1. CREATING AN ONLINE
PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORK
JENNIFER LAMB
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALIST
SAINT GERTRUDE HIGH SCHOOL

2. PLN Basics
 Networked learning environment
 Create your own connections with like-
minded educators who are passionate about
learning
 Share what you learn with others and vice
versa
 Quality of connections are important, not
quantity

3. Teachers with a PLN have:
 Elevated student achievement
 Instant access to vast network of educators
around the world
 Shared learning resources and support…
sometimes instantly!

4. RSS Feeds
 “Really Simple Syndication”
 Websites distribute new content through RSS
feeds
 Automatically receive updated information
through a ‘Reader’
 Universal sign for RSS feed is

5. Google Reader
 Add RSS feeds through browse or search
features
 Copy and paste to add feeds by right clicking
on RSS symbols
 Keep up with your favorite blogs or websites
 Can add ‘bundles’ on a particular topic
 If you don’t use Google for your email, you
can create an account to use Reader.

6. Google Reader
 Works with blogs, websites, and Google
searches
 Can even set up an eBay search!
 Start slowly, read daily
 Set up calendar reminders to get into the
habit

7. Online Educational Communities
 Nings
 Blogs

8. Classroom 2.0 - Ning
www.classroom20.com

9. Twitter – Microblogging
www.twitter.com
Hashtags to try: #edchat #edtech #education

10. Twitter
 Begin by following and reading, search for
some hash tags
 Once you find good people to follow, check
out who THEY are following
 Some tweets have links, some are
conversational
 #edchat is a good place to start

11. Ready to get started?
JUMP IN!

12. Consume
1) Pick 3 blogs and begin to read them.
2) Subscribe to the blogs you selected through
Google Reader
3) Join an Online Professional Network
 Classroom 2.0
 Educator’s PLN
4) Sign up for Twitter
 Read tweets from educational ‘tweeters’
 Enter hash tags to follow conversations

13. Curate
 Get accounts with Diigo and Scoop.it
 Install browser toolbar extensions so
material can be added with the click of a
button

14. Diigo-Annotate, Archive, Organize
www.diigo.com

15. Diigo - Social Bookmarking
 Replaces solitary bookmarking, share with
the greater public
 Important component to PLN
 Follow others’ bookmarks
 Diigo toolbar can be added to browser for
quick organization
 Annotate sites by tag, highlight and sticky
note any site you’ve bookmarked
 Plan out your tags so you stay consistent

16. Scoop.it: Easily create an online magazine and
share with others. Publish by curation.
www.scoop.it

17. Converse
 Blogs
 Comment on a blog post from one of the blogs
you are now following
 Twitter
 Reply to or initiate a tweet
 Online Communities
 Ask a question

18. Levels of Participation
 Spectators
 Conversationalists
 Contributors
 Creators

19. Connect!
Good luck growing your PLN.
 integrationed@gmail.com
 Twitter: integrationed
 Scoop.it integrationed
 Diigo: jrlamb