# data[].attributes.body
Standard 5: Connected Learner

Leaders model and promote continuous professional learning for themselves and others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The education leaders section of the ISTE Standards supports the implementation of the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators, and provides a framework for guiding digital age learning. This section of the standards targets the knowledge and behaviors required for leaders to empower teachers and make student learning possible. They're focused on some of the most timely, yet enduring, topics in education today - equity, digital citizenship, visioneering, team and systems building, continuous improvement and professional growth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The education leaders section of the ISTE Standards supports the implementation of the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators, and provides a framework for guiding digital age learning. This section of the standards targets the knowledge and behaviors required for leaders to empower teachers and make student learning possible.

# data[].attributes.headline
What is a Professional Learning Network?

# data[].attributes.subject
What is a Professional Learning Network?

# data[].attributes.body
This self-paced free course guides you step-by-step through the process of setting up your own PLN.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to our professional learning series on building a PLN.

This self-paced free course guides you step-by-step through the process of setting up your own PLN.

We have an optional PDF workbook t hat will help to keep you on track and focused as you work through the 7 steps of this course. Scroll down and click on the 'download' button under the document to save it to your computer.
The aim of this first step is to:

1. Unpack the definition of a PLN and "connected educator"

2. Help you understand why educators create their own PLNs and how they use them

What Is A PLN?

Back in 1998 when the internet was in its infancy, Daniel R. Tobin wrote an article about the term "Personal Learning Network" which was abbreviated to PLN. This term was used to describe a network of people and resources that support ongoing learning.

Whether or not Tobin actually coined the term PLN is up for debate. As Clint Lalonde has pointed out, others, such as Dori Digenti, also wrote about the term in the late 90s.

Digeni said,

The PLN consists of relationships between individuals where the goal is enhancement of mutual learning. The currency of the PLN is learning in the form of feedback, insights, documentation, new contacts, or new business opportunities. It is based on reciprocity and a level of trust that each party is actively seeking value-added information for the other.

The term has evolved and is now sometimes referred to as a Professional Learning Network - taking into account that fact that most "connected educators" use their PLN for professional growth and interaction.

As Tom Whitby has pointed out, there can even be a hybrid of the personal or professional learning network - the Personalized Learning Network.

...the shift in nuance maintains that participants are both personal and professional learners. A PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time. Participating educators, worldwide, make requests and share resources.

Are PLNs Exclusive To Education?

PLNs don't just exist in the education world. They are important in all aspects of the business world, various vocations, and hobbies.

We contacted Daniel R. Tobin to ask him about how he came up with the term Personal Learning Network. We wanted to find out if he coined the term in relation to a particular industry or field.

Daniel told us,

It came from my own experience.

As I was thinking about how I had learned to do the various jobs I had over the course of my career, I realized that I had built an extensive network of people who had helped me learn. These included managers and colleagues and people I had met while doing research for my books, speaking at conferences, attending workshops, etc.

As I started writing about corporate training and development, I realized that what I had learned from my PLN was greater and more important than what I had learned from my formal education.

Interestingly, many teachers who are active online have remarked that they've learned a great deal more from their PLN than from any professional development session they've attended.

Are PLNs Something New?

All teachers know successful teaching and learning does not occur in a vacuum. Teachers have always relied on others for guidance, ideas, inspiration, support, and new perspectives. Naturally, some teachers are more active in their interactions than others.

Traditionally, all this interaction might take place in one school community. Teachers might have rarely connected with educators from other locations - apart from an occasional conference or professional development opportunity.

Technology changed all this.

Like in many other industries, educators now have access to people from all corners of the globe 24/7. This may largely be through social media but other platforms as well, such as blogs, online communities, and news sites.

So many barriers have been removed - geography, culture, language, timezones, travel, costs, logistics.

Embracing new networks and building a PLN doesn't mean throwing out your old connections. Of course, it will always be valuable to talk to the teachers next door and down the hall. But imagine the possibilities of building on that network in diverse ways!

Video: What is A PLN?

Want to learn more about what is a PLN? This is Marc-André Lalande's take on the matter in less than two minutes.

