I read a lot about personal learning networks (PLN) and feel happy to have one of my own. On closer inspection though, I think we’ve been mis-selling them.
A learning network would be a series of different channels and environments. Mine would contain my podcast libraries, video libraries, significant Evernote record, Pocket and Feedly records etc. In effect, it would be a personal learning environment, rather than a network.
What I really have as a PLN is a personal mentoring network; it’s a series of people who I can rely on to support my learning, to quiz, challenge me, reflect with and from and engage with to challenge my thinking.
This might be semantics but I feel people are more likely to buy into the idea of a personal mentoring network – an interconnected map of people who can help you personally and professionally. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
[…] was one of my PLN, a trusted ear and voice with a fantastic commonsensical approach to her work. On top of that Kandy […]
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[…] thing is, no-one is solely a hub. My network is part of other people’s; my network is a small part of a much larger system. That means you might be a node or a hub and […]
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[…] focus is going to be on mentoring – a topic I’ve mentioned before. Before saying what I’ll be doing, I’m really keen to understand what people […]
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