1. Creating Your Own
Personal Learning Network
Rabohlale JT 201071762
Utilizing the Web for Personal and Professional Growth

2. The Solution – Create a
Personal Learning Network!
Personal Learning Network –
A group of people who can guide
your learning, point you to learning
opportunities, answer your
questions, and give you the benefit
of their own knowledge, experience,
and wisdom.

4. That number is only the amount of information moving
over the Internet.
This number DOES NOT INCLUDE all of the countless
times more information stored on all of the computers
connected to the Internet!
1 Terabit networkable hard drives – holding about half
the amount of information moving each second on the
Internet – are becoming standard fixtures on HOME
networks around the world!
And Guess What…

6. 2-3 terabits per second move over the Internet * (est.
March, 2008)
= 2,000 - 3,000 gigabits per second
= 2 - 3 Petabits per second
172,800 – 259,200 Pitabits per day
63,115,200 – 94,672,800 Pitabits this year
That is… The entire contents of the Library of Congress
every 5 seconds!
That is… The entire contents of the Library of Congress
moving over the Internet more than 2,305,282,680 times
this year!
How Much Data is Flowing?

7. A River of Data Flowing Past You!
Let‟s look at what can you do about it.

8. DATA – The river flowing past you
INFORMATION – The Data you pull from the river and
assign relevance and purpose
KNOWLEDGE – The Information that you actually keep,
apply, and use personally and professionally
WISDOM – Combining Knowledge with intuition and
experience over time in a way that makes your personal
and professional lives better
First… Four Stages of Learning

9. An Open Source project is a software product that is
collaboratively built.
Everyone has access to help build the product if they
have something worthwhile to contribute.
No one owns it. No one takes credit for it.
Everyone gets to use the product… even those who did
not help build it.
The “Sage on the Stage” is dead! Most of us just don’t
know it yet.
Learning is Becoming an
Open Source Project

10. Discovery Educator Network
One of the best teacher resources I’ve found… ever!
View Introductory Video
Webinars, resources, and local, regional, and national
events presented by leaders in technology-oriented
education
Signup today!
http://community.discoveryeducation.com/
Join the DEN!

11. If you think a blog is just a place to complain about
your boyfriend, you’re wrong!
Blogs are now one of the most important parts of a
Personal Learning Network
Podcasts are not just for kids either!
In conjunction with the wise use of RSS feeds, blogs
and podcasts can really help you control and direct
the flow of the data River.
Blogs, Podcasts, and RSS

12. RSS

13. RSS in 21st
Century Teaching
and Learning

16. It is not about who you
know or what you know,
but who knows what you
know.
Connection ….

17. Professional Branding
What is Professional Branding
Tom Peters published on this topic in his 1997 Fast
Company Article called “A Brand Called You”. The
essence of Mr. Peters message is that you are in
charge of your brand and that all of us can own
some part of the market. Everyone can learn, and
educate themselves to become, at some level, an
expert. The vast majority of knowledge is available
on the Internet and if you look hard enough you can
find information pertaining to your specific situation.
Almost 10 years after the article, the message is still
being spread daily. In a world of sameness, you
need to stand out even if that point of light is faint.
You and only you are responsible for transforming
that faint light into something bigger
and that can only be done by a
focused effort over a period of time.
“A personal representation that
represents a skill set, a big idea, a
belief system, and value-equation
that other people find of interest.
Personal branding is everything
you that differentiates and market
yourself, such as your messages,
self-presentation, and marketing
tactics”.
-C. Kupta
“Personal Branding is the art of
attracting and keeping more
clients by actively shaping public”
- P. Montoya

18. Online Web Presence (Web 1.0) 2Way
Overview
15 Ways Tip…
The personal web site is still one of the most critical
foundations of your professional brand. The online
environment allow you to manage your brand perception.
The web allows you to archive and display your trademarks.
Web sites don‟t have to be complicated to be of value. Be
sure to focus on the usability, graphics, navigation,
metadata, page layout and information content. While
technology comes and goes over time, the simplicity of
design never does. Maybe a full scale web site is too much
time and effort, if so then simply create a blog from one of
the many free sources. The key is to get that
professionalism out in the public. At the heart of a
professional representation is to see that the individual has
differentiated themselves from the pack, a diverse set of
skills and talent, and a history of delivery. If you can
communicate that in a simple and concise manner then you
are at the top of your game.
Design and usability are still critical in
establishing your credibility and
trustworthiness. Invest the time and
money to ensure your web site is
professional looking.
Who is doing it Right!
http://www.tompeters.com
http://www.jimcollins.com
http://www.stevehoberman.com/
http://www.answerthink.com/
http://www.davidco.com/
http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/
http://newparadigm.com/
http://www.danpink.com/
http://www.harveymackay.com/
nd

