The Importance of Expanding Your Personal Learning Network (PLN)

What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?

    On both a personal and professional level, we have become more connected now than ever before in history. These connections foster collaboration, learning, and growth both in our personal lives but also within a professional community of practice. According to Haas et al. (2020), "personal learning networks (PLNs) are informal networks connecting people and organizations that allow for individualized learning and engagement in personal and professional development" (p. 373). By expanding your PLN with diverse networks, you expand your knowledge base and multiply the amount of resources at your fingertips. In the digital age, analyzing and expanding your PLN is a necessity, and will keep you abreast of best practices as well as promote a spirit of lifelong learning.

The Importance of a PLN in the Digital Age

    Need to know how to write a resume? Google it. Need to learn more about technical writing? YouTube it. Want to hear from others in the ID field about new learning models? Browse LinkedIn or Twitter. PLNs have blossomed in the digital age. Before these apps and social networking sites, PLNs may have been limited to who you knew at school, work, and in your personal life. Now, PLNs can span the globe, weaving together a rich tapestry of knowledge, culture, and experiences that enrich our personal and professional learning more than ever before. In the digital age, PLNs are inclusive and allow professionals to connect no matter their geographic location. Remote or geographically isolated workers are no longer “remote” in their connectedness (Oddone et al., 2019).

    To bolster one’s PLN in the digital age, Haas et al. (2020) recommend:

• creating and contributing to a professional Twitter profile,
• fostering relationships with international nodes as well as regional and local,
• leveraging weak ties within your PLN to increase innovative and creative insights,
• using social media features such as polling (on Twitter),
• participating in an online journal club to discuss current research, and
• seeking out mentors in your field through a PLN.

    These recommendations further point to the benefits that technology has brought to the arena of PLNs, expanding the world around us while connecting us to an ever-growing web of professional relationships and powerful learning.

Expanding my PLN

    There are many ways to expand your PLN, including participating in social networking sites, professional organizations, blogs, webinars, and online conferences. While I am already a member of a professional organization serving L&D professionals (The Learning Guild) and quite a few social/professional networking sites, I am not yet a subscriber or an avid reader of any ID/L&D-related blogs. Three blogs I am interested in following include:

• Kapp Notes (https://karlkapp.com/kapp-notes/)
• Karl Kapp, an expert on gamification, offers many resources in the form of articles, interviews, templates, presentations, mini-courses, workshops, and more.
• The eLearning Coach (https://theelearningcoach.com/)
• Connie Malamed, the guru behind the eLearning Coach, offers tips and articles on eLearning design, including storyboarding and writing learning objectives, as well as on-demand courses and a helpful podcast.
• Cathy Moore’s Action @ Work (https://blog.cathy-moore.com/)
• Cathy Moore’s blog offers resources on action mapping, scenario design, needs analysis, tips on engagement, and much more.

        Adding additional networks to my PLN will expand and diversify my network and knowledge base. As I don’t currently subscribe to any professional blogs in L&D or ID, following the three blogs listed above will allow me to connect directly with experts and professionals in my field, stay knowledgeable on current trends and best practices, and discover helpful resources (such as templates and tools). I am particularly interested in learning more about the topics of gamification, storytelling, action mapping, and scenario-based learning. To participate, I plan to subscribe to each blog, read articles/posts monthly, comment on posts to join the conversation with other professionals in my field, access resources provided, and attend workshops and mini-courses when possible.

To read more about PLNs, check out the Resource Hub!

References

Haas, M. R. C., Haley, K., Nagappan, B. S., Ankel, F., Swaminathan, A., & Santen, S. A. (2020). The connected educator: Personal learning networks. Clinical Teacher, 17(4), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13146

Oddone, K., Hughes, H., & Lupton, M. (2019). Teachers as connected professionals: A model to support professional learning through personal learning networks. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 20(3), 102–120. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i4.4082