The Importance of PLNs for Teachers

Becoming part of one or more Professional (or Personal) Learning Networks (PLN) is essential for teachers to have access to the kind of relevant and timely information they need to be successful in their own classrooms. PLN's remove teacher isolation from the equation and empower teachers to take ownership of their own professional development journey.

 Not sure what a PLN is? Check out the video below!  

 Taking the time to join one or more PLNs results in many benefits for educators everywhere. Finding the right PLN allows educators to: 

• collaborate meaningfully on a global scale
• find new and interesting ideas to continue to shape personal and classroom philosophies
• conduct research in connected and relevant ways
• share personal ideas and discoveries
• personalize their own professional development (an essential key to avoid burnout!)

When searching for the right PLN, consider the following: 

1. How much time do I have to spend reading and interacting? 
2. What exactly do I want out of this resource? (links, articles, videos, etc.)
3. How do I want to contribute my own ideas? (blogs, comments, etc.)
4. How many PLNs am I willing to manage? 
• Finding resources is fantastic, but if the quest for a PLN becomes more about bookmarking resources than digging into your own practices and ideas, then you have missed a valuable point!

Here are some of the PLNs that I have recently discovered. This is by no means an exhaustive list: 

• Classroom 2.0
• EdWeb.net
• The Edublogger
• The Educator's PLN
• Edutopia

Please comment and share the PLNs that are most beneficial for you!