I was first introduced to the notion of a personal learning network through Twitter, when a colleague/mentor for whom I TOC'd in my first library job encouraged me to join in order to get some ideas for the remainder of the school year. Although I found it overwhelming at first, I soon realized how helpful it could be for sharing resources and experiences. Initially I just "lurked" and explored different hashtags, but once other Surrey TLs starting creating their own accounts (both personal and for their libraries), it became easier to send out more tweets. I have to admit that I'm not as vocal as I would like to be, as I am still sometimes hesitant to share (my inner introvert showing itself) and also haven't made it a habit to go on Twitter. I am hoping to change that! Nonetheless, I've discovered some amazing websites and individuals (like Edutopia) over the past few years simply by following a few leaders in education and then seeing who they follow.
The TL mentioned above is Lisa Domeier de Suarez, and she did an amazing presentation at the BCTLA 2012 conference introducing the basics and benefits of joining Twitter. The presentation can be found here:
Twitter: Best Professional Development in 140 Characters from lisa domeier de suarez
[On a "candid learning" note, I wasn't sure how to embed a Slideshare, but I found a how-to video that explains it really easily. Who knew I could actually do something in the HTML format...)
One of the reasons why I am sometimes hesitant to share is my thoughts of "I'm still so new! What do I have to share in comparison to these TLs who have so much experience and have done so much awesome stuff??" I think the quote by Chris Lehman in the presentation really hits the nail on the head: "It is no longer enough to do powerful work if no one sees it." Even something small, such as an idea for furniture set-up or a different way to catalog, is worth sharing with the world. I think about how many ideas I have gotten from Pinterest and realize that perhaps something I have done in my library could help another newbie like me. In fact, I was thrown for a loop last week when a former student teacher I worked with last year asked if she could come into my library and get some ideas in order to prep for an upcoming interview. It was a bit of an "Aha" moment where I realized I could certainly pay it forward and share my experiences in a more public/digital way, whether through Twitter or maybe my own blog. As we try to tell our students, learning is messy and ongoing and being the expert isn't necessarily the ultimate goal anymore. I ended up co-presenting with Lisa at the 2011 BCTLA conference, and although I was terrified to present to TLs who had years of experience on me, the experience was great and provided an opportunity to connect further with more TLs from around the province. (Our presentation slides on re-vamping the library can be found here.)
The "Personal" in PLNs
As TLs, our jobs can be very isolating as we are the only one of "us" in the school. Having a network of people to touch base with is crucial to staying current and also staying sane! I can honestly say that I don't think I would have survived my first year in the switch from secondary to elementary without the close-knit community of teacher-librarians in Surrey who are always ready to help. I had always connoted PLN with the digital world, but after forming a group of new-ish TLs at the end of last year and meeting up in person over the summer to collaborate, I realized that although it's not always possible, actual face-to-face discussion is a crucial aspect of a PLN.
Why make a PLN?
I wanted to find some literature on why it is important to have a space for professional learning. I feel that professional development happens best when it's informal and driven by something that you are truly inspired by. I found a video featuring Will Richardson's thoughts on PLNs, and he points out that a PLN is a much more complex process than simply attending a seminar or having an in-school Pro D Day. He also puts a PLN in the context of how it impacts our students, in that young people often already have their own learning networks, so it's important that we as educators understand how to create and use them effectively and safely (a bit of a digital citizenship piece that I hadn't really considered when thinking about my own professional learning.)
Now that I've done some research into the topic, I can see that there are many ways of creating a PLN, some of which I already do but hadn't considered it as such. For example, I had forgotten about two wikis I had joined in years past that have been extremely helpful in our district http://tech4tls.wikispaces.com/ and http://t-lshare.wikispaces.com/. Again, sharing small things that have worked for you can have a big impact.
Kathy Schrock has an amazing page on her site Kathy Shrock's Guide to Everything that outlines the How and Why of PLNs and contains perspectives from a variety of educational leaders. Very enlightening and inspiring!
