To finish off the module there were some questions about connected and social learning:
- How important is connected learning to you?
- How do you blend the ‘social’ with the ‘educational’?
This module has helped me to reconnect with the reasons why I started a PLN way back in 2011. It has helped me to reflect on my reasons for closing my PLN down. Ultimately though, I do believe, being connected to other educators outside of your school helps to keep you fresh and innovative. I think about the three years since I closed my PLN down and I wonder if the feelings I have had of not being inspired by my work would have been alleviated if I had remained active in my online community. It’s hard to say because life happens, but it may have. I do worry now about blending my social online world with my educational one. I think that was what was happening somewhat for me. I had a personal account on Facebook but I also had one for my blog. My personal time was being taken up with online social interactions for work and I was resenting how much time this was taking. Upon reflection, perhaps by making clearer boundaries with which platforms I am using for my PLN and which are being used socially, may make me feel better about starting a PLN again. Also, setting a specific time per day to work on my PLN might be useful but as we’re talking about very fluid technologies and times I’m not sure how practical that will be. I will keep experimenting and see.
Karla, I agree that it’s so important to find the right balance for you between your online professional identity and your personal life. I have found that my own use of Facebook used to be a personal thing, but over the last few years more of my knowledge learning and networking. More groups associated with my work as a teacher librarian and technology integrator have a Facebook group. So the boundaries do become blurred. If I miss a post from one of the many groups I follow for my own professional learning, then that’s how it is.
Like you, I think a key aspect of a PLN is exposure to the diverse ideas of others. From reading about the experiences of others, you can choose strategies that may apply to you that otherwise you may not have considered. Community members can often be relied upon to shed some light on an issue you may have sought help for and to provide encouragement or alternative viewpoints when you plateau. I’m interested in your strategies for separating your personal online networks with your professional ones, and for delineating particular times to devote to them. I have been very much a ‘lurker’ (what a horrible word) on Facebook and LinkedIn, and until this year, did not have a Twitter account. While I consider myself technologically ‘switched on’, prior to beginning the knowledge network unit my participation was more of the observation kind rather than contribution. That has now changed, and I am pleased that my network is growing, but it does raise issues of the blurred lines between professional and personal time. One strategy that I feel is working for me is to turn off all notifications to these platforms, and to access them when it suits me, not the app.