Building Your Personal Professional Learning Network

(07/15/2008)

1:09

ChangingConnections:

Getting ready to learn about PPLNs at LC National Institute at Discovery Headquarters, MD. This is my first time hosting a CoverItLive, so please bear with me as I learn with you.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:09 ChangingConnections

1:30

ChangingConnections:

Even as Jen gets ready to present, she is here helping me learn how to host my first CoverItLive. Thanks, Jen, for being a very large part of my PPLN.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:30 ChangingConnections

1:53

ChangingConnections:

Jen's objective is to show us how to harness the power of Web 2.0 to create PPLNs. Starting Point: Google Docs Spreadsheet to gather data so that we can tap into the STAR DEN PPLN. The data will be populated into a spreadsheet that will be a starting point in deciding who we can add to our network.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:53 ChangingConnections

1:54

[Comment From TimTim: ]

I'm in the Premiere Elements Session, but thought I'd follow along with your group as well. :)

Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:54 Tim

1:57

ChangingConnections:

Professional learning development can be formal or informal, and how we learn is from our networking. A good place to start understanding social networks is anything by the Common Craft Show, explanations in Plain English for using social media.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 1:57 ChangingConnections

2:00

[Comment From CarolineCaroline: ]

Just curious what the second (or first) "P" in PPLN stands for. I'm familiar with PLN, but not this acronym. Thanks!

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:00 Caroline

2:01

ChangingConnections:

DEN has a Facebook group, and we do Twitter in a large social network as well, but LinkedIn is a purely professional networking site. Ning is a service that allows you to create you own targeted network for your specifications. You can choose to join a Ning network, but you can broadcast your own network for educational uses. Whether as a teacher, staff developer, coach, or IT, you can control your content and members with tight controls.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:01 ChangingConnections

2:01

ChangingConnections:

@ Caroline: PPLN = Personal Professional Learning Networks

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:01 ChangingConnections

2:02

Caroline:

Thank you!

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:02 Caroline

2:06

ChangingConnections:

Jen recommends that a good way to begin with Ning is to think of each Ning as an island. Joining is a great way to familiarize yourself with the network, and Jen recommends these Ning in Education sites. A new Ning Dashboard will preview in a week. Why we like Ning: very responsive to its users. Vicki Davis uses Ning as a Flat Classroom project, but disliked the ads, so she lobbyed to have them removed from her site, making it more user-friendly in her classroom. A great learning niche.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:06 ChangingConnections

2:09

ChangingConnections:

Microblog/Lifestream: Twitter and Purl. A microblog limits the size you can put into each post. You can post from your phone. Twitter was the first microblog that was embraced by the educational community. The beauty of Twitter: Dembo calls it a Fishing Community, a place to fish, farm, hunt, and learn by throwing things out there.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:09 ChangingConnections

2:13

ChangingConnections:

If you are lucky enough to have Twitter unblocked in your school (or your url for Twitter, which is what I have), it's an instant learning and teaching resource. Tools to use to track conversations: Twitter Search. Great vanity tool, like Googling yourself.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:13 ChangingConnections

2:16

ChangingConnections:

Who Should I Follow, a mashup, only works if you have posted at least 20 tweets on your Twitter account. If you input your username, this site will suggest other people you could follow. Also check out Twitter Karma. Jen advises to check out each Twitter following you get before adding anyone.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:16 ChangingConnections

2:18

Caroline:

I always check someone's posts, their profile, and blog if there is a link available. All help in getting to "know" the person before you choose to follow them.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:18 Caroline

2:19

ChangingConnections:

Plurk is a chronologically organized social network, but it is a conversation that allows you to follow comments made to a comment. Very nice tool with verb lists, sentence starters. Must get a fan following to make the timeline work.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:19 ChangingConnections

2:21

ChangingConnections:

Ping.fm posts to all of your social networking sites. You can use this to post to your blogs, IM accounts, almost anything. You can choose options from a drop down to broadcast only to one thing, rather than all of your social networks.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:21 ChangingConnections

2:23

ChangingConnections:

Ways to catalogue who is out there on Twitter, Lee Kolbert set up an account so we can follow DEN STARs. If you switch to Plurk, Jen suggests you use the same user name.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:23 ChangingConnections

2:28

ChangingConnections:

Diigo 2.0 as a social bookmarking site has something special: annotating, aggregating, and group joining. Lets you organize and aggregate your collective intelligence. You can set up your Diigo as public or private. DEN has a Diigo group that targets our STAR niche. Diigo has really been taken over by teachers, with the two twenty posts by teachers. Lets you manage content, contacts, and groups and will even suggest friends/groups to join, but, again, consider who you add as a friend.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:28 ChangingConnections

2:32

ChangingConnections:

Diigo will cross-post to Del.icio.us. You can also import your other social bookmarking services.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:32 ChangingConnections

2:33

ChangingConnections:

Photosharing/hosting sites: Flickr is probably the most popular. DEN LC Institute Flickr Group: check it out; it changes hourly. You might want to check out Photophlow, the next generation of Flickr.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:33 ChangingConnections

2:35

ChangingConnections:

RSS Aggregators: NetVibes, Pageflakes, Google Reader. My favorite is hands down NetVibes. If you decide to try it, go for the new version which allows you to customize a private as well as a public page. I use this aggregator with my high school students and it is a wonderful way to share reading lists with students, as well as letting them customize their independent reading.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:35 ChangingConnections

2:37

ChangingConnections:

Jen suggests that on your blog you list your Blogroll and Shared Posts (things you love but did not author). The last thing: so many applications have collaborative features that allow you to follow other people. Check out Jen's list on her wiki for places you might want to RSS.

A final thank you again to Jen for being a vital part of our PPLN.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:37 ChangingConnections

2:38