EUROPEAN SCHOOL NET ACADEMY -"THE NETWORKED TEACHER"

Personal Learning Network

PLNs are an essential part of lifelong learning for teachers. A PLN consists of the people you informally learn from and share ideas with, as well as the resources, tools, and materials that support your learning.

In the 21st century, an EFL teacher’s PLN usually includes both face-to-face and virtual professional connections. Face-to-face PLN members might be people you know in your own teaching institution or from local, national, and international TEFL professional organizations.  Meanwhile, your PLN’s virtual components are not limited by time and geography.  You can access parts of your virtual network at anytime from anywhere using a variety of internet-based media and social networking tools.  These virtual tools allow you to instantly connect with teachers from around the world and to access information you need to enhance your teaching.

It is important to remember the “P” in “PLN.” Unlike formal, structured professional development contexts like graded university courses, you decide which people and data sources to include in your PLN, as well as which tools to use to interact with your connections.  These decisions are shaped by your professional goals, the time you can dedicate to learning and sharing, and, occasionally, your access to and familiarity with different types of technology. Therefore, your network will evolve as your professional development aims change, and as new tools and resources become available.

How to develop your PLN options?

1. Develop face to face connections.

While time is a scare resource for teachers and the ideas below do require some effort to coordinate, the relationships you develop while collaborating with local contacts are priceless.  Since the connections are local, these PLN members will be aware of the unique issues and challenges for teachers in your area.

2. Build your PLN through Professional Support Networks and Associations. 

Professional support networks for EFL educators often include teachers from several schools or organizations in a community, region, or country. They are all designed to help EFL teachers exchange ideas, share information, and mentor each other.

Here are some ideas to build your PLN: sharing your expertise and experiences by presenting at a conference or workshop, writing an article or a teaching tip for an organizational newsletter, participating in online or face-to-face discussion groups, volunteering at professional events, taking on a leadership role in an organization.

3. Develop your virtual PLN

It is important for EFL teachers to think about how virtual resources and online connections can support their lifelong learning efforts. Today’s number of virtual learning opportunities and resources is growing rapidly.

What are the benefits of a Virtual PLN?

• connecting anytime, anywhere, with anyone, using the web can help you overcome networking barriers related to time, place, and social distance;
• opportunities to reflect: online discussion forums, blogs, and courses can encourage you to reflect on and comment on your teaching practice;
• finding information or support:  as a consumer of information in your network, your virtual PLN can help you solve classroom challenges, learn about new methodologies and teaching techniques, locate resources, and find mentors who might not be available locally;
• sharing your expertise and ideas: as a producer of information in your virtual network you can help others by talking about your experiences, classroom lessons learned, and research findings.  You can also mentor others;
• modeling how to be a master learner:  building an online presence and learning how to work with e-tools shows your colleagues and students that you are intellectually curious and willing to invest time in your own professional learning;
• developing your professional reputation and identity:  establishing an online presence and participating in virtual discussions and e-courses helps others in our field get to know you. Depending on the media you use (blogs, social media tools, collecting e-certificates from online courses, etc.), you create a visible record of your commitment to professional development and lifelong learning, information that may be of interest to colleagues and prospective employers.