Being A Connected Educator

A connected educator is someone who collaborates online and uses a range of tools to build their own PLN.

Watch the following five minute video to learn more about being a connected educator. It shows interviews with educators who explain the importance of being "connected" in order to be effective teachers and leaders.

Why Create A PLN?

There are many reasons why all teachers should develop a PLN.

Here are eight benefits of having a PLN:

1. You are in charge of your own professional development. PD is no longer something that you have to "sit and get".

2. You can explore your own interests, needs, and passions (or your students'). You might have a student who is struggling with reading, or you might have heard of makerspaces and decide you want to learn more about that, maybe you have a student who wants to research global warming, or perhaps you want to find a better system for running a sports day at your school. You can turn to your PLN for advice and support with all these sorts of things.

3. 24/7 learning offers the flexibility to learn and connect at a time that suits you. You don't have to wait for a PD or conference. And 24/7 learning certainly doesn't mean you have to be constantly online either - you decide how much time you want to invest and when.

4. You can learn and connect in a way that you enjoy. This might be via videos, podcasts, text, social media, Skype, blogging ... the list goes on.

5. There can be light and shade to your PLN. You can engage in a general chat about education (or anything) to debrief, laugh, or unwind. Or, you can engage in deep discussion, debate, and reflection that can really challenge and transform your thinking and teaching. The choice is yours and there will probably be a time and place for both.

6. You can stay current on research and best practice, regardless of whether this information is being discussed in your own school, district (or even country!).

7. A PLN allows for broad brainstorming or fine tuning. You might know very little about a certain topic and ask your PLN for any/all entry points into exploring the concept. At the other end of the spectrum, you may have already done a lot of work on a topic and use your PLN to fine tune your ideas and resources.

8. Globally connected students need globally connected teachers. Having your own PLN is a key way to also help your students connect with others and start developing their own networks. We know this is important to enrich student learning and help students thrive in the changing labor market.

Feel free to use the following graphic on your blog or share it with your colleagues.

Four Big Ideas Around The Connected Educator

Silvia Tolisana (aka Langwitches) has written about four big ideas that surface when thinking about connected educators.

I think about the isolation of a teacher within their classroom walls and how connectedness to a global network of experts and peers could expose and add multiple perspectives to their world view and professional practice.

I am amazed every time by the transformative nature of teaching and learning, when harnessing the power of a network to crowdsource authentic data, resources, connections and collaborators.

Last, but not least, the idea of being able to model for our students what connected learning in an interconnected world means is a moral imperative for educators who are charged to prepare our kids for their future.

You can unpack these concepts further by reading Silvia's post.

Building Your Own PLN

The great thing about a PLN is that it's personal!

You make all the choices:

1. What tools you use!

2. Who you connect with!

3. How you want to learn!

4. When you want to learn!

The idea of this series is to guide you through the process of building your own PLN and give you a taste of the opportunities that are out there.

Remember, we each have our own preference of what online tools work best for us.

Throughout the seven part series, we've included popular tools for building a PLN to help get you started.

Conclusion

A PLN is a network of people and resources that support ongoing learning.

We believe all teachers could benefit from having a PLN.

You might be in a fantastic school but in some ways, schools can become echo chambers for the same beliefs and viewpoints. It can be easy to go with the status quo and fail to really question things or bring in new ideas. A simple conversation with someone from a very different community can be so eye opening.

PLNs are all about sharing, collaborating, and learning from each other. So here's your chance to ask a question, comment, and get involved!

We'd like you to add your voice and ideas to our ongoing conversation about PLNs by undertaking one or more of these challenges:

1. PLN Definition: Watch the video What Is A PLN? Leave a comment on this post to explain what a PLN means to you. You might like to share your thoughts on "lurking". What are the pros and cons of this approach? Or, you might like to explain what you think PLN stands for - personal, professional, personalized ... or something else?

2. PLN Benefits: Choose one or more of the eight benefits of having a PLN that's listed above to explore in a comment. Tell us why this is a benefit that resonates with you.

