How to configure Stuart Hasic June 2009 Your Professional or Personal Learning Network...

The Typical Teacher’s Network Image by Dr Alec Couros – University of Regina

The Typical Teacher’s Network Image by Dr Alec Couros – University of Regina

Humans: We Think

The Networked Teacher Image by Dr Alec Couros – University of Regina A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a dynamic, interactive collection of resources that extends beyond the classroom. The elements of the typical teacher network are not replaced in this new model, but rather are complimented by myriad of tools that support a bi-directional exchange of information and ideas.

“Lifelong Learning is NOT a 9 to 5 job”. - Stu Hasic, June 2009

What’s Facebook? Image by Dr Alec Couros – University of Regina

Tools that Help Develop your PLN Image from School

What’s Twitter?

What’s Twitter?  One of the most-misunderstood and quickly dismissed of the social networking tools available  I relate to it as a “perpetual chat session”  You choose who you want to “follow” and others follow you  What you type is seen by all your followers. You see everything typed by the people you follow  Restricted to 140 characters, Twitter is no place for the verbose

What’s Twitter?  After signing up for Twitter, first thing to do is to find people to follow – find twenty to start off  Make sure you include people you actually know – this is one medium for your Personal Learning Network (PLN)  You will start to see what they say. You can reply to them.  As you contribute, people will start to follow you, adding YOU to THEIR PLN  Give Twitter a chance before deciding to dismiss it

Social Bookmarking and your PLN If you are still saving your Bookmarks or Favourites within your browser, you are wasting them. If you are relying on finding the sites you need yourself, then you are wasting time. Sign up to one or more of these Social Bookmarking sites and start tagging the sites you find. Find other users tagging the sites you are interested in and setup an RSS reader to their account. Others can then work for you!

How to Get Information to Find You In a world of information overload, you need to get information you are interested in to find you. Google Alerts will you links whenever something new appears on the internet that matches your particular search requests

Putting your PLN all Together  Once you’ve made your accounts and found some like-minded people for your PLN, you need a single easy place to get access to it all  Try one of these: PageFlakes Netvibes iGoogle  All are customisable multi-faceted personal home pages made just for you  Take a look –

Tomorrow’s Connected Teacher Image by Wendy Drexler – The Networked Student

Questions? Thank you for your attention