I feel lucky that I get to be an educator in an age with so much opportunity to connect and collaborate with others. I feel that my practice can only continue to get better as I look to what others have done in similar situations, as well as share my own experiences (and hopefully get over my fears!)... after all, don't we often tell our students that the best way to learn something is to teach it someone else?
References:
Domeier de Suarez, Lisa. (19 October 2012). Twitter: Best Professional Development in 140 Characters. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/lmdsuarez/twitter-best-professional-development-in-140-characters
Loertscher, D. V., & Koechlin, C. (2011). Personal learning environments in the learning commons. Teacher Librarian, 39(2), 23-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/915254353?accountid=14656
Richardson, Will. Personal Learning Networks. (7 December 2007). [Video file] Retrived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mghGV37TeK8.
[On a "candid learning" note, I wasn't sure how to embed a Slideshare, but I found a how-to video that explains it really easily. Who knew I could actually do something in the HTML format...)
One of the reasons why I am sometimes hesitant to share is my thoughts of "I'm still so new! What do I have to share in comparison to these TLs who have so much experience and have done so much awesome stuff??" I think the quote by Chris Lehman in the presentation really hits the nail on the head: "It is no longer enough to do powerful work if no one sees it." Even something small, such as an idea for furniture set-up or a different way to catalog, is worth sharing with the world. I think about how many ideas I have gotten from Pinterest and realize that perhaps something I have done in my library could help another newbie like me. In fact, I was thrown for a loop last week when a former student teacher I worked with last year asked if she could come into my library and get some ideas in order to prep for an upcoming interview. It was a bit of an "Aha" moment where I realized I could certainly pay it forward and share my experiences in a more public/digital way, whether through Twitter or maybe my own blog. As we try to tell our students, learning is messy and ongoing and being the expert isn't necessarily the ultimate goal anymore. I ended up co-presenting with Lisa at the 2011 BCTLA conference, and although I was terrified to present to TLs who had years of experience on me, the experience was great and provided an opportunity to connect further with more TLs from around the province. (Our presentation slides on re-vamping the library can be found here.)
The "Personal" in PLNs
As TLs, our jobs can be very isolating as we are the only one of "us" in the school. Having a network of people to touch base with is crucial to staying current and also staying sane! I can honestly say that I don't think I would have survived my first year in the switch from secondary to elementary without the close-knit community of teacher-librarians in Surrey who are always ready to help. I had always connoted PLN with the digital world, but after forming a group of new-ish TLs at the end of last year and meeting up in person over the summer to collaborate, I realized that although it's not always possible, actual face-to-face discussion is a crucial aspect of a PLN.
Why make a PLN?
I wanted to find some literature on why it is important to have a space for professional learning. I feel that professional development happens best when it's informal and driven by something that you are truly inspired by. I found a video featuring Will Richardson's thoughts on PLNs, and he points out that a PLN is a much more complex process than simply attending a seminar or having an in-school Pro D Day. He also puts a PLN in the context of how it impacts our students, in that young people often already have their own learning networks, so it's important that we as educators understand how to create and use them effectively and safely (a bit of a digital citizenship piece that I hadn't really considered when thinking about my own professional learning.)
Video: Richardson, Will. Personal Learning Networks. (7 December 2007). [Video file] Retrived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mghGV37TeK8.
David Loerstcher states that PLNs (or PLEs, Personal Learning Environments) "are driven by a need to make sense of the vast world of information and ideas and take advantage of technologies and tools available. In addition, they tap into the knowledge and expertise of others in order to learn, to build knowledge, to create, to collaborate and to share within their specified community and the broader learning environment" (2011).
Now that I've done some research into the topic, I can see that there are many ways of creating a PLN, some of which I already do but hadn't considered it as such. For example, I had forgotten about two wikis I had joined in years past that have been extremely helpful in our district http://tech4tls.wikispaces.com/ and http://t-lshare.wikispaces.com/. Again, sharing small things that have worked for you can have a big impact.
Kathy Schrock has an amazing page on her site Kathy Shrock's Guide to Everything that outlines the How and Why of PLNs and contains perspectives from a variety of educational leaders. Very enlightening and inspiring!
