Journal 6 "Grow Your Personal Learning Network"

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(March/April 2009), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading.aspx

Summary: In the article “Grow Your Personal Learning Network”, David Warlick informs the reader about the resources involved in developing a personal learning network (PLN). Warlick suggests there are three main types of PLNs, each with its own “avenues of cultivation”:(1) Personally maintained synchronous connection which utilizes tools such as chat through iChat, Skype and uStream. This type of PLN also uses tools such as text and instant messaging, Twitter and Second Life in order to knock down the many barriers (geography, language, culture, etc.) that prevent us from connecting world of people out there. (2) Personally and socially maintained semisynchronous connections which is used to have untraditional conversations. A person might ask questions directed toward a single person, but instead the questions can be opened up to a community of people who are in a position to help answer the questions. (3) Dynamically maintained asynchronous connections which connects more with content sources rather than one another. The central tool being use is RSS aggregator in this type of PLN. Warlick goes into further detail identifying a RSS aggregator as throughout the rest of the article. Warlick goes on to identify a potential weakness of PLNs. That is, PLNs can easily become limited in the range of perspective due to personal bias. He states, “We must try to cultivate networks that challenge our thinking and frames of reference” in order to learn. Lastly, Warlick provides 10 examples to keeping the PLN simple.

(1)How do you “switch off” you PLN as suggested in the “Keep It Simple” partition of Warlick article?

I have struggle “switching off” learning when it comes to any form of learning in my life. Since, I am aware of this problem I will purposefully leave my chargers at home when going to the local coffee shop to work on projects. This way when the battery runs out, so does my time. Usually, I will hit the gym or go for a long walk while I let my computer recharge. I found this to be an excellent way to “switch off” my PLN. During holidays I make sure to keep the computer, text messaging and so on to a bare minimum. Sometimes I will turn everything off for 24hours (coursing sending out a message before hand).

(2) About how much time do you devote each day to your PLN?

            It varies from day to day. It all depends on my work schedule and my homework load. On average, I would say about 10 to 20 minutes. Some days I could devote a couple of hours if I am trying to find resources for am upcoming protect.