19. Professional Networking (Web 1.0) 4Way
Overview
15 Ways Tip…
The term networking was first used in the 1500‟s to describe
the utilization of fishing nets versus the traditional line and
tackle. What these early fisherman figured out that by using
a net you could catch more fish in a shorter period of time;
not to mention the least amount of effort. Networking is a
lifelong relationship-building process that develops a wide
range of interpersonal connections or contacts that you can
contact or communicate. Networking is a social process that
many of us are not very good at. This is especially true in
the information worker where the skills of the introvert are
valued higher than those with extrovert soft skills. Networks
act as a kind of informal, highly customized, personal
„knowledge business yellow pages‟, providing a handy
expert to fill in the brain-powered workers knowledge gap.
The first step is to start with people you know
which might include family, friends, associates,
and professional acquaintances. This is the fun
part of networking, so enjoy the journey.
Six Degrees of
Separation
In 1967, American sociologist Stanley
Milgram (2001) devised a new way to test
the theory, which he called "the small-world
problem." He randomly selected people in
the mid-West to send packages to a stranger
located in Massachusetts. The senders knew
the recipient's name, occupation, and
general location. They were instructed to
send the package to a person they knew on
a first-name basis who they thought was
most likely, out of all their friends, to know
the target personally. That person would do
the same, and so on, until the package was
personally delivered to its target recipient.
Although the participants expected the chain
to include at least a hundred intermediaries,
it only took (on average) between five and
seven intermediaries to get each package
delivered. Milgram's findings were published
in Psychology Today and inspired the phrase
"six degrees of separation."
th

20. Social Networks (Web 2.0) 5Way
Overview
Online social networks, such as Friendster, LinkedIn, and
Spoke1, have rapidly acquired millions of users and assist
them in forming new social or business contacts through
those they already have. These existing contacts are either
entered manually or gathered automatically, e.g., from email,
instant messaging, and the web of trust for decentralized
cryptographic keys (Adamic & Hogg, 2004). Online
networks allow people to explicitly articulate their social
network, present themselves through a Profile (interests and
demographics), post public testimonials about one another,
browse a network of people, and establish themselves as
subject matter experts with features and answers from
LinkedIn. Like any network, the environment must be
managed in order to gain the greatest value. LinkedIn now
boasts 10 million members and is adding 120,000 per week.
Along with many other online networking sites, LinkedIn
provides you the ability to crate, manage, and own your
online identity.
15 Ways Tip…
Never turn down a connection, their
address book may prove very useful!
The goal is to connect with as many
people as possible.
th
Opportunities
• LinkedIn
• Friendster
• Spoke1
• Classmates
• Orkut
• Tribe

21. Publications (Web 1.0) 6Way
th
Overview
It seems like every industry has a trade journal or a
magazine. Technology may be the worst of the bunch, from
Data Management, to Disaster Recovery; we have a
magazine for just about every genre of technology. Each
month, these magazines produce mounds of information
contributed by people just like you. Not to mention the
growing number of online magazines where folks are
begging for contributed content. The key is to generate an
inventory of publishable material that you can use. This is a
lot easier said than done. There are many ways to get
published as noted on the right.
Ideally, we want a balanced portfolio of publications. Like
financial investments, you should never put all of your eggs
in one basket. A balanced portfolio would ensure that you
focus on the many different levels as well as different
categories. Professional articles are great but academic
ones are just as important. At a very high level, professional
publications need to be simplified and applicability while
academic ones need more rigor. There is tremendous value
in both of them.
Opportunities
• Newsletters
• Magazines
• Journals
• Books
• Book Chapters
• Book Reviews or Editing
• Monthly Columns
• Academic Journals
• Online Magazines / Journals
15 Ways Tip…
Use the element of reuse to reduce the
amount of effort. No one said that an
academic or web 2.0 type publication
couldn‟t be used as a professional
publication or vice versa. Reuse is the
Key.

