Starting my new business Know Your Child, began a journey on a path I never imagined I would tread. Trekking into the wild wonders of early childhood education has not only exposed the intricate landscape of frameworks, curriculum and pedagogy, but also an entirely new world of developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN). While I feel like I have stepped onto a strange and exotic planet, with alien Twitter, tweeters and hashtag critters speaking a completely obscure language, in the true philosophy of what a PLN represents, I will share my thoughts and reflections thus far. In doing so I hope that not only will I learn from my own reflective thinking, but others may also take this information and remix, redesign and reimagine for your own personal learning experience. First things first, what is a PLN?
The Creation of my Know Your Child PLN
iConnect/ed: my connected learning journey begins
April 8, 2018
What is a PLN?
Also referred to as a Professional Learning Network, a PLN is “a network of people and resources that support ongoing learning” (Trust, Krutka, & Carpenter, 2016, p. 17). Kay Odone (2018) from linkinglearning.com.au argues that a PLN is a contradiction in terms whereby “every PLN is created by an autonomous individual, who drives their own learning according their interests, passions and learning needs” but a PLN does not exist but for the social learning. You cannot have a PLN without the group interaction, nor the individual’s strategic role being fulfilled.
Connected Learning and a PLN
In my previous Blog I spoke about Connected Learning (CL) which I won’t go into detail again here, but to explain where a PLN fits. Kay Odene (2018) states, “Connected learning offers us a pedagogical framework which has been designed around network learning and connectivism and the PLN draws upon these understandings of learning and knowledge.” The Connected Learning Framework (Ito et al., 2013) underpins the connected learning, but the PLN does not have to fulfil the specific criteria around this framework. For example, academic outcomes and / or career success is a learning principle specific to the CL, (Kumpulainen, & Sefton-Green, 2014) but with a PLN this is not necessary, where individual participation within the network can be “with or without specific objectives” (Trust et al., 2016). For example, a question posed in my PLN in a Facebook group, Reggio Inspired Early Childhood Educators was simply asking for suggestions on how to hang a piece of art they bought at a yard sale. This is creativity driven with the Reggio Emilia interest, but has no academic focus for learning. A core property and another key difference in a CL environment is that it must be production-centred, where learners co-create knowledge and contribute to learning within the community (Ito et al., 2013). Engagement within a PLN is more “transactional in nature”, whereby participation does not require curating knowledge, but rather a participatory role that enacts changes on the individual and the system (Trust et al., 2016). An example of this within my PLN is my participation answering a question in a EYLF Facebook group. (See Figure 2.0) There was no creation of knowledge as such, just a discussion requesting some advice.
What Does a PLN Consist Of?
A PLN links individuals together using “social software” which is defined as “software that supports group interaction” Shirky (as cited by Dron & Anderson, 2014). There is a long, long list of social software that ranges from email, chats, social curation to social networking. Some of the more popular platforms that were looked at to create my PLN are Twitter, Facebook, Website Blog, Pinerest, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, Google + and LinkedIn. This technology has changed the way we learn, providing opportunities for greater connection, creativity, active learning, accessibility, usability, knowledge curation and so on (Don & Anderson, 2014). Learners now have more autonomy and choice, where simply reading a book or attending a classroom environment may not be the most suitable, convenient or economical means to learn. Being a “Personal” scenario, it is important to first have clarity as to the purpose of your PLN.
This sounds obvious, but upon reflection I could see the significance this made in the performance, collaboration, and daily flow of information in two connected learning groups. The first group – Early Years Learning Framework: Early Childhood resources and information has 2047 members and what I witnessed was the collaboration was mostly limited, with feedback consisting of a handful of likes, and even less interaction with member comments. In comparison, I joined another Facebook group by the same organisers called EYLF/NQF – Ideas & Discussions. Initially it would seem they are very similar, with very similar topic, but this group has 83,794 members, with active and healthy collaboration numbers. (See Figure 3.0) for comparison.
Digital Identity
The name of the first group – Early Years Learning Framework: Early Childhood resources and information, is actually quite passive, and it appears to share general information, like corporate conferences, latest policies and updates, etc. The second one – EYLF/NQF – Ideas & Discussions in comparison is very active, and incorporates what this group appears to be good at in its title, which is rich collaboration, sharing personal ideas and day-to-day knowledge with lots of interaction and individual support. While these two groups are run by the same administrator, and are on the same topic – the EYLF – the digital identities of both these groups are vastly different. According to Lupton, Oddone, & Dreamson, (in press 2018) the first group would be classified as having a “technical” approach, being less personal and incorporates more technical, industry-driven knowledge distribution. On the flipside, the second group is definitely “leading”, having a community with a strong presence that draws upon the support and opinions of the members, which largely informs the content and activity.
