Blog Post 4b: Rewrite a previous blog post

Blog Post 4b: Rewrite a previous blog post

Are PLN’s really that important?

(Image sourced from https://www.imaginelearning.com/blog/2010/08/esl_twitter_pln_personal-learning-network)

Whether we like it or not social media is growing and becoming the centre of the modern world. Billions of people are using social media every day to communicate, for entertainment and for work.

We were introduced to Professional Learning Networks (PLN’S). Essentially, a PLN is how professionals connect with people in the same industry and it is “Used to describe a network of people and resources that support ongoing learning.”(Morris, 2018). Learning about PLN’s helped me understand that teachers can reach out for help at any time and instantaneously receive feedback from anyone around the globe. After learning more about PLN’s I have a better understanding of how important PLN’s are to have in my career. The video linked below this paragraph will further explain the importance and relevance of using a PLN. 

Twitter is an amazing resource for building and expanding a PLN. It is one of the most popular sites teachers use for PLN’s. There are many advantages to using a PLN Trust, Krutka and Carpenter(2016) explains that they can be used for sharing information, exchanging opinions and building a network with other teachers. Another amazing advantage of a PLN is it allows teachers to become motivated to engage with colleagues all around the world.  PLN’s are very important because “they can solicit help and support” they also allow for teachers to “demonstrate their knowledge by helping others, and converse with individuals about new information” (Trust, 2012). 

In spite of the amazing benefits of twitter and PLN’s I have also understood that there are many negative implications of these social networking sites. For example, if I post something that is seen as inappropriate it may threaten my job and jeopardises any future job opportunities. That is why I believe “To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question.” is important to understand as people need to think twice before pressing send when they want to post something online.

So to answer my question that I posed at the begnning of this post, “Are PLN’s really that important?” I believe that they are very important to have due to their many amazing benefits.

References

- Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & education, 102, 15-34. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007

-Trust, T. (2012). Professional learning networks designed for teacher learning. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education 28(4), 133-138. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2012.10784693

Morris, K. (2018). Step 1: What Is A PLN?. Retrieved from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/

Original post:

Driving Question: To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question!

Whether we like it or not social media is growing and becoming the centre of the modern world. Billions of people are using social media every day to communicate, for entertainment and for work.

During the lectures and tutorials of COMM140, we were introduced to Professional Learning Networks (PLN’S). Essentially, a PLN is how professionals connect with people in the same industry and it is “Used to describe a network of people and resources that support ongoing learning.”(Morris, 2018). Learning this made me feel somewhat relaxed that teachers can reach out for help and receive feedback almost instantaneously from anyone around the globe. After learning more about PLN’s I have a better understanding of how important PLN’s are to have in my career.


I have learned that twitter is a great recourse for building a PLN and it is the number one resource for teachers to use worldwide to build their PLN and connect with educators around the world (Morris, 2018). I believe that there are so many benefits for creating a twitter account and expanding my PLN. One of the most important benefits is that it keeps educators updated with the latest technology and tools to allow for new ideas and differentiation in the classroom/school (Creative Eduction, 2019). Another important benefit is that opportunities that PLN’s give to teachers and preservice teachers as I believe it allows future employers to see that a teacher is not only motivated but active in the teaching community (Hutchison & Colwell, 2017).


In spite of the amazing benefits of twitter and PLN’s I have realised and understood the negative implications of Twitter. For example, if I post something that is seen as inappropriate it may threaten my job and jeopardises any future job opportunities. That is why I believe “To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question.” is important to understand as people need to think twice before pressing send when they want to post something online.


References

Creative Education Blog » 10 Reasons Teachers should give Twitter a go. (2019). Creativeeducation.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2019, from https://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/10-reasons-to-tweet/


Colwell, J., & Hutchison, A. (2018). Considering a Twitter-Based Professional Learning Network in Literacy Education. Literacy Research and Instruction, 57(1), 5-25. 10.1080/19388071.2017.1370749


Morris, K. (2018). Step 1: What Is A PLN?. Retrieved from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/