PLN- Personal Learning Network

In reflecting back upon my personal learning network, I would say that the most useful tools that I developed were my blogging site at Blogspot.com, my input at our class wiki - PBWorks and my del.icio.us bookmarks account. I found these to be meaningful and I enjoyed adding to these. I used my Twitter and Voice Threads accounts, but to me it seemed that they both went off in so many different directions as far as what people had to communicate about. My blogging account, PB Works and the delicious bookmarks account I had, narrowed and specified information for me more easily.

I would love to continue using my favorite tools in the near future. I like the idea of being able to post information in my blogging site about what I am feeling, reading about and want to share. It is a professional journal - in a sense! I would continue to use a wiki, like PB Works, because it would offer me the opportunity to stay informed about topics of professional interest to me as an art teacher. Our LMC Coordinator has just established a wiki for the Edgerton School District teachers. It will be fun to read and contribute to it this summer! I would encourage all teachers I work with to check this out (or another professional wiki) so they can see how this type of tool works and benefit from a tool like this to collaborate and communicate from professionally. We have been provided many opportunities, within our school district this year, to learn about and use some of the tools like blogging spots and wikis and how to go about developing them. The instructors for these inservices have taken many library media courses through UW-Whitewater. I feel very fortunate to teach in a district where these are offered!

I really enjoyed the ease with which I could bookmark favorite educational/professional websites using my delicious account. At a glance, I could see how other delicious users "tagged" their favorite websites with identifying words that grabbed my attention. Using delicious, made it quick and easy for me to gather lots of useful information and to provide some of my own.

In summary, I really enjoyed learning how to use the various tools I described! I will definitely benefit professionally by periodically contributing to these and taking from these sites what others have posted. These PLN tools are a wonderful way to communicate and collaborate with other people who have some of the same interests that I do professionally!