentially the most valuable gift of a PLN, but when starting to build one, it's also important to keep the task in perspective so as not to become overwhelmed by too much, too fast. In thinking about what advice to give those who are beginning this journey as I did a couple years ago, I went back to basics with the ABCs.

Assess: Take some time to think about your own learning style and preferred modes of interaction. Yes, stepping outside your comfort zone is part of the experience, but starting someplace with a few familiar elements makes it more likely that the new environment will stick. Questions to ask: What will work for you? What social media platforms are you already on? Do you prefer pictures or text? Do you want to simply follow, interact, share, or collect? All of these will help you pick the right network space.

Balance: Think about what time can be allocated without feeling overwhelmed. I believe this is the most important step in the process. When we introduce a new form of connection through technology, we have to do so with moderation so that as we enrich our experience and network in the digital world, we still maintain the richness of interaction with people and nature in the other. Questions to ask: What time can I dedicate to interaction through social media? Is there something which can be replaced with this type of interaction? While the self-regulated boundaries are flexible, having an idea will keep you from feeling inadequate in the level of dedication to it and from overexerting your efforts in one area. 

Connect: Decide which social media platforms are best, and get connected. Aim for internal and at least one external. One of the best experiences for me has been school-based faculty Facebook groups which have allowed for celebration and resource sharing in a way which crosses divisions and subject areas. Because the groups can be set to private and friendship is not mandated by group membership, it's a great professional space. Having a connection to the outside is also critical as we tend to get a little tunnel-visioned without it. Questions to ask: What can I join that already exists or what can I help start? What are my interests? 

Here are a few suggestions for starting from the beginning:

Facebook: A Facebook group is like a faculty lounge and a page is like a FB friendship. It's a place to share on a wall wall, meet/greet, and celebrate. Here are a few groups with pages. Groups are set up privately.  

NAIS

ASCD

Edutopia

Edudemic

Zinn Education Project

EdCampNYC (in several locations)

Pinterest: Like browsing shelves in a library & making your own copies of stuff you like. I mostly browse by topic but here are a few boards/people. 

Board: Pinterest for Teachers

Edutopia

ASCD

Schools with rocking resources: W.T. White High & Cincinnati Waldorf School

Ed Tech 

Differentiated Instruction

Twitter: It's a bit like a frenetic networking meet & greet. There is an information stream mixed with conversation. I would recommend a tool like TweetGrid so you can view multiple hashtags on one screen. 

#edchat

#elemchat

#edtech

tons of others by @cybraryman1

Other Great Sites

ASCD Edge

The Educator’s PLN

Google+