Blog Post 5

Personal Learning Network (PLN) are tools used in every profession especially teaching. PLN is a great way to communicate with classmates/ colleagues. Twitter is a great PLN, because you can follow things that interest you and follow people who have the same interest as you. If you have a problem or question and you want a quick response from an expert, all you have to do is ask the question and hashtag what it is about. I understand the importance of having working PLN, it can help educate you in many ways. I have found a new interest in blogging; I can get ideas, suggestions, and relax from reading blogs. Many people use blogging to vent, such as like a diary but with less of their secrets. Blogging can help you find people that you can relate to and not feel different. Many PLN have chain effects, if you follow one person more people or things that have the same interest will pop up and ask did you want to follow them as well.

 PLN are a great way to keep parents, students, and facility informed about what is going on. Many teachers have blogs that show what they are doing in their class to give the parents an idea of what their child is doing at school. Teachers also have blogs to give other teachers ideas about projects or lessons that are being studied. Being a student that is studying to be a teacher, looking at teachers blogs helped me see what I will be doing in the class room as well as give me ideas on how to deal with certain things that may go on in the classroom. PLN is a great way to connect with people all over the world and see what they do in different cultures. I plan to use my blog to show my students what goes on in different parts of the world, many teachers call the a “field trip around the world.” It is not realistic to take students around the world and let them explore and talk to people from different countries, but by having Blogger, Skype, Twitter, and many others this is possible. By having students communicate with people there same age but from a different county makes learning fun and exciting. Many students do not know what outside of the state looks like, with PLN you can go one state over it does not have to be across the world. By using PLN we can widen the knowledge of children. I think it is very important that each student have a pen pal from a different country, because they can compare sports, school, home life, traditions, and food. Many children grow up and become adults and never leave the country for many reasons, by having a PLN you do actually leave the country but you learn many ways of life.

 I want to have a PLN because it will give me a new prospective about learning as well as teaching. Not only will my students learn from blogging so will I. Keeping up with the latest technology and finding new ways to educate is a great reason to have a PLN.