Collaborative Learning Networks

While each of us has an individualized way of interacting with co-learning colleagues, Dave Cormier's recent post and intermittent tweets have led me to regard the term Personal Learning Network as slightly 'oxymoronic'. My contributions to a group experience might be qualified as 'personal', but I would never use the word as an adjective to describe a team, a committee, or a class to which I belong. Maybe it's time to reconsider the use of the term PLN?

Personalized Learning & Participation
Each person's learning network is certainly unique. The tools we use to interact with our networks are chosen to suit our personal tastes, and the types of information we share among our colleagues varies widely; but the name we've come to accept for this inter-connected learning: Personal Learning Network, implies individual ownership and control.

Whether or not you subscribe to the theory of Connectivism, you likely realize that our networks are chaotic and self-organizing all at the same time.

A Collaborative Learning Network
The value in any learning network comes from the contributions of many individuals. No one member has ownership of the group, or of the work that's been collaboratively developed. Additionally, it's clear that if any one person fails to add value, then the net results are less striking.

Do you have a Personal Learning Network?
Do you have a Collaborative Learning Network? or
Do you have something different?



Photo Credit: Elisabeth Audrey

What's the Most Important thing You've Learned from Your PLN?

Tomorrow morning I'm taking a road trip to attend the ABEL Summer Institute where my session on Personal Learning Networks should dovetail nicely with the theme "Intersections: Where Learner, Literacy and Technology Meet."

In my session, I'll be highlighting a number of online tools that educators and students can harness to develop learning relationships with colleagues around the world. To this end, it seems a natural segue for me to invite members of my own PLN to contribute to the session.

While you are welcome to read the responses of other educators by scrolling to the bottom of my brief Personal Learning Networks Survey, I'd love to know "What's the most important thing you've learned from your PLN?" Who knows, you might one day find yourself teaching others about PLNs, by revisiting the results of this survey...

For the benefit of attendees and others interested PLN development, my workshop materials are located here: The Golden Fleece Wiki, Teacher 2.0, HomePageStartup, Delicious, Google Reader, Twitter.

Workshop attendees are invited to share their comments on the Social Networking for Teachers workshop by clicking the 'comment' button below.



Image Credit: Wordle has been used to reframe PLN survey responses.

Wisdom of the Collective

What's the most important thing you've learned from your Personal Learning Network?


"If I'm struggling with something, chances are someone else is too! Seeing others take risks helps me take them more confidently, too." Adrienne Michetti

"Regardless of how boring the material that you have to cover might be, using web 2.0 tools makes students active participants in the education process. I am getting so much more feedback through the blogs, email, and classroom response systems than I ever did with asking a student for an answer" Brian Licata

"...I've learned that there is an on line community there to support you in whatever way you need at the this very moment. You just need to take a risk and ask." Elona Hartjes

"...My PLN supports my learning in many different ways. I can propose an idea and get feedback, or I can explore others' writings to get a different perspective. That's at the conceptual level. At the tools level, I can get help on a specific tool or I can learn about new tools. And when I need some information about a topic, I turn to my PLN for the information directly or pointers to where it can be accessed. My learning is deeper and richer because of my PLN." Cindy Seibel

"The most important thing I have learned from my PLN is I cannot keep up or stay current on my own. I can benefit from other educator's experiences at the click of a button so I don't have to read it all or do it all myself. My favourite phrase is "We not me"" Doug Sadler

"...I've learned that a PLN is absolutely critical for me to keep up with things going on in education. I simply cannot wait for the "guru" articles & books to be published because things are changing too fast. But I can learn a ton from people who are sharing via blogs & podcasts. For the first time in my teaching career, I don't feel totally isolated in my job. My PLN has been a life-saver (and a sanity saver)." Kelly Ady

"Start slow it can be overwhelming. Don't lurk, participate. Be willing to contribute and don't get bummed if you don't get a response. It will take some time." Paul R. Wood


Add your wisdom, or follow the link and scroll down to reflect on the thoughts of others.

Photo Credit: Stephen Downes