Having a PLN

In case you missed it, Sylvia Duckworth released another of her wonderful Sketchnotes last week.

This time, it deals with reasons why you should have a PLN.

It’s well worth sharing for those who aren’t connected well with other educators or organizations.  I strongly agree with all of the 10 points in the Sketchnote.

Once you do have that “PLN”, whether you call the P Personal or Professional, it’s equally important that you work it.

As we tell our students, just because it’s on the internet doesn’t necessarily make it true.  You need to be a discerning user when you connect; like any topic you can find any opinion whether they be good or they be bad.

It’s also important to give back.  The whole concept of networking and professional growth works best when you have many powerful voices in your network – including yours.

Next time you hear someone say “I’m connected” or “I gots a PLN”, stop for a moment and ask them what it means to them.  Could you help them make it even better?

For yourself, you’ll be that much richer.  And, fully knowing of the risk and dangers of omission …

• free blog proofreader – @nobleknits2
• meet media creation geniuses – @thecleversheep, @aforgrave, @pbeens
• passionate bloggers – @rusulalrubail, @jcasatodd, This Week in Ontario Edublogs
• someone to meet in an elevator – @leftyeva
• a wonderful Sketchnote creator – @sylviaduckworth
• sharers of great content – @digitalnative, @TDOttawa
• people to have a coffee with in Thunder Bay – @sheilaspeaking, @fryed
• meet people who look exactly like their profile picture – @safinahirji
• a keynote speaker for your next conference – @ambermac
• awesome and passionate educators who know where to find the best muffins – @gill_ville
• former students – @markrenaud2, @mraspinall
• former classmates – @pmcash
• someone to co-chair a conference with – @cyndiejacobs
• an artist to create your Twitter profile picture – @colleenkr
• people who dig past the headlines to the social good – @acampbell99, @royanlee
• people who invite you to a backyard BBQ to welcome friends passing through Ontario – @bharrisonp, @techieang
• people who roughly had the same job as you – @slacka, @kraekerc, @DavidFifeVP, @rosemous
• work with constructivists – @brendasherry, @peterskillen
• daily supporters of your blogging efforts – @avivaloca, @noelinel, @vickyloras
• someone to have a faceoff keynote with – @zbpipe

And, I could go on forever but you can see those who I’ve put into Twitter Lists.

• Ontario Educators
• Ontario Educators 2
• Ontario Educators 3
• and I’m working on a fourth.

Paper.li creates newsletters of the best of these that I devour daily as part of my learning.

• The best of ontario-educators
• The best of ontario-educators2
• The latest best of Ontario-Educators3

I have added this Sketchnote to my Sylvia collection on Flipboard.