PLN

A PLN is an information hub you can share with, gather from, or connect with others who are interested in the same topics as you are. Some of the most common ways to share information is through social networking sites, for example LinkedIN, Facebook and even Google docs. Having a PLN will help me as a teacher by allowing me to share and gather information that is relevant to the course or grade level I am teaching. 

I subscribed to several different RSS feeds that related to using iPads in the classroom. This topic has been a hot discussion in some of the recent journal entries I have read so  I decided to subscribe to these feeds to learn more information. One specific blog I subscribed to was “Apps in Education” seen here: http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/. This site provides tips and reviews on the latest apps to use in the classroom. 

I have used Twitter for many years, mostly to connect with others who were working in Public Relations. I used to work in PR so it was relevant for me to network with others in the field. Through this project I began following several of my EDUC 422 classmates. It was interesting to see what they were posting about education and their experience so far at Cal State San Marcos. I look forward to following more education based Twitter users for more insight into my future career. 

My library in Diigo is compiled of articles based on using iPads in the classroom. This site is very helpful in finding relevant information on specific topics. I follow four of my classmates who also researched iPad use in the classroom. Because we were all able to gather different articles on the same topic I was able to greatly expand my knowledge base all through the Diigo website which was really simple to use. 

I chose to join the Classroom 2.0 discussion on Ning. The blog post I chose to read was “Why Districts Need to Adopt a Year Round Program.” I thought this article was interesting because when I was growing  up I attended yea-round schools and thought it was great. Although, I thought it was great I don’t think it would be rational to require students to participate in an online session as this article suggests. The blog post can be seen here: http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/why-districts-need-to-adopt-a-year-round-program. 

My overall PLN experience was great! I learned of many new ways to share and gather information and I plan on using them throughout my career. My favorite network so far has been Diigo. I found it the most relevant and easy to use.