Professional Fitness Plan: Web 2.0 Tools to Develop a PLN

Continuing education prior to Web 2.0 consisted of reading professional journals, attending library conferences, and taking college classes. These activities are still available and important. But given the pace and amount of change, they alone are insufficient to keep most of us current with the happenings in librarianship and information technology. This workshop explores online continuing education options, both formal and informal, and strategies for developing one’s own Personal Learning Network.

My definition of a Personal Learning Network: … a self-created set of experts, colleagues and resources that can be relied upon to meet daily learning needs, usually dependent on networked technology.

Handout: PLNhandout.pdf

Resources:

BLB or PLC, Head for the Edge, Library Media Connection, January 2008

Reboot Camp: Get into Tech Shape (with Joyce Valenza), School Library Journal, May 2008

See resources in Dipping One's Toes in the Stream of Social Networking

Brown and Adler, "Minds on Fire" Educause Review, Jan/Feb 2008 (Research on importance of study groups.)

LaGarde, PLN Starter Kit

Tobin, Building Your Personal Learning Network.

Fische, Personal Learning Networks.

Utecht, Stages of PLN Adoption.