PLNs: Personal, Passionate, Professional Learning Networks

Personal (or Professional/Passionate) Learning Networks are proof that technology has immense and enriching effects on how teachers educate. A PLN is a web-based social media forum in which people of similar interests and/or locations can share, reflect, collaborate, and evaluate.  They prove an extremely useful tool in the education system, but are not yet universally used in school systems.

PLNs have the capacity to connect not only teachers in the same building serving the same school, but also teachers in the same county, state, country, and across the world.  Because of their web-based nature, anyone with internet access could benefit from these rich resources.  PLNs offer teachers virtually limitless data, ideas, strategies, projects, and very importantly, support and feedback from the other educators in their circles.  These rich networks strive to accomplish what every education system should-- to exhaust all resources to provide students with the most meaningful, effective education possible.

Once I am a classroom teacher, I will either seek out or create such a PLN.  I predict it begins with a cluster of teachers at my school, but soon will branch out to other schools in Arlington County, and finally (and hopefully) will spread to nearby counties.  A PLN could benefit my class by providing numerous perspectives on each topic of curriculum, as well as various methods of instruction.  This lends opportunity to meaningful differentiation of lesson delivery, a crucial aspect of a successful classroom.  Further, I would be interested to learn about what and how other teachers are teaching. What I would hope would result from my participation in a PLN with fellow educators would be a deeper understanding of the curriculum and an effective manner of instruction, consisting of an amalgamation of my colleagues' ideas and suggestions.