Sue Waters (whose Edublogger site is a must-read, I think) has put together a great wiki site around the concept of the Web 2.0-based Personal Learning Community. Using the results of a survey from folks in her PLC, she established a one-stop resource for folks thinking of dipping their toes into the, eh, waters.
Ideally, a supportive PLC will help guide you along in your reflective stance as an educator, writer, explorer and then provide the framework for you to be a mentor to others. Also, a good PLC provides some guiding questions about your journey: where are you going and why are you going there and what are the outcomes.
I like how Sue also included a quick set of pointers that she gathered from her own network and experiences as you begin to consider your own PLC:
- Start slowly and find mentor(s) to help you.
- Use the same username across tools
- Share as much as you take
- Ask as much as you answer
- Try new TOOLS before you decide they’re not worth the time
- Comment on other people’s blogs
- Life long learning is the key!
So, get your network connected! Head to Sue’s wiki for more information.
Peace (in sharing),
Kevin