- What are two lessons you learned about building PLNs?
The possibilities are endless! There are so many things you can incorporate and use in your PLN to enhance the experience/connect with the audience. Don’t get me wrong; I am generally “in the know” when it comes to the different applications, social media platforms and networks available to me. Not only does my professional work require me to research and use multiple ways to connect with my colleagues and audience, but I also have 4 children of all different ages and they are very attuned to various ways of networking!
One thing I have learned from building the PLN for this course is that it’s an active, on-going effort. In order to network with people on various platforms or through multiple modes of communication, you must be present, consistent and active! It shouldn’t be something that consumes all of your free time, but like any general relationship you build on, it takes time, effort and attention!
I have also learned that when you work in a professional field like mine, you REALLY have to do some digging to find a viable and active audience to connect with. The early childhood field is picking up momentum nation-wide in general, but we still have a long way to go by way of supports, resources and funding. Hot topics surrounding ECE currently are wages and workforce shortage but my POP was a tough area to connect with others on.
2. Briefly describe the PoP you chose and why.
The POP I chose to focus on was how to increase the attendance of my workshops. Currently, I am a Professional Development Coordinator for DIEEC at The University of Delaware. My team develops and hosts professional learning experiences (PLN’s) for those in leadership positions. Since the COVID pandemic, we have been struggling with our attendance to our workshops and since then, have taken many different approaches to encourage participation as well as enhance the experience for all.
3. Reflect on the technology tools you used this semester to connect with your PLN (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). Make a list and rate each one’s effectiveness.
For my PLN, I have used the following tools. I have also rated them, #1 being the most effective and the last on my list, the least effective.
- Blogs
- Youtube
- Website-Bright morning
4. How might you promote your own school’s work through the use of social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram?
The organization I work for is already active on a few of the major social media platforms-Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I promote what they are doing, sponsoring and hosting by sharing their posts on my own media pages. I tag them when I make posts and I incorporate QR codes/info on how to find us on social media throughout my PLE’s (workshops).
5. Pose one question to your peer on your blog post about the development of your PLN. Be specific.
I guess if I had any one question for my peer reading this post it would be there any suggestions you have that could help me to expand my resources and supports with my POP that I maybe didn’t tap into?