22. Public Speaking (Web 1.0) 7Way
th
OverviewSpeaking in front of a group of people is one of the hardest
things we do in life. From Tony Robbins to your Minister,
everyone get butterflies before addressing a group of
individuals. Remember, the attendees have selected your
session to attend. They may have paid to see your
presentation but you can bet they want to see you succeed.
Nobody goes out and buys a car in hopes that it will break
down. Every professional conference is looking for speakers
with a story to tell. The hardest step is simply putting
together 20 slides that tell that story and submitting it.
By far, conferences are the easiest method of getting
published. There is always a conference that would like to
hear about your case study or observed best practices. The
reason is simple; most professional conferences are littered
with vendors and consultants. Theory, products, and
research are great, but when you have a story to tell, the
world will beat a path to your door.
Opportunities
• Local Civic Groups
• Professional Conferences
• Academic Conferences
• Communities of Interest
• Toast Masters
• Religious Groups
• Chapter Meetings
15 Ways Tip…
Practice, Practice, Practice. There is no
substitute for this. Every professional
speaker spends an enormous amount of
time working out the session. “It takes
me three weeks to put together a good
impromptu speech." - Mark Twain.

23. Social Publishing (Web 2.0) 8Way
th
Overview
While we are still very early in the Web 2.0 environment, we
still have a plethora of publishing opportunities. It goes
without saying that people prefer to browse content versus
actually reading and trying to comprehend every word.
While I am guilty of not doing this very well, you should try to
keep you 2.0 posts to a paragraph or two. Learn to write in
a succinct, clear, and effective manner. If you can say it two
sentences then do so, wordiness isn‟t a virtue in the online
environment. If you have more to say then try to break up
your posts into multiple posts which will not only help your
readers, you help yourself by increasing the possibility of an
external link or Goggle result.
As we move forward, other opportunities will emerge. Be
sure to notice what others are doing to build their Web 2.0
brand. Web 2.0 publishing is real time; there are no delays
for editing or market potential. Web 2.0 is the perpetual beta
and that will make all of us, under 30, uncomfortable.
Opportunities
• Weblogs
• Wiki
• Podcasts
• Social Networking
• Ranking
• Rating
• Industry Forums
• Book Marking
• Communities
• Professional Networks
• Photo Sharing (Flickr)
• Slide Sharing (Slideshare.net)
15 Ways Tip…
Small contributions add up over time.
Don‟t expect that a single post will move
you the Google Rank #1. Brands take
time and now the Web 2.0 environments
changes your competition exponentially.

24. Work the “Zues Jones” Fringe (Web
2.0) 14Way
th
Overview
Zeus Jones is an interesting example of an organization that
has fully embraced the foundational components of a
trademark program. They are a company that understands
the potential impact of Web 2.0 technologies and the ability
to create viral marketing. They state on their web site that
they believe that actions speak louder than words and are
dedicated to solving business problems by helping clients
use their marketing to do things for their customers instead
of just saying things to them. Instead of the normal
marketing efforts such as building an online web site,
brochures, and product announcements, they have utilized
several facets of the 2.0 world.
Zeus Jones may not be the first person or organization that
operates on the fringes of the Web 2.0 area but they are the
first organization that has gone public with it. Not as a trial
balloon but as an over arching corporate strategy.
15 Ways Tip…
Work the fringes and be willing to take
risks in this new and confusing world.
What are they Doing?
• Created a profile on LinkedIn to highlight
their past experience and knowledge
• Created Music that could be downloaded
• Created desktop art with the company logo
• Created case study videos YouTube
• Created and commented on blogs about
business, brands, and special interests
• Created cell phone ring tones
• Listed goals & values on 43 Things
• Entered an online sewing contest
• Created a “Zeus Jones” figure in one of the
largest virtual worlds “World Warcraft”
• Made predictions at “Longbets.org”
• Developed RSS feeds to daily information

25. Abbey. (2009). Personal Learning Networks. Available online [Accessed on 18 March 2013]
http://www.slideshare.net/evan_abbey/personal-learning-networks-1110160
Cofino. (2009). The 21 Century educator. Qatar : Qatar Academy. Available online [Accessed on 16 March 2013]
http://www.slideshare.net/mscofino/the-21st-century-educator
Jain. (2009). Using online Professional networking to get ahead at Work Nasscom. Available online
[Accessed on 16 March 2013]
http://www.slideshare.net/OMShare/using-online-professional-networking-to-get-ahead-at-work-nasscom-
fridays-20-38th-session-presentation
Keller. (2008). Creating your own personal learning network. Available online
[Accessed on 19 March 2013]
http://www.slideshare.net/cgkel/creating-your-own-personal-learning-network
Stephens. (2007). 15 ways to professionaly brand you. Available online [Accesssed on 17 March 2013]
http://www.slideshare.net/rtodd/15-ways-to-professionally-brand-you
Bibliography