Personal Learning Networks for Educators

Just viewed this great video on why participation in a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is crucial for teachers. In the video, Skip Via poses the question: What if your go-to, techie colleague suddenly moves to a different school or moves away? Would your whole technology support network come crashing down? He then explains how one would go about creating his or her own PLN and indicates that teachers shouldn't merely be "takers" of help; but become providers of assistance whenever possible. Skip suggests turning to the Internet for your quick questions-- and not to burden your busy PLN with questions that you can easily find on your own using Google or Wikipedia. He postulates that ultimately, we're in charge of our own professional development; that it's unrealistic to expect a school district to train everyone with their own custom-tailored training. I intend to show this video to my colleagues at our next staff meeting. Way to go, Skip! Great video!