In this post, I will be expanding my original “Wow and Wonder #1” post and investigate further about Personal Learning Networks (PLNs).

The official account for ‘Psychology Today’ on Twitter that I followed

Wow

In the article “What are Personal Learning Networks?”, the author clearly stated the definition of PLN and its importance in current trend. I learned that PLN is a group of people, such as colleagues and professionals, that you connect with to enhance your learning and professional development. The most unique aspect of PLN is that people can learn anywhere at any time. There’s an article I found called “20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network”, by Miriam Clifford. There are some points in the article that really stuck out to me. One of the points under the ’10 Tips For Using PLNs’ section that interested me was when she wrote about “becoming a beacon of light.” This means that if there’s some information that you know or perhaps you have anything that’s related to a certain topic, that you should share it with everyone to generate more interest. Therefore, I think Twitter would be a better platform for me to set up a PLN. Recently, I set my own PLN by creating a new account on Twitter to be used specifically for content to Psychology, which related to my field of study. I followed an official account called Psychology Today, and the resource there is so rich and they always have a new post in every hour. Furthermore, Twitter allows and encourages for open discussion that perfect fits the criteria of a PLN. I’m amazed by the fact that we can set our own PLN with such an ease, because they are around us closely.

In the article, “What is a Personal Learning Network”, the author takes a good perspective of looking at the relationship between PLN and Covid-19. In Riya’s Week #2 – Wow and Wonder post, she mentioned about Covid-19 as a main factor of this shift toward online learning. I strongly agree with this perspective and I also believe Covid-19 is life changing for everyone, also a world-changing factor that will cause revolution in many areas. For example, as Riya and the article “What is a Personal Learning Network” suggested, education is undergoing a rapid and urgent transformation that require people to adjust quickly.

Wonder

Riya in her post was wondering if we can go back to traditional learning. I also raised a concern about education in the future because learning should not be totally “online”. I think face-to-face discussion is still the most effective way for learning and as online learning become more popular, the essentials about traditional learning may soon fade away. In Jiaxing’s Week #2 Wow and Wonder post, she addresses another concern we should deliberate about — not everything on internet is helpful for learning. For young population, they are more vulnerable to get impacted negatively on internet. Despite the resourceful content for learning on social medias such as Twitter, violence and misguided information are social medias as well. It’s especially important to filter out those content for young people so they don’t get exposed to undesirable content on internet. I’m wondering if Twitter can come up with another  educational version that’s for education purpose only.

References

What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644

Gutierrez, K. (n.d.). What are Personal Learning Networks? Retrieved from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/personal-learning-networks

20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network. Retrieved from https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/20-tips-for-creating-a-professional-learning-network/