How school librarians can start a PLN to keep up-to-date and personalize their learning.

1. Building Your
Personal Learning Network
“Networking”byjairoaguaislicensedunderCCBY-NC-SA2.0
Raphaella Dixon
Lester B. Pearson School Board, March 17, 2014

2. A Few Questions
• Are up-to-date in your profession?
• Do you have time to attend workshops and
conferences?
• Do you have enough funding for PD?
• Is the PD you receive relevant to your needs?

3. “The entire collection of people
with whom you engage and
exchange information, usually
online.” (Klingensmith)
Personal Learning Network

4. Why Build Your PLN?
• Librarians often work solo
• Distance and geography
• New trends and issues
• Lack of PD opportunities
• Lack of funds for PD
(Harland)

5. 7 Degrees Of Separation @thecleversheep #canEdu13 by Giulia Forsythe is lisensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Original image cropped

6. “I asked my PLN (Personal Learning
Network) to describe what their PLN
meant to them and these were their
contributing words.” (Buckey)

7. “PLN-1” by Caroline Bucky is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

8. PLN Tools
Social Networking
Facebook Edmodo Google Plus
Microblogging
Twitter

9. PLN Tools
Blogs
Blogger Tumblr WordPress
Video Channels
YouTube Vimeo

10. PLN Tools
Social Bookmarking
Delicious Diigo
Pinterest Livebinders

11. PLN Tools
Nings
Library 2.0
Online Presentations &Courses
Webinars, Podcasts, MOOCs

12. PLN Tools
Social Network Aggregators
Flipboard HootSuite
RSS-Readers
Feedly Digg

13. PLN Tools
Storify
Evernote

14. “PLN_DimSum – UPDATED” by Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne Jones is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

15. 5 Facebook Pages to Like
• Your local library
• ABQLA
• APSDS
• BAnQ
• Voices for School Libraries

16. 5 Blogs to Follow
• The Busy Librarian www.busylibrarian.com
• The Unquiet Librarian:
theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com
• David Lee King - Social web, emerging
trends, and libraries: www.davidleeking.com
• The Daring Librarian:
www.thedaringlibrarian.com
• A Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet:
mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.ca

17. 5 to Follow on Twitter
• Your colleagues
• Buffy Hamilton @buffyjhamilton
• The Daring Librarian @GwynethJones
• Joyce Valenza @joycevalenza
• thenerdybookclub @nerdybookclub

18. 3 Short & Easy Articles to Read
• Patnoudes, Eric. "Why (And How) You Should Create A
Personal Learning Network." www.edudemic.com/build-
personal-learning-network/
• Perez, Lisa. "Innovative Professional Development: Expanding
Your Personal Learning
Network." www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/a
aslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/docs/FREEarticle_Innov
ative_20-22.pdf
• Klingensmith, Klingensmith. "PLN: Your Personal Learning
Network Made Easy."
http://onceateacher.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/pln-your-
personal-learning-network-made-easy/

19. Exploring Further
• Abram, Stephen. "Personal Learning
Networks.“
stephenslighthouse.com/2011/11/10/persona
l-learning-networks/
• Starkey, Carolyn Jo. "21 Resources to Kick-
Start a Gold Medal
PLN." http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aa
sl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/knowled
gequest/docs/21_Resources_to_Kick.pdf

20. “Get Connected!” by The Fanboy is lisenced under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