I feel lucky that I get to be an educator in an age with so much opportunity to connect and collaborate with others. I feel that my practice can only continue to get better as I look to what others have done in similar situations, as well as share my own experiences (and hopefully get over my fears!)... after all, don't we often tell our students that the best way to learn something is to teach it someone else?
References:
Domeier de Suarez, Lisa. (19 October 2012). Twitter: Best Professional Development in 140 Characters. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/lmdsuarez/twitter-best-professional-development-in-140-characters
Loertscher, D. V., & Koechlin, C. (2011). Personal learning environments in the learning commons. Teacher Librarian, 39(2), 23-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/915254353?accountid=14656
Richardson, Will. Personal Learning Networks. (7 December 2007). [Video file] Retrived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mghGV37TeK8.
Fantastic post that really explains the concepts of a PLN clearly and with all of the benefits. So glad you've worked with Lisa and presented with her! She is amazing and we have worked together at ERAC as well as many conferences. She is a huge asset for your district. Her work this summer on Makerspaces up in Prince George was inspiring. Your videos, embedding, images, and tagging were excellent and your blog post was very well written. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Aaron... I definitely credit Lisa with being the pivotal factor in getting me into the TL gig!
DeleteThanks for sharing this! I just stared following Lisa on Twitter....it is a good way to stay connected. I understand how you feel about being a new TL and being hesitant to share. I also need to make a better habit of going on Twitter more and jut generally using it as a resource. Does your TL group have a place where you can share ideas? We just started a FB page in our district. It is funny but in some ways I feel closer aligned to my fellow TLs rather then my school staff because our role is so unique.
ReplyDeleteRight now we just have a Google account where we upload resources, but I really like your Facebook idea... It's not like we're not on it all the time anyway so maybe that would be easier to stay connected and have that "just in time" Pro D that is so valuable. Thanks for the idea!
DeleteJen - great post. I really appreciated the slideshow regarding Twitter - inspired me to go spend a little more time there today as I know it can be a better resource for me than I've let it be. I also reposted this video - excellent resource. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Jen,
ReplyDeleteAre you a member of a BCTLA? I am in the process of joining and I hope to attend some of the meetings. I think this will help new TLs to network. Recently I have been to some new TL workshops and that has helped me as well. I think we are lucky in the Surrey School district to have these opportunities. I know the feeling of being new and feeling like 'what do I have to contribute' in comparison to TLs who have been teaching for years and years. Just remember you have great ideas and skills to bring to the table no matter how new you are.
Thanks for the encouragement Bronagh! Yes, I am a member of the BCTLA. I've found it really valuable as a way to feel more connected as we are on the only one of "us" in our school and it can be isolating (as mentioned by Tamara above.) There are several big meetings/socials throughout the year (September, December and June) and they have just started doing smaller "cafes" after school about once a month. I'll forward you the latest Chapter Chatter!
DeleteHi Jen, thanks for sharing the video! I never thought about my PLN in a way of getting the experience in order to equip myself to "coach" my students in building their own. I agree that we are very lucky to be in the Surrey School District. The "welcome meeting" at the first week of school where all TLs meet is a good time to extend the PLN. I have never been to any of the TL welcome meeting, but I attend the music teachers one every year, and I get to know my colleagues through the social opportunities in the meeting. I am still "lurking" on Twitter, because of the same reason you had before. After reading your post, I started to think maybe I do have something to share, even thought I do not think what I did was special enough. Thank you for a great post, it is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteDon't ever doubt your influence, Jen! I've only met you once in an informal TL meeting last year and I've never forgotten you! I've learned lots from you and just knowing a person in the district in the same shoes as me that is open, willing, and I'm able to contact has been SO nice and supportive! You know lots of great things and have shared such helpful and insightful information through this course and through our chats together. I can't wait to see you again soon! (ps. I'm horrible with faces, especially pre-coffee, just a FYI!) Will you be at the BCTLA conference tomorrow? Hope to see you there! And keep sharing your stuff, it's awesome!
ReplyDelete