PLN Takeaways

I found these articles about developing a PLN incredibly interesting. I liked that both articles discussed how social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook can be used beneficially - I think sometimes people disregard these sites as a means to procrastinate or waste time, and I appreciated that both authors wrote about how these sites can actually enhance teaching methods and educational philosophy. That being said, I think it's easier said than done in discerning the useful from the not-so-useful, and think that it will be a process in of itself simply trying to find good educational Twitter or Facebook accounts. Another slight concern I had was that I recently deleted my Facebook account, so I would be unable to use that social media site as a means to connect with other teachers or educational organizations to develop a PLN. I don't think this is too much of an issue, though - there are similar social media sites (such as LinkedIn or Google+) that I can use instead. 

I really like the idea of developing a strong PLN, because I think teaching, as a profession, is one that should involve continual collaboration and feedback. Teachers should be constantly working to better the quality of the education they are providing for students, and so PLN seems like an obvious way to fulfill this goal. Personally, the idea of PLN appealed to me because I really love talking and listening to other people, especially if we are discussing a similar or shared topic. I like the idea of collaboration, of sharing personal experiences (good and bad!) with other individuals involved in education, as a means to both improve our teaching, and develop new relationships of trust John Spencer (or Chad Segersten) write about. 

Overall, I would like to learn more about the how-to of developing a PLN. These articles served as a great introduction into the idea, and I'm excited to discuss this more in class.