PLN

As this course is ending, reflecting on things we have done has taught me a lot. For example, the personal learning network was a core part of the beginning weeks. We used devices such as twitter, blogging, RSS feed, and social bookmarking on delicious to build our PLN. So far, I think that these tools can be very useful, although there were some weaknesses throughout the development of my PLN.

After weeks of working on my PLN, I found that my favorite part was probably blogging. I like to write my ideas or thoughts and see what other people think. Most people comment providing feedback that could make our ideas better or more detailed, so it really beneficial. Also, if I write about a confusing topic, it can provide the opportunity for different points of view to be heard. This way their ideas could either build off of mine or correct mine so I can better understand the topic. I also found I like to read blogs just as well as write them. I like to see what other projects people are working on and what other people are thinking. It's cool to see the different blog topics and it even inspires some of my writing. Overall, blogging helps my process of reading and writing, by giving me ideas and feedback. One drawback would be that it does not receive immediate feedback. It can take days before someone notices and comments. Also, with the amount of blogs on the Internet, it is hard to find ones that are interesting or most beneficial to read.

Twitter can be the quicker more efficient form of blogging, although it is not as elaborate. It can be useful to get a small point across in the most efficient way to get immediate response. The tweet deck gives constant updates, so I can keep track of when my students or colleagues update their twitter. It is the best form to use if you want a fast response for something short. The draw back is that it only allows for so much writing. There is a word limit, so that you can't post an elaborate idea. This makes it hard to share some things at a quick way. Some ideas can't be condensed enough to fit within the word count. Therefore, sometimes it is a struggle to decide whether to tweet the topic or blog it. They both are beneficial, but sometimes no one is better than the other, so it makes it difficult to choose.

The RSS is very beneficial as it is a great way to organize blogs you want to follow. It shows the most recent updates between all of the blogs in the feed. It is extremely beneficial that all of my blogs I find interesting are all on one page. It saves a lot of time for trying to find a blog to read, or when I am looking for a blog to respond to in my own blog. This can help update you with colleague’s ideas, what the students are blogging about, or any other topic of interest in the blog feed. The one thing that I absolutely hate about the RSS feed was actually building it. I had the hardest time finding blogs that I found interesting enough to follow. There are still some on my feed that I don’t ever look at, but I have a few that are very beneficial. Once I did have some good ones, and once I keep finding more, I know I will appreciate the feed as it organizes all of my blogs to follow.

Last time we wrote about our PLN, I had not used my delicious account yet. But, the time finally came when I forgot some websites for my paper while I was on a public computer, and I was relieved that I had saved them to my delicious account. Overall, my bookmarks on my computer save me by making it so much easier to access websites I use a lot. To have an account where I can open all my bookmarks on any computer makes me feel safe. I no longer have to worry about going somewhere because I would have to search for websites. Instead I can just open My Delicious and have all of my bookmarks that make my life easier at home. The main drawback is that it is work to keep it updated. Right now with a click of a button I can add a website to my tabs, or bookmarks, on my computer. Yet, to add it to my delicious account I would have to open delicious and submit it. It doesn’t take long, but I always seem to forget, so I am not very good at updating.

Overall, at the beginning of the course I thought these networks were a waste of time and just busy work. Yet, now I see how beneficial the PLN can actually be. I seem to be more organized and have a lot of places to turn to for ideas. The organization makes easier access so I don’t have to worry about wasting too much time looking for ideas. The biggest dilemma I have with a PLN is actually developing it. It seems to take a long time to actually get it started, and even keep it updated. Yet, I know that it is very beneficial after all.