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 that 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.

Loader Loading...
EAD Logo Taking too long?

Reload Reload document
| Open Open in new tab

Download

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.

Why teachers should build a PLN Summary Edublogs Teacher Challenge

Four Big Ideas Around The Connected Educator

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

4 Big Ideas Around The Connected Educator - model, isolation, crowdsource, perspective

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.

7 Steps To Building A PLN | Edublogs Teacher Challenge

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.

One does not need to be connected to be a good educator, but if one is a good educator, being connected can make him, or her a better, and a more relevant educator. Tom Whitby

Your Task

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. You can check out Michael’s original post — What The heck Is A PLN.

This resource was updated by Kathleen Morris in 2018. 

1,387 thoughts on “Step 1: What Is A PLN?

  1. A personal learning network (PLN) is essentially a group of educators linked through an online platform/network where educators are free to communicate with those in their group, but are not required to. The PLN’s focus could be on something such as classroom management. A PLN is something that I would really appreciate having, especially during my first 1-2 years of teaching; however, it would be helpful throughout my career. Creating something with no examples or no one to talk to is really challenging, and it feels as though the PLN would take that worry and struggle away.

  2. PLN’s are important because they allow you to take on PDs that are pertinent to you and on your own time. PDs are often a waste of time because they consist of stuff you already know or they are not applicable to real life scenarios. PLNs allow you to connect with your interests and learn things you don’t know so that PDs are not a waste of time.

  3. A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is an online learning network with the function of connecting people to others and resources. There are great benefits in building PLNs with its ability to gain perspective, offer opportunities for PD, engage in interests you don’t know about, and the flexibility and vast amount of resources available. While there are benefits to being able to set the terms of how you would like to contribute to PLNs, I do wonder how lurkers influence the function and efficiency of PLNs. Are there more people lurking than contributing to PLNs?

  4. PLN stands for Professional/Personal Learning Network. It’s like having a group of professionals in your field who you can collaborate with, share knowledge, and support each other’s growth. I think having a PLN is extremely important for teachers as we can connect with others and share various ideas. It’s great to have a community of peers that you can share ideas with and learn new ways to approach different situations.

  5. PLN means a community of individuals connecting with each other to share their thoughts and ideas. It is a great way to help grow your knowledge and connect with other educators. I think ‘lurking’ can be a great tool to grow your knowledge however, you miss out on the opportunity to connect with other educators and share your ideas with them.

  6. Personal Learning Network or PLN aids ongoing learning and development. Initially used by educators, it is now used by a wide variety of industries to share knowledge, offer support, and exchange resources using online and social media platforms. PLN provides global connectivity and access to diverse perspectives by utilizing technology to facilitate learning.

  7. A PLN, or Personal Learning Network, is a network of individuals, resources, and tools that help lifelong learning and professional growth. It involves connections made through different platforms and interactions. It also encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development.
    Lurking in a PLN involves observing rather than participating, offering the advantage of learning without direct engagement. A con of lurking is potentially missing out on opportunities for deeper connections and contributions.

  8. The benefit that sticks with me the most is the one about keeping up with current research. To me, this is important because it’s always nice to know what new research is coming out. There’s new information that comes out every year, and as a teacher, keeping up with it is essential. This way, you’re able to update your teaching methods, pedagogy, lesson plans, etc.

  9. The benefit that resonates the most with me is the ability to stay current. All subjects, science especially, require the content you teach to be up to date. There is constantly new information coming out and discoveries being made and you want to make sure that your students have the opportunity to learn about these things. Teachers should be able to expand on the standards of learning by incorporating relevant and current events. It enhances the content and may help students engage more if they feel it is something that they can connect to.

  10. A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a valuable resource for continuous learning and professional development. A PLN offers a platform to exchange ideas, gain inspiration, and receive support from peers and experts as it facilitates collaboration and access to diverse perspectives. Overall, PLNs work to enhance teaching practices and fostering professional growth

  11. A PLN is a personal/professional learning network. A PLN is a set of contacts and resources you keep in your back pocket to use to explore interests and opportunities. I think personal is more appropriate than professional for PLN because these resources can be used to explore interests outside of the chosen career.

  12. Becoming a connected educator can help you expand your knowledge and help with keeping an open mind to new ideas. I would like to follow the principal at my practicum school because I would love to learn more about leadership and being successful as a woman of color in the education field.

  13. A PLN, or Personal Learning Network is a personalized network where individuals and resources can connect to enhance a person’s learning and/or professional development. A PLN consists of so many individuals with so many different resources including, but not limited to, books and websites.

  14. A PLN is a way for people to connect with others through an online community. You are all learning from each other in some way, shape, or form. It is to assist you in your own work from others who have experienced something similar.

  15. PLN Benefits I really resonated with number 2 on the benefits of a PLN. I love learning and exploring on my own already, but being able to find things that can be engaging and unique for my students is something that I would love. Finding things that can engage and pique students interests is always an advantage to me.

  16. A PLN (Personal Learning Network) is a community where people, in this case educators, can share resources, ideas, and offer support. This is especially important as an undergrad education student, as I will soon be entering the classroom on my own, and having a strong support system will be imperative to my success as a first-year teacher.

  17. PLN stands for personal learning network. Although they are beneficial to educators, PLN’s exist in all aspects of business, vacation, hobbies, and much more. As an educator a PLN is especially helpful because we can rely on other teachers for guidance, ideas, inspirations, support, and new perspectives. A PLN provides people and resources to support ongoing, mutual learning.

  18. A PLN is a Personal Learning Network of people and resources provided to a collaborative community. For teachers, this could look like sharing feedback, lesson plans, online teaching tools, and connections.

  19. As an undergraduate secondary education student A PLN to me a community of people all trying to grow and develop in a specific area. Especially within the education community, I feel we use PLN to expand our knowledge outside of our local areas and PLNs help us do that globally.

  20. A PLN is an online community that can help so many people feel connected. In order for the PLN to be effective the most important factor is learning and growing especially in education The most vital part of PLN is that you can access it at any time and you are able to find the resources anywhere. This is so important that people can learn from anywhere even through their busy lives.

  21. A PLN is an online community that can help so many people feel connected. In order for the PLN to be effective the most important factor is learning and growing especially in education The most vital part of PLN is that you can access it at any time and you are able to find the resources anywhere. This is so important that people can learn from anywhere even through their busy lives.

Leave a Reply to learningmoore Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *