Education is dynamic and ever evolving. To keep pace with the
rapid changes, teachers need to be a lifelong learner. A school endeavours to
provide regular hands on training to teachers but many a times it is not able
to do complete justice. The day school reopens, the constant flux of students
attending range of academic and non-academic classes, parents entering and
leaving with doubts and concerns resolved, the magnitude of co-curricular
events, regular assessments, remedial help, school excursions, community reach
out leaves one with less time to devote themselves to CPD [Continuous
professional development]. In such cases, having a Personal Learning Network or
PLN is extremely useful.
Video link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=91&v=hLLpWqp-owo
Source:
As per Dori Digenti, 'The PLN consists of relationships
between individuals where the goal is enhancement of mutual learning. The
currency of the PLN is learning in the form of feedback, insights,
documentation, new contacts, or new business opportunities. It is based on
reciprocity and a level of trust that each party is actively seeking
value-added information for the other'.
Sources to build PLN?
1. The net offers various links to educational forums
like https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/partner-school/teacher-forums, https://educationinnovations.org/program/subject-teacher-forum, https://community.tes.com/
and so on.
2. LinkedIn allows you to be
part of many like minded groups wherein you can share latest updates and
concerns. https://in.linkedin.com/
3. Online learning courses
https://education.microsoft.com/, http://www.scientix.eu/, https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/, http://www.eun.org/,
and many more communities allows one to access free courses for self
enhancement.
4. Social media apps like
Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, Instagram and many more helps you get
connected to other educators and share resources freely with each other.
5. Your personal connections with teachers, educators, peers and friends. My personal network of global friends helps me get connected to all that education has to offer.
Benefits of PLN
1. You are resourceful, knowledgeable and connected and that
builds your confidence.
2. Your lessons are more connected to the present, are
interdisciplinary and you prepare students to be future ready.
3. You are a lifelong learner and therefore more connected to
your students as you understand their learning journey implicitly.
4. You have a choice to connect with people with whom you are
comfortable and therefore more at ease with the learning process.
5. The learning is spaced at your own convenience and you are
the master of your learning process. You may choose to accept or decline the
learning material.
6. You develop a growth mindset as different people offer
different views and perspectives and make you look at a problem or issue with
varied lens and aspects. Thus, your horizon broadens.
7. The networks and relationships are more goal oriented or
process oriented and thus it allows one to focus more on positive thinking and
focused direction.
It is time to develop your PLN's soon as with the advent of
the 4th Industrial revolution, with new technologies and new
revolutions, one needs to be prepared for rapid changes and immense upheavals.
Thus, a group of networks and groups will offer concrete directions and
meaningful resources for one to adapt themselves to a bright future which is unknown and mysterious.
Resources:
https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/
