PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORKS

Devising a lesson plan that provokes thought, induces comprehension, and incites new ideas is simply not enough to meet today's educational standards.    Yes it is the prerequisite to teaching a class, but the second the educator stops learning about the subject and stops revising the lesson plan, it and the teacher become static.  
    
Traditional learning for educators has come by way of going to university, or taking classes during the summer months, and all of these options take time, commitment and money.    Because of this many fall into the status quo, and leave a good thing alone.   "If it worked well for one class of students, it should work for the many others that follow."  In today's learning climate this is simply unacceptable, and one solution which will help both teacher and students learn is the idea of personal learning networks.


Personal learning networks are created by the individual learner and are specific to the learner’s needs extending relevant learning connections to like-interested people around the globe.  Access to leaders and experts around the world is now possible, and communities can come together to provide resources and information impossible to access solely from within school walls.  The physical space that we reside in no longer affects our ability to learn.  We can build our own classrooms,   connect with others around ideas that we are passionate about, and that passion will only further incite the learning process because the topics of discussion will be things we truly wish to learn about.


Personal Learning Networks are two way streets requiring a member to both consume and contribute information shared by the group.   It is only as good as it's members and all educators should utilize them not only to avoid becoming static learners and teachers, but also to understand their nuances for use in the classroom setting. Teacher participation in a PLN would also serve as an appropriate model for students to follow, to ensure appropriate and ethical interactions and to help shape learning experiences.
   
Ideas can and always will evolve when more than one person is considering the notion.  We place our students into groups not only to compare ideas, but so they can have others help them expand their thoughts or realize the full potential of their idea. When this synthesis occurs not only is it proven that the comprehension of the material is enhanced, but the material itself is actually enriched through the student's engagement with it. Why then, would we as educators not choose to learn the very way that we realize is the most proficient. Of course our independent investigation is still relevant, however the information that we glean from our research can be enhanced to a higher level that may have taken us years to reach, simply by allowing others to assist with our thought process.                 


Constructive criticism is a great tool for teaching, whereas constructive collaboration is a great tool for learning; once we fully grasp this notion we as educators can stop teaching ourselves the material we are going to present, and can truly start to learn it together.