3. Connected Educators: Watch the Connected Educators video. Leave a comment on this post to explain why it's important to be a connected educator and how a PLN can help you. You might like to give an example of one person in the education community that you'd like to follow and learn from or with. This could be a thought leader, or just someone you find interesting.

4. Go Deeper: Write a blog post to explain what you have learned about PLNs. Perhaps your post could be a way to educate or persuade others on the benefits of PLNs. Or you might like to summarize some of the information from this study on PLNs for teachers. Leave a comment with a link to the post so we can have a look at how you went.

Also feel free to leave a comment to ask any questions or share your tips.

How to leave a comment: Scroll down to find the comment box. Write your comment, then enter your name and email address (email addresses are not published). Enter the anti-spam word. Press submit and we will moderate your comment ASAP.
The following information on PLNs was adapted from an original Teacher Challenge post by Australian teacher, Michael Graffin. This resource was updated by Kathleen Morris in 2018. You can check out Michael's original post - What The heck Is A PLN.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to our professional learning series on building a PLN. This self-paced free course guides you step-by-step through the process of setting up your own PLN. We have an optional PDF workbook t hat will help to keep you on track and focused as you work through the 7 steps of this course.

# data[].attributes.headline
How do I get a Professional Learning Network?

# data[].attributes.subject
How do I get a Professional Learning Network?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guest blogger Tom Whitby, a 40-year veteran of the teaching profession and an extremely connected educator, offers some basic, practical wisdom about what a PLN is and how to get one.

# data[].attributes.headline
Growing, Cultivation, and Sustaining a Professional Learning Network

# data[].attributes.subject
Growing, Cultivation, and Sustaining a Professional Learning Network

# data[].attributes.headline
21 Things Teachers can do to Grow Their Professional Learning Network

# data[].attributes.subject
21 Things Teachers can do to Grow Their Professional Learning Network

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Types of a Professional Learning Network

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Types of a Professional Learning Network

# data[].attributes.headline
Benefits of Professional Learning Networks for Teachers in Rural Schools and Districts

# data[].attributes.subject
Benefits of Professional Learning Networks for Teachers in Rural Schools and Districts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For teachers in rural school districts, professional life comes with plenty of additional challenges. You already knew going into your job that you'd probably have to drive a significant distance to get there, and that you would likely be working with students living at or below the poverty line. You were probably prepared to handle less-than-cutting-edge classroom technology and perhaps even a lack of internet access, too.

But one particular challenge of teaching in a rural school often goes unnoticed: the feeling of professional isolation. When you're a department of one or two - and when you don't have other teachers nearby to learn from - it's hard to get the encouragement and mentorship that teachers in more populated areas take for granted.

Unfortunately, these feelings of isolation can have a negative impact on your effectiveness as a teacher - and therefore on your students' learning and overall success. Research has shown that teacher isolation leads to low morale and can cause new teachers to leave the profession early in their careers. When teachers in rural schools work alone for most of the day, they lack access to appropriate mentors and the creative energy that comes when teachers share new ideas with each other. The fact is that it's hard to come up with engaging lesson plans and strategically reach students of different abilities all on your own - yet many rural teachers work this way as a matter of course.

How Professional Learning Networks Provide Support

So what can you do when you work far away from other teachers in your subject area or grade level? The internet holds the key to providing additional support for your work with professional learning networks, or PLNs. A PLN is an online community of educators that comes together informally to share ideas about education, including lesson plans, pedagogical strategies, and lots of encouragement. PLNs happen on Twitter and other social media sites, or you may find other communities specifically developed around your interests. If you can't find one, you can also create one - just start a Facebook group page and see where it takes you.

Professional Learning Networks for teachers in rural districts provide the type of support that teachers in bigger schools access just by walking down the hall. When you don't have many colleagues, the ability to ask for advice and share successful lesson plans - complete with downloadable worksheets and links to videos - is a game changer.

4 Big Benefits of Professional Learning Networks for Teachers in Rural Schools

1. Diverse Relationships

By connecting with other educators around the country, you can gather ideas from a wealth of sources. Less experienced teachers can find pros to give advice and encouragement during those challenging early years in the profession.

