Exploring Reasons to Create a PLN
Welcome back to my blog, The Tech Explorer
Today, we are going to explore Personal Learning Networks (PLN), which is essentially a network or support system that consists of people, books, articles, websites, and other resources that one can use to learn and develop in their profession or interests.
You might liken this type of network to a community, and perhaps you already experience this community in your workplace. For example, a teacher might have formed a network with the other teachers in the school as they ask for support, share ideas, and discuss lesson plans. As a former teacher, I remember these connections being invaluable to me as I longed to enhance my skills and develop great learning opportunities in my classroom. In addition to using my in-person connections, I stumbled upon a whole world of PLNs specifically for teachers. It was incredible! So many teachers, endless resources, countless materials, numerous ideas… the list goes on! I was in awe at the amount of creativity and support that teachers had created in an online space for all educators to be able to take part in. One of the blog posts assigned in this class goes over 5 reasons teachers should create PLNs. They are as follows:
Connect with Other Educators at Any Time
Keep Learning
Embrace the Change; Don’t Fight It
Expand the Scope of Your Class
Get Inspired!
While this particular blog was created for teachers, I find that these reasons can be relevant to many different professions, and it can especially be relevant for those of us in HRD. So, let’s talk about how these reasons can benefit us in our field.
First, connecting with other HRD professionals is a huge benefit of what a PLN can do for you. In many cases, an HRD professional may be working in only a small team, or even on their own. So, having the ability to reach out to a group of other people who have similar educational backgrounds and who have experience in the field can be great benefit to us as we try to navigate our own workplaces. Even having a group of people to reach out to to pick their brains about an issue can help an HRD professional be just that much more effective. One great example that I use in my personal life is the Greece Travel Page that I follow. As I have mentioned, I love to travel and explore-- hence, the Tech Explorer. Anyway, whenever I have a question about my travel plans to Greece, I, without hesitation, write a question on that page or I search the page for people who have shared their experiences and who have shared other resources. The support system that is provided to me is something I am grateful for, and that I tend to enjoy, as I also get to share my knowledge!
Second, PLNs provide excellent opportunities for HRD practitioners to keep learning. HRD is unique because in some ways, our jobs are always changing. Because we work with people and organization, and we are motivated to help them learn and develop, we must be dynamic and flexible to meet the needs of each organization and individual we are working with. Being able to tap into a network of people that are happy to share resources that have been useful to them is a great way to learn. Linkedin is one great example of the type of learning opportunities that are available when you join a PLN. Personally, I am connected with people whom I admire in a variety of different roles, but who are all part of HR, and I am learning many valuable lessons from their own stories and experiences that they share on the social media platform. It is such a great resource to take advantage of when you want to learn from the best!
Speaking of learning from other professionals in HRD, embracing change is another way that we can benefit from PLNs! Its no secret that some people just really enjoy technology, they are great at diving into something new and are able to adapt it into their professional life in ways that are effective and transformative for their organizations! Joining a network of people who are excited about technology in the workplace can be an amazing way to feel motivated to keep up with the latest and greatest tech that is available, so that we are working smarter and not harder in our roles! Right now I am only in my twenties, but I have felt unprepared for the AI revolution that has been taking place and I was not motivated to use it or incorporate it into my work. However, I have a college-aged intern who explained so many of the benefits and who took the time to describe how to use it. That's really all it took, and now I am still figuring it out, but I am more excited about it and I can see its purpose! All of that to say, that when we are able to have access to people who are knowledgeable about things that we are skeptical about or uncomfortable about, we are more likely to learn and embrace change, whether its about technology or something else.
Expanding the scope and getting inspired! The blog post that I referenced, mentions that great things are happening all around the world within classrooms! In the same way, great things are happening all around the world in organizations! Different companies are operating in new ways when it comes to employee relations, work-life balance, strategic plans, team-building, etc. Being able to witness other organizations and HRD professionals try new things can be exciting because of the endless possibilities that are available. Others’ experiences can make us feel that it is possible to try something different at our workplace. Some organizations have an organizational norm where they convene each morning before continuing on with work for the day, and these companies swear that these meetings have a large impact on positive outcomes. PLNs allow for people to get ideas from others, see how it worked for them, and become inspired to try it in their own setting.
Let me know the reason that most resonated with you!
Get exploring-- The Tech Explorer
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. You are a natural with blogging. I really enjoy the pictures and how you phrase your information. I am glad I came across your page, because I am a teacher myself. I am hopping to take this class and learn how I can use technologies to enhance student learning and transform a traditional classroom to a fun and learner friendly classroom.
"Second, PLNs provide excellent opportunities for HRD practitioners to keep learning. HRD is unique because in some ways, our jobs are always changing. Because we work with people and organization, and we are motivated to help them learn and develop, we must be dynamic and flexible to meet the needs of each organization and individual we are working with. Being able to tap into a network of people that are happy to share resources that have been useful to them is a great way to learn. Linkedin is one great example of the type of learning opportunities that are available when you join a PLN. Personally, I am connected with people whom I admire in a variety of different roles, but who are all part of HR, and I am learning many valuable lessons from their own stories and experiences that they share on the social media platform. It is such a great resource to take advantage of when you want to learn from the best!"
I enjoyed your second thought. Being in the health field I to have to constantly learn new strategies and ideas on how to treat patients. This is where I am enjoying being able to be apart of this class and secondly developing this new PLN that I can learn from.