Most people think learning only takes place in the classroom, but in reality, a majority of the learning happens through personal learning networks (PLN). PLN’s refer to an informal network of trusted connections whereby individuals interact with others in an online setting, on a regular basis, for professional purposes (Tour, 2016). The beauty of PLN’s is that we can learn anywhere and anytime- there are no restrictions to learning! As part of a hurdle task in COMM140, I created my own personal learning network with twitter. Not having used twitter before, my initial reaction of using this PLN was not a happy one, that was for sure. However, after creating my account, I soon began to adapt to it and realised what a great tool it was, if used properly. In this blog, I will share some reasons why you too should give twitter a go. Belonging to a PLN community is extremely valuable. They provide a place where individuals can access a plethora of learning resources at their fingertips, whilst also exchanging their own ideas and resources, acting as givers and takers (Elliott, 2009). PLN’s including twitter, are also a great opportunity to create connections and collaborate with people from all around the world, who share similar interests too you. Such connections can lead to exciting opportunities, as well as mentors who are willing to help you, all achieved by putting yourself out there in the global world through tweeting ("10 Reasons Teachers should give Twitter a go", 2017). Furthermore, if your still not convinced about whether or not you should use twitter, think about all the latest news you can keep up to date with by following Nine news for example. So, in a busy world where you may not have the chance to sit down and read the newspaper or watch the news, using twitter will help you stay informed about what's happening around the world at any moment. However, with that being said, we need to be considerate with what we tweet. It is important to understand that misusing social media platforms like twitter can have negative consequences, and may potentially damage our career, as we saw in the lecture. Therefore, it is imperative that we think before we tweet and ask ourselves is this going to have an affect on others and myself, before posting anything, as once it is up there, it will remain there. From my experience thus far, twitter has definitely provided me with these benefits which I make full use of. As a pre-service teacher, commencing prac next year, I was quite nervous I must admit, however being exposed to a variety of wonderful resources on twitter from other teachers, lecturers and principals to name a few, I feel better prepared and less nervous, as I know I am able to utilise some of these great resources and ideas in my own classroom. Overall, twitter can be extremely useful for an individual and I encourage others to give tweeting a ago, but only when used correctly and for the right reasons. - Pascale Resources: Elliott, C. (2009) ʻWe are not alone: the power of Personal Learning Networksʼ. 7 (1), pp. 47-50. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/7399577/Synergy_Vol7_No1_2009.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1505392277&Signature=V50RHr8hBwpqv hPuPkpq1%2FkU4Nc%3D&response-content disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DWe_are_not_alone_the_power_of_Personal_L.pdf Tour, E. (2016). Teachers’ personal learning networks (PLNs): Exploring the nature of self-initiated professional learning online. Literacy, 51 (1), 11-18. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/doi/10.1111/lit.12101/full Reasons Teachers should give Twitter a go. (2017, August 01). Retrieved from http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/10-reasons-to-tweet/ *Image obtained and edited through Canva Have a read of the below infographics, which provide further knowledge about Twitter and its benefits Both infographics have been obtained from Pintrest Twitter. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://au.pinterest.com/marie0058/twitter/
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