Showcase Post #1

In this post, I will be expanding and polishing my original “Wow and Wonder #1” post in order to dive deeper into Personal Learning Networks (PLNs).

Screen capture from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/personal-learning-networks

Wow

The idea that one’s Personal Learning Network (PLN) is comprised of many meaningful and individual connections with the intention of learning from/with that person is a new concept for me. Originally, I thought that a PLN was more similar to a Communities of Practice (CoP), where the people who make up your network are those who share your profession (Gutierrez, n.d.). I love the fact that PLNs can consist of informal and individual learning connections with anyone, from any field, as this can expand one’s unique network tremendously and allows for more information to be gathered and learned.

A classmate of mine, Mary, reflects on the progress that she has made thus far regarding the ongoing creation of her PLN on her own blog. Mary states that she uses LinkedIn, “the world’s premier business network with 722 million users as of January 2022” (Martin, 2022), in order to build various connections around an area of interest. I found this to be very interesting as I originally thought that LinkedIn was a platform intended for people in the world of business in order to find jobs, recruit employees, connect with people in the same discipline, etc. While my ideas about LinkedIn were not completely wrong, I have come to realize that anyone can be a part of this online platform to expand their own PLN. I think that joining an online platform such as LinkedIn is a great way to build, maintain, and activate connections “within [personal networks] for the purpose of improving [one’s] learning” (Rajagopal, Joosten-ten Brinke, Van Bruggen, & Sloep, 2011).

I found the video, “What is LinkedIn?” extremely helpful in gaining a stronger understanding about LinkedIn and clarifying some of my misconceptions regarding the platform. I would recommend watching this clear and brief video if you are also unsure as to what LinkedIn entails.

Wonder

On the flip side, I am curious if people ever run into issues of mistakenly creating connections with others who are providing them with inaccurate information when trying to expand their PLN. Since informal connections are a part of our PLNs – how can we be sure that all of the information that we are gathering is accurate and credible? These days, children can access countless topics on a wide range of platforms and sites from a very young age. Although I believe that technology is a tremendous tool for learning, I wonder if there such thing as too much exposure or access?

A friend and peer of mine, Kayla, discusses her views on children’s exposure to technology on her own blog. I find myself agreeing with Kayla’s opinions as we both grew up at the same time. The video that Kayla refers to in her blog post, “What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?“, mentions how our relationship with technology begins almost from the moment that we are born. I also strongly believe that children should be encouraged to engage in non-technology activities such as playing outside with friends, using their imagination to create games, experiencing the environment around them in a deep and meaningful way, etc. as too much time spent on a screen from a young age can be harmful. It is quite possible for a child to deem the things that they learn from the internet to be factual, when in reality, there is a chance that they could be getting their information from an unreliable source. This is why it is so important for parents and teachers to monitor children’s internet use and to teach them how to use technology tools in a positive and constructive manner. However, having a healthy balance between participating in on and off screen activities would be ideal. People are more likely to be fluent technology users if they are immersed in it from the time that they are young children. Since technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our world, I consider this to be an advantage as long as children are using technology for educational and productive purposes.

References

Gutierrez, K. (n.d.). What are Personal Learning Networks? Retrieved from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/personal-learning-networks

LinkedIn. (2010, April 5). What is LinkedIn? [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlUwwgOfKw

Martin, M. (2022, January 17). How to Use Linkedin for Business in 2022: A Step-by-Step Guide. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-for-business/

Rajagopal, K., Joosten-ten Brinke, D., Van Bruggen, J., & Sloep, P. B. (2011). Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them. First Monday, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v17i1.3559

What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644