PLN

PLN (Personal Learning Network)

"A personal learning network is an informal learning network that consists of the people a learner interacts with and derives knowledge from in a personal learning environment. In a PLN, a person makes a connection with another person with the specific intent that some type of learning will occur because of that connection."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_network

A personal learning network connects us to people and knowledge through different technological mediums. I think that this network also includes the devises and programs that we use and interact with. As I was creating a mind map on Mindmeister, I realized how extensive my PLN already is, and it continues to grow as a finish university and move into a career.

Below is my representation of the PLN of the 21st century connected student. creating this mind map I realized how different the PLN of students are than when I graduated in 2003. There are so many more resources available for students to grow their PLN. I feel that in the classroom we should be pulling from these resources to support the learning and engagement of our students.

There are a few different applications available to create mind maps such as these, using Mindmeister was really easy, and I like the clean look of their designs. I find that creating these mind maps is a simple way to visually organize information, and is another tool that can be used in the classroom.