Blog 10

• Can your PLN can be used to help professional development post-course?

PLN’s can be a great tool to develop one’s career. In an article by Prenger, Poortman, & Handelzalts (2020), teachers were able to continuously improve their teaching methods by learning from other’s in their PLN. The teachers in the study were able to gain new knowledge, skills and tools to use in their own classrooms, which benefited their profession immensely. Although the study only focused on educators, the themes of the study can easily pertain to any profession, as applying knowledge and skills to a professional practice can be done in any career. Additionally, our guest speaker this week, Amber Glauser, was able to utilize her PLN to develop her career (EDCI 338). She transitioned from practicing as a registered nurse, to an administrative role when she began taking opportunities from within her professional network. The most inspiring part of Amber’s story was the fact that she had never considered a position in administration, nor was it her intention to work in that role, yet by taking opportunities presented from her PLN, she ended up in an administrative position (EDCI 338). Personally, this story was especially inspiring as I have been feeling pressure to choose a career path as I near graduation. I have spent countless hours worrying about potentially choosing the wrong profession, but after hearing Amber’s story, I can see how utilizing a PLN can actually help open doors I haven’t even considered. I can even use my PLN to simply listen to and network with people who have jobs in my preferred field to hopefully inspire career ideas, or even open doors to potential jobs.

• Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities and on which platform does your emerging expertise get good exposure?

PLN’s can be relied on so long as you are actively participating and avidly communicating with others. This rule applies not only to online PLN’s, but also in person networks perhaps from a workplace or school. As Amber discussed in her interview this week, she gained knowledge and opportunities by networking with a mentor at work. She also used other coworkers to open more professional opportunities for herself, demonstrating that networking and communicating with people at work can actually expand career options for professionals (EDCI 338).

In last week’s blog, I mentioned that almost all of our guest speakers named Twitter as their most effective PLN. I believe this is, in part, due to the possible exposure one can achieve through Twitter. For example, Davis (2015) outlined the experiences of educators who used the hashtag #Edchat. The article noted that “because #Edchat is accessible in any country where Twitter is used,” the hashtag is able to connect thousands of educators alike giving them all an opportunity to learn and share with one another (p. 5). The participants in the study all detailed how the vast experiences and perceptions of others enhanced their own professional development. Similarly, Giudice (2014) supported the same idea illustrating the expansion of global communication by stating more than 2.7 billion people were using the internet in the year 2013. Seeing as it is 2020, I can only imagine how many people have gained access to the internet since, and have had the opportunity to diversify their PLN and gain varied perspectives and ideas.

• Can you leverage your PLN in future endeavours?

Just like technology is ever-changing, your PLN can do the same to be maximized in future endeavors. Krutka, Carpenter, & Trust (2016) summarizes that professionals can improve and modify their PLN by “purposefully identifying their PLN activities, reflecting upon them and being intentional about planning how to enrich their PLN experiences” (p. 248). The article compares maintaining a PLN to other practices that become mundane habits, and suggests removing yourself for a moment to reflect on your PLN and whether or not you are meeting your professional goals. Further, the article offers a PLN enrichment framework that consists of six different aspects of a PLN, including three specific mechanisms of a PLN, and three factors of evaluation – people, spaces, and tools, and identification, reflection and intention, respectively. The framework presented in Krutka et al., (2016) is meant to assist the professional in assessing “what has happened, and what they would like to happen” in the professional network (p. 249).

• With consideration to the reading and video interview, how do you ensure that you expand your PLN via social media platforms into spaces that may be outside of your comfort zone?

In her interview with Jesse this week, Amber explained how she has always tried to keep an open mind and take opportunities to learn. She described how she especially does this at work, which has benefited her in many ways considering she was offered different job opportunities outside of her work as a registered nurse. As a result, Amber’s PLN has expanded from networking with people within the hospital, to other’s in more administrative roles.

Davis (2015) gave an inspiring example of expanding PLN’s outside of comfort zones by detailing the experiences of educators networking with one another through Twitter. One of the youngest participants in the study explained that collaborating by use of the hashtag #Edchat, allowed younger teachers like herself to learn from the experience and wisdom of older teachers, and older teachers to learn new techniques and skills from younger teachers. The article also highlighted the benefits of reflective thinking. It described how teachers were able to develop professionally when they reflected on their practice, and re-evaluated their educational strategies (Davis, 2015). I think this concept and the answer to this prompt is best illustrated in a quote from Krutka et al., (2016) saying, “without encouragement to reflect, it can be easy to remain unaware of what we do not know, or need to better understand (p. 251).

References

Davis, K. (2015). Teachers’ perceptions of Twitter for professional development. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(17), 1-8. doi:10.3109/09638288.2015.1052576

EDCI 338 (2020, Nov 15). A01 GLAUSER, Amber [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiWaXNfnHAg&feature=youtu.be

Giudice, M. D. (2014). From Information Society to Network Society: The Challenge. In Social media and emerging economies: Technological, cultural and economic Implications (pp. 71-83). Cham, Heidelber, New York, Dordrecht, London: Springer.

Krutka, D. G., Carpenter, J. P., & Trust, T. (2016). Enriching Professional Learning Networks: A Framework for Identification, Reflection, and Intention. TechTrends, 61(3), 246-252. doi:10.1007/s11528-016-0141-5

Prenger, R., Poortman, C. L., & Handelzalts, A. (2020). Professional learning networks: From teacher learning to school improvement? Journal of Educational Change. doi:10.1007/s10833-020-09383-2