The Power of the PLN

Up until this week, I didn’t have much knowledge of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) nor the ideal ways to utilize them. My past job/volunteer experiences were limited; I knew people who were health care workers and those who worked in the medical field in some capacity. More recently, my PLNs expanded to include people in libraries and public institutions. Some of them also graduated from Dominican, others who are in different departments (Marketing, for example). So I decided to check out a group for educators and professional development; maybe I could learn something new or useful for my chosen career.

Looking through different posts, I focused on the ones which dealt with Twitter and offered tips for using the platform in an educational context. I thought that this post was particularly informative. In general I find Twitter a bit overwhelming, so learning ways to cut down the chaos and nonsensical algorithms was very helpful. This post discusses different hashtags/”trends” educators can use on Twitter as well as the more popular ones to follow, for interaction and growth. While I am somewhat familiar with hashtags, I’ve not really read the ones for my field (or whatever I decide to do after graduation). The author also has a post on how best to utilize the Twitter notifications and Lists features. Notifications are great, especially when someone doesn’t want to miss a crucial post, or follows many accounts and may not see a certain tweet. And “lists” can help narrow down people or organizations to interact with, particularly if it’s a rather broad industry.

I watched the videos by Dr. Trust and some very interesting points were made. On the growth area scale, I fall under cognitive growth. I tend to reflect (or overthink) when I’m learning or handling different types of information, which can be both a blessing and a curse.

In an effort to increase my PLNs, I also joined the American Library Association and groups for writers (who share one or some part of my cultural heritage). I think these connections are necessary and vital, in a world that often feels isolating. Several authors and activists I talk with are wonderful mentors, and have answered or cleared up my doubts. By having strong connections, I think it’s possible (and ever more crucial) to build each other up rather than tearing people down.