Got PLN? It does an educator good!

Remember the commercials and advertisements that came out several years ago

regarding milk? Got Milk? It was, and still is, a great marketing idea for
the promotion of milk. In this post, I'll use the same angle to discuss
Personal Learning Networks (PLN).  

Most of you might be surprised to know that Personal Learning Networks have

been around forever.  You might also be surprised to know that you have
always been part of one.  Since the beginning of time people have had a
family and/or friends.  So the answer is yes to the question. Got PLN?

How does a PLN help an educator? It allows them to connect with other

educators. We were never intended to be alone. I'm going to stick with the

milk theme to explain this point. Educators cannot stay contained to their

classrooms (silos) and expect to learn any more than what they have already

attained from their education or background. If you are a city slicker and

need to Google a silo to get my illustration, then by all means get to
Googling. I will give you a hint. It's very tall, round and used on a farm.

Sometimes farmers like to paint flags or some other portrait on the side,
but I'm digressing. You get the point! Educators cannot work in isolation
and a PLN helps them get out their silo.

Having a network within your profession allows educators to accomplish

several things.

• Validation: Is what I'm doing in the classroom exceptional?
• Research: Is this what the educational industry supports?

• Connect: There's a big world out there. Connect with it and learn.

These are just a few, I'm sure you could think of others or better yet you
could ask your PLN what they have learned by being connected to other

educators.  Again, don't forget that you have always been in the PLN club.
 Next time you're talking to grandma tell her thanks for being your PLN

buddy.  She will get a chuckle!

My next post will address how to expand your PLN. As grandma would say, "Be

sure to drink your milk."