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    Teaching can be like living on an island by yourself. You know what works well in your own classroom, but you

are typically the only adult in the room. You are left to you own devices and have to rely on your past experiences

to teach well. Educators today are instead leaning on their Professional Learning Network, or PLN for short. PLNs

are small or large groups of people who are connected in some way, typically through education. These groups are

ways for others to share ideas, tips, tricks, articles, what works and what doesn't. Gray, K. (2019) states,

“Professional networks are essential to growing and maintaining one’s passion in any line of work. As teachers,

we have traditionally found professional learning networks (PLNs) in our buildings, but in the digital age there

are no boundaries: PLNs can exist on any social media platform, which creates endless possibilities for sharing,

mentorship, and growth as teachers.” (para. 1). 

                                                                    Video courtesy of Laurie Guyon:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1FWIoztw84

    Although there are so many different ways to grow your PLNs, we are going to dive into the big three,

X (formerly Twitter), Flipboard, and LinkedIn.

X (formerly Twitter)

In my opinion, X is one of the easier social media platforms to create and grow your PLN. Within theplatform it provides you with millions of users who share the same interests as you in your field. Specifically ineducation, there are hundreds if not thousands of groups of educators who are sharing their knowledge, ideas, tipsand tricks. X allows you to follow other educators, provides opportunities for collaboration and discussion, and helps teachers stay up to date with the newest technologies and ideas. Some great accounts to follow include:@NWEA, @AppleEDU, @usedgov, @DitchThatTextbook, @EducationNext. There are plenty more to follow,but those will get you started on building your PLN. 

Image courtesy of Simon Johnson on X: @clcsimon 

Flipboard:
    Flipboard is a relatively new platform for me. Flipboard is a web-based program or you can use the

smartphone-friendly app. This platform allows users to collect different articles and videos into one place or

“magazine” making it very easy for others to view pertinent educational articles. Teachers can also create and share

resource guides with other educators, providing a wealth of information at their fingertips. This allows for quick

access for educators to find information on a topic of their choosing. Users can subscribe to various magazines,

which helps them stay up to date on news and trends in education today. Some great hashtags to search include:

#learning, #students, #educationtechnology, etc. All of these hashtags take you directly to articles and magazines

that can help educators find new trends and tips for their classroom. 

Image courtesy of Flipboard: https://about.flipboard.com/inside-flipboard/8-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-the-all-new-flipboard/

LinkedIn:
 LinkedIn is another great social media tool to help educators connect and collaborate in order to build their

PLN. LinkedIn helps professionals connect from across the world. This connectivity helps educators collaborate

with others who they don’t know personally but who post great content for teachers. This platform also helps

educators build relationships with like-minded individuals or groups who can help them keep on top new trends and

technologies. Users are able to share resources, articles, thoughts, and ideas with other educators, sharing content

and helping reach new connections within the platform. Some great LinkedIn users to follow include ELearning

Global Network, Effective and Fun Training Techniques, Learning, Education, and Training Professionals, the

Learning Guild Community, etc. All of these plus many  more will help educators grow their PLN and help

connect teachers across the globe with ideas and techniques. 

Video courtesy of Teacher Prep with Dr. D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGCYocuNB7I

    With the absolute burst of new social media platforms out there today, teaching no longer needs to be an island all by yourself. Instead, educators can use social media platforms to help grow their PLNs and in turn become more educated educators. 


References: 

Gray, K. (2019, May 15). Leveraging social media to build a digital pln. Edutopia. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/leveraging-social-media-build-digital-pln/

Guyon, L. (2024, Nov. 3). Social media and your pln [Video]. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1FWIoztw84

Teacher Prep with Dr. D. (2020, May 5). LinkedIn for teachers: How to start a profile and what to 

include [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGCYocuNB7I

 


Comments

  1. Keley BarnhillApril 28, 2025 at 7:19 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keley BarnhillApril 28, 2025 at 7:20 AM

    Teaching can absolutely feel like you're on an isolated island. Especially in the lower grades where you teach everything. I had heard of a PLN before but never really delved deep into what it's purpose was. I had always thought that LinkedIn was job hunting, I didn't realize it was to connect with professionals and promote yourself (Pena, Curado, & Oliveria, 2022).
    Jones and Kennedy (2023) even highlight that LinkedIn provides "opportunities for educators to engage in many professional development opportunities" (p.20).
    I enjoyed reading your blog and have gained new ideas to expand my own PLN.

    References:
    Jones, L., & Kennedy, E. (2023). Effective technology tools for school leadership: Understanding Digital
    and Data-Driven Strategies. Taylor & Francis.

    Pena, L., Curado, C., & Oliveria, M. (2022). The contributions of LinkedIn use to career outcome
    expectations. Journal of Business Research, 144. 788-796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.047

    ReplyDelete

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