Every individual topic that we were introduced to and read about in this course was fascinating. In particular, the Personal Learning Network (PLN) read was one of my favorites. Not only was it a though provoking article, but it had also sprouted various different ideas in my mind. Let me begin by defining a PLN. A personal learning network is a group of people personal to you, that you engage with in order to aid your learning by sharing resources, ideas and expertise, thereby, creating a network of individuals who share the same interests and aims.

Every time you connect with someone in a way that contributes to your knowledge, you are adding to your PLN. You probably already have a PLN even if you don’t realise it. Technology has removed the physical barriers that once existed to communicate with each other. Time zones and distance no longer present the significant hurdle they once did either. We are able to connect like we never imagined before. We can meet a random stranger on the internet and end up building an important relationship with them. For example, you could potentially meet your life partner on Tinder. Could you imagine? From complete strangers to life partners. Another example could be contacting the CEO of your dream company through LinkedIn and end up working for them. How exciting and convenient!

The PLN can be an important part of your family engagement, personal relationships, or even professional development. We are able to connect to different groups of people using different networks and platforms. LinkedIn and GitHub are usually platforms used for professional development. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram are all platforms to connect with friends and family. Tinder and Bumble are two of many dating platforms used to create relationships. I’m just ever grateful for Facebook to be able to visually see my family on a conference call and communicate with them no matter where they are or what time it is. It’s mind-blowing that you could possibly connect with anyone nowadays. You could possibly communicate with someone famous by sending them a message on social media. Click here for more on that interesting topic on my other blog about it.

Ashley, an aspiring writer, wrote about Using a Mapping Tool to create a PLN where she created an amazing illustration of her PLN, as shown below, similar to what was explained earlier. She shows her personal contacts within specific network connections. I agree with the way she structured her PLN showing she is able to contact different connections through different medias of communication. For example, she shows that she uses LinkedIn for her Industry Connections. In my case, I would add Uvic webmail in the academic connections group as I’ve used it to make multiple academic connections throughout university.

On the other hand, Tianna, a fellow EDCI338 student, brought up a great thought on her blog about how all of this is only possible if we have the technology to connect to the internet in the first place. We are all able to create valuable connections on networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Tinder using the internet. However, I keep wondering about how are people building their PLN without these technologies? Do they even have a PLN? How has this affected their lives? How are their lives different to ours? A thought for you to ponder on.

References:

Gutierrez, K., (n.d.), What are Personal Learning Networks? retrieved from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/personal-learning-networks

Jahangir, S., (2022), Wow and Wonder post #1 – Week 2 (Jan 17–23), retrieved from https://shaafij.opened.ca/wow-and-wonder-post-week-2-jan-17-23/

O’Brien, A., (2014), Using a Mapping Tool to create a PLN, retrieved from https://shaafij.opened.ca/wow-and-wonder-post-week-2-jan-17-23/

Routley, T., (2022), Week 2 “Wow and Wonder”, retrieved from https://tianna338.opened.ca/week-2-wow-and-wonder/