21. Works Cited
Abram, Stephen. "Personal Learning Networks." New – Stephen's Lighthouse New. N.p., 10 Nov. 2011. Web.
16 Mar. 2014. <http://stephenslighthouse.com/2011/11/10/personal-learning-networks/>.
Buckey, Caroline. "PLN-1." Flickr. Yahoo!, 31 Oct. 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/8370367@N04/2983755525/in/photolist-5xEwyM-5xEwzT-5xJVzm-5KzsAp-
5MyiWt-5QHwM6-5QHxSx-5Sfm1u-5SfmEq-5SK63k-5SMC7V-61Wi9g-637EbG-64nU5p-64GXwm-64ZQkd-
65zyRa-6A2XMd-6BrPn3-6HzcEg-6JzskD-6MSr4T-6MSsxR-6MWD2o-6MWDuu-6MWDRo-6MWE4m-6>.
Cooke , Nicole A.. "Professional development 2.0 for librarians: Developing an online personal learning
network (PLN)." World Library and Information Congress : 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly. IFLA, 31
May 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. <http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/200-cooke-en.pdf>.
Downes, Stephen. "Stephen Downes." ~ Stephen's Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.downes.ca/>.
Forsythe, Giulia. "7 Degrees Of Separation @thecleversheep #canEdu13." Flickr. Yahoo!, 12 May 2013. Web. 15
Mar. 2014. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/59217476@N00/8715469190/in/photolist-eha4mb-jt5YK4-jt9fqh-
jt7nbT-cwJhDu-7RCDqe-fjC335-fjnRK6-huPsai-hrw8m9-83CaKn-agjwoE-7JaNx7-ipAkon-bzG5hp-83Fgpu-cYpgtS-
8KkxE4-bzVBjJ-cwD4Vw-95EcKZ-9xHAFK-8y3QxC-7Yd7fG-8VZ2iB-8h7ySc-an9Ltz->.
Harlan, Mary Ann. Personal learning networks: professional development for the isolated school librarian.
Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2009. Print.

22. Jones, Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne. "PLN_DimSum - UPDATED." Flickr. Yahoo!, 10 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Mar.
2014. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/43666171@N07/4806404770/in/photolist-8jJ5FL-c3jWMd-aTBtMx-
9BZgdw-cvTE1u-cvTqxW-86P1sQ-8zMi2G-aDBS6m-cBKjp1-cBKjg1-7LCE45-bzG5hp-bNtBQn-86S7Vh-94RR7W-
cfrgdS-bwXJLp-a28R8F-huPsai-9YGBAL-9LQ7XE-9LMkLa-hsHGrD-9LQ84L-7YfS4X-9LMkF6->.
Klingensmith, Klingensmith. "PLN: Your Personal Learning Network Made Easy." Once a Teacher. N.p., 5 May
2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://onceateacher.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/pln-your-personal-learning-
network-made-easy/>.
Lagarde, Jennifer. "PLN Starter Kit." LiveBinder. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=441748>.
Lalonde, Clint. "How important is Twitter in your Personal Learning Network?." eLearn Magazine. ACM, 1 Sept.
2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=2379624>.
Novak, Bev. "If you dont have a PLN, you don't know what you are missing." SCIS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_80/articles/if_you_dont_have_a_pln.html>.
Patnoudes, Eric. "Why (And How) You Should Create A Personal Learning Network." Edudemic. N.p., 1 Oct.
2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <http://www.edudemic.com/build-personal-learning-network/>.
Perez, Lisa. "Innovative Professional Development: Expanding Your Personal Learning Network." AASL. Version
vol. 40, no. 3. ALA, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/docs/FREEarti
cle_Innovative_20-22.pdf>.

23. "Personal learning environment." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Dec. 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_environment>.
"Personal learning network." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_network>.
Siemens, George. "Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age." International Journal of Instructional
Technology and Distance Learning. N.p., 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm>.
Siemens, George. "elearnspace." › Personal Learning Environments. N.p., 18 Nov. 2008. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2008/11/18/personal-learning-environments-7/>.
Starkey, Carolyn Jo. "21 Resources to Kick-Start a Gold Medal PLN." AASL. ALA, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/docs/21_Resou
rces_to_Kick.pdf>.
The Fanboy. "Get Connected!." Flickr. Yahoo!, 15 Jan. 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/metaweb/3199658643/>.
Valenza, Joyce Kasman, and Doug Johnson. "Things that keep us up at night." SCIS. N.p., 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 16
Mar. 2014. <http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/things_that_keep_us_up_at_night.html>.
Via, Skip. "Personal Learning Networks for Educators." YouTube. YouTube, 10 June 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6WVEFE-oZA>.