Blog Post #5

Just from watching several of the videos posted on PLN's, Dr. Strange and the other resources provided made me realize how important they are. In Dr. Strange's document, Developing a Personal Learning Network, he lists several ways on how to discover and start a PLN. Specifically, he lists the characteristics, how to establish a PLN, and shows his two personal PLN's as well. Dr. Strange advises to start by picking a topic of interest and build on that search by checking out different users who share the same interest. He advises a good way to start is by using twitter. On the class blog,  another resource named, PLN, by Michael Fawcett, describes how his PLN changed his teaching career. Fawcett is a teacher in New Zealand who is very interested in space. That's where his PLN search started. He stated that overtime he eventually heard back from NASA after all of his exploring and diving into his PLN. Fawcett also says, "If you haven't started your PLN, what're you waiting for?" and then rephrases, "We're here, and we're waiting. Where the bloody hell are you?" Listening to his video made me think this is the ultimate resource of teaching.

So, what is a PLN? It stands for a Personal Learning Network. PLN's will help me as a teacher by exploring into other teacher's resources using Twitter or other blogs I have looked further into. This will further my education and make me a continuing learner because as Dr. Strange says, "The tools, however, are always changing. You have to be a lifelong learner!" Without realizing it, I have already started exploring and creating my PLN with the help from my twitter account. I look at my followers, to look at their followers and lists, and the exploration is never ending. My first additions I'll especially look into other educators PLN's with the same interests as me and ones who share the same passion for English to further my learning.