‘Tis the Season . . . for Updating My PLN
As schools are out in our district and I am in my office organizing my projects, setting goals, and planning for next year, I am also afforded a little time to take a critical look at my Professional/Personal Learning Network (PLN) and do some housekeeping. As I go through my RSS reader (I use Netvibes – it’s just pretty), I’m moving the feeds I read most to a prominent spot as thy have served me well this year. Then, I’m weeding out blogs where I haven’t even read a post – sorry folks! Sometimes, as I’m out and about on the Web, in meetings, on other blogs, etc., I’ll stumble on a feed that interests me; so I add it. If it doesn’t strike my fancy by this time each year, it must be ditched. As you can see below, I have several tabs and countless feeds on each tab; so information overload is definitely a problem. Note that I do not regularly read all of the information that crosses my reader (although there was a time when this was the case – it was a challenge to myself; now I realize that this is ridiculous as there is just too much information). For me, the true test of whether a blog will stay in my PLN is how much gray is in the widget (meaning that I have read the posts). See below:
One Tab from My RSS Reader from Netvibes
Finally, I’m adding some new feeds. The Edublogs 2009 Awards have been posted; so it’s a great opportunity for me to go through a categorized list of blogs that could add value to my PLN. For me, its a no-brainer – these blogs have been read by someone, somewhere and have some value in the educational blogging community. Now it is a question of the value they add to my professional life. That, for me, is enough to warrant a look (meaning that I’ll add it to my reader and see how things go). Adding new feeds to my PLN (especially in such a large list) is an exciting event. Granted, I definitely don’t add all of the feeds – I do a quick preview, add the feed and see where the relationship leads. Usually, after a few weeks I do a shift – moving the ones I’m reading up in the reader and the others down the list – possibly a holding space for their inevitable demise (although some have been pardoned this year).
And so in the spirit of giving, I gladly share with you some of my 2009 PLN with a shared view of my favorite blogs using Netvibes “public page” feature. What I’m able to do is “share” some of my favorite and frequently-read feeds. It’s kind of like an expanded Blogroll or suggestions list at the video store (”If you like this, then you’ll love . . . “) for those of you who regularly read my blog. My thought is that, if you’re reading my blog, you probably want to know what influences me. Some of these may surprise you as I regularly read some conflicting blogs. One criticism of getting information through RSS (my own personal newspaper) has been that the information can be slanted exactly the way I want it. The conflicts I create within my own PLN keep me fresh and aware of perspectives that are very different from my own, challenging me to think and rethink what it is that I believe. Forcing myself to read articles by authors who vehemently disagree with my beliefs helps me to understand diverse educational perspectives – hopefully the writers of those blogs are doing the same . . .
And so, here are some highlights of my 2009 PLN:
- Karl Fisch The Fischbowl – I can’t say enough about this guy (a school-based Tech Director from Littleton, Colorado) – he just seems to be a cool guy with a lot of insight, integrity and appeal for anyone in education, especially for those of us who see change as exciting, appropriate and necessary. He writes about his experiences with using technology from such an edu-centric perspective that you can’t help but wonder where the technology went. His influence has help me to prioritize the value of seamlessness in technology integration.
- David Warlick’s 2 cents Worth – I’ve been following Warlick’s work since I was in the classroom several years ago. He’s probably one of the first ed tech thinkers that I’ve encountered. I’ve enjoyed his writing, although lately some of his musings have been a little technical for my tastes.
- Will Richardson’s Web-logged - Richardson is one of those guys you just love to read because he is so insightful and opinionated. I also really value the fact that he is so personal in his posts – he consistently refers to his own experience with the education system (he has school-age children). This, to me, provides the unique perspective of parent (one of our most important customers, other than their children). Being a public education outsider, he constantly asks the question, “Why?”
- Andrew Churches Educational Origami – Churches’ Blooms Digital Taxonomy led me to his blog which, over the past year or so, has provided some interesting insight on a number of topics, including the fact that the call for 21st Century Skills and technology integration is a global conversation (he’s from New Zealand).
- Dr. Justin Bathon The Edjurist – an interesting blog with a legal spin on the education world – keeps me relevant and mindful when it comes to the law of technology and education.
- CommonCore – Here is one of those conflicting blogs. Calling for a strong focus on core content knowledge, these folks vehemently oppose the skill-based nature of the 21st Century Skills movement and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The perspectives in this blog help me to find balance in my thinking and better understand those who disagree with me.
- EdWeek’s Bridging Differences – Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier co-author this blog in which they debate (argue) various issues in education policy and educational trends.
- Isobel Stevenson’s Student Achievement – Okay, so this is my boss; but seriously, no brown-nosing intended, if anyone wants to know the focus of our department in 27J, this is the place to go. Over the year, her well-constructed metaphors and musings on classroom formative assessment have truly been a talking point in many of my conversations. I know she gets a lot of feedback face-to-face and via email; I just wish more people were willing to comment on the site – I’d love to expand the conversation.
If you’ve followed my blog this year, you’ve probably either read a reference, followed a link or subscribed to one of the above. That’s the beauty of PLN’s – we read, we write, we read, we share, we read, we learn, we read – a beautiful cycle. Hopefully, some of the new stuff I read this year will find its way to the list next year. For now, check out My Public Netvibes Page (http://www.netvibes.com/ijones#Blogs) and see if there is anything that interests you. Sign up for Netvibes if you haven’t tried it – a great RSS reader on which to build your own PLN.
If you have some suggestions for my PLN, please drop me a comment! Feedback only facilitates improvement.
So, get out there and expand your learning network in 2010!
~I