PLNs allow you to build relationships with peers to discuss best practices for teaching your subject, strategies for dealing with a new fad or phase that all the kids in your grade seem to be going through, or for testing out new ideas in an adult group before you dive in with your students.

Best of all, a PLN gives you a place to share your best stories, including all the funny or frustrating things that happen in a week of teaching. Building a sense of community will help you feel understood and less alone when the going gets tough.

2. Access to Tools and Resources

New teachers don't have much of a portfolio of work to draw from, and it can be daunting to think about designing every single activity from scratch. The same is true for anyone teaching a new book or subject for the first time. Fortunately, PLNs give you access to a treasure trove of resources at your fingertips. Teachers love to share their creations, and it's easier than ever to do so thanks to good old email or Google docs. Usually all you have to do is ask, and someone will be able to send you the right resource, whether it's a math quiz or a textbook suggestion.

3. Flexibility

Working in a rural area doesn't mean that you have any more time on your hands for professional development - in fact, you might have less than your suburban counterparts, depending on how far you have to drive to get to work each day. With a PLN, you don't have to go to a meeting at a set time - instead, you can check in when it's convenient for you, reading messages and asking questions when you have a chance. An online group doesn't care if you're in your PJs when you're getting advice about how to teach fractions!

4. On-Demand Collaboration

While it would be nice to work face-to-face with the people in your PLN, asynchronous collaboration does have its benefits. The internet allows us to connect with teachers anywhere and at any time, even if it's not necessarily at the same time. A message board is a great way to get the information and help you need: You can post your thoughts or questions at any time, but your collaborators don't have to be awake to get back to you. They can do that on their own time, and the reply will be there waiting for you when it's convenient. This is a great way for people in different time zones to work together, which expands your network to the whole country or even the whole world - just don't wait until the last minute to ask for that special holiday worksheet.

Final Thoughts

A Professional Learning Network for teachers is a great way to get inspiration and ideas, but it's a particular blessing for teachers in rural schools and districts where they might otherwise be alone. To get started, try searching your favorite social media sites for relevant groups, or see if your LMS has public groups that you can join for instant community-building. Once you make some connections, you'll wonder how you ever got along without your PLN.

What did you learn about Professional Learning Networks for teachers? Let us know on Twitter @Schoology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Benefits of Professional Learning Networks for Teachers in Rural Schools and Districts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Being a teacher in a rural school district can be challenging. But, a great way to find support and get inspiration is through Professional Learning Networks. Learn about the 4 major benefits PLNs can provide to teachers in rural schools or districts.

# data[].attributes.headline
Benefits, Tools, and Tactics for Professional Learning Networks

# data[].attributes.subject
Benefits, Tools, and Tactics for Professional Learning Networks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Personal Learning Network (PLN) Benefits, Tools, and Tactics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is a personal learning network (PLN) and how are they beneficial? Learn all about PLNs and the tools and tactics you can use to make them successful.

# data[].attributes.body
Podcast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How do teachers define Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)?

How do teachers' PLN activities shape their practice and learning?

How do teachers perceive their PLN activities connect to student learning outcomes?

These are the questions we set out to answer as part of a large-scale research study about educators PLNs. On this site, you will find links to our presentations and papers related to professional learning networks as well as resources and online spaces to help you extend or cultivate your own PLN. You can listen to us discuss our research on episode 17 of the Visions of Education podcast ( shownotes) (listen by clicking the play button below).

If you are interested in learning more, or engaging in conversations, about this topic we encourage you to connect with us!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How do teachers define Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)? How do teachers' PLN activities shape their practice and learning? How do teachers perceive their PLN activities connect to student learning outcomes? These are the questions we set out to answer as part of a large-scale research study about educators PLNs.

# data[].attributes.headline
Learning Networks could Reconfigure Schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Learning Networks could Reconfigure Schools

# data[].attributes.body
TedTalk Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learning Networks Could Reconfigure Schools | Steve Regur | TEDxElCajonSalon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Two is a meeting three is a network. Rebuild schools with Personal Learning Networks to lift up every student. Steve Regur is a founder and the current CEO of the Educators Cooperative, a partner in innovative K-12 education solutions.