Although my PLN is just beginning, I know my digital identity would be more technical, particularly being a private, information-driven person, which could lead to dictating the content of the community. I need to be aware of this as my purpose is to learn from others, so a more personal approach is required to encourage individual contribution of the entire community.
Why Did I Want to Create a PLN?
For me creating a PLN was an extremely daunting task to begin. This is largely because I was unfamiliar and one could say, “scared” of social media. My Twitter World cartoon that I created in Figure 1.0 is not far off my real concerns of alien invasion. The goal of my PLN is to create a community to help embed Positive Education into Early Childhood Education. This is a relatively new term to most educators and almost non-existent in the industry. The challenge lies in the fact that not only did I want to grow in my learning network regarding educational pedagogy, the content of Positive Education needs to be shared for early childhood educators to utilise. Both these things can only be done through a networked environment. Doing the Master of Education (Early Years) has been invaluable for my professional development, but nothing compares to the lessons learnt in the classroom. As an industrial designer, not an educator, this was not going to be possible for me to physically achieve. I have to connect with educators, and in turn, create a knowledge rich and mutually beneficial environment. In addition to my own personal goals, a connected teacher has the benefit of collecting the latest information and pedagogical practices world-wide to support their work. They can obtain advice from like-minded peers and learn through the mutual collaboration of ideas.
“Highly effective teachers model this process of information analysis and knowledge acquisition by continual learning through collaboration, professional development, and studying pedagogical techniques and best practices. Many teachers have extended their learning by developing online professional learning networks (PLNs).”
(Trust, 2012, p. 2)
PHASE 1 – THE START OF MY PLN
Starting my PLN
Beginning the task of creating my own PLN was daunting as I mentioned, but I was encouraged by Way (2012, p. 16), with her statement, “You’ve probably already got a PLN; you just need to add to it.” When you take some of the ‘unknown’ out of the equation, it can seem less alienating after all. So began Phase 1 of the process, where I first established my existing social software and connections, and then added what I thought I would need. I created a graphical map of my starting PLN. (See Figure 4.0)
My Social Software
I created a dedicated Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, account using the business name “Know Your Child” for effective marketing purposes and branding. Whitaker et al., (2015) states how important it is on Twitter to secure your profile name in order to be easily identified and obviously taken seriously. My website blog was already created, as well as the parent website Pottytraining.com.au that sells and promotes the Know Your Child system for toilet training. Pottytraining.com.au also has an established Facebook page with over 2,000 followers. While Way (2012), suggests that Facebook is more a personal social software versus a professional one, this has been my only form of social networking up until this point, with an established network as discussed, so it has worked well for me with marketing and sharing information. Additionally, I discovered that Facebook Groups can be very successful in creating connected communities for a dedicated topic. I created a Facebook Group > Positive Childcare | Positive Families , to be ready to promote. Understanding that a PLN is time consuming process, I have not started the Facebook Group yet, with the intention to establish the more achievable platforms to begin. Subsequently, each content curated was shared between the rest of the social platforms. I added content to my LinkIn account, promoting Know Your Child, and this created another critical incident that combined both an offline and online networking opportunity. Using LinkIn I contacted and organised a phone interview with the author of a key paper I had just used in my assignment. Originally I met her offline at the PESA conference. Both connections contributed to familiarity and helped establish a relationship in a very short period of time.
Offline Platforms
Offline platforms such as Conferences and Workshops are a great benefit to network and gather information and learn. Bridgstock (2017) outlines how growing connections is about strengthening the ties both online and offline, “for exposure to new ideas, knowledge, industry trends, and career opportunities, and when strengthened they are the foundation for professional collaboration, learning and ongoing career-enhancing relationships such as mentoring.” This is exactly my experience with a critical incident that occurred through attending the PESA Conference in April. Through sharing and networking, I have been offered an amazing opportunity to co-author an Early Childhood Wellbeing Journal with an established business that provides Wellbeing Journals to Primaryand Secondary Schools throughout Australia.
PHASE 2 – MY KNOW YOUR CHILD PLN IN ACTION
Expanding My Reach
“It is imperative that you begin to shift your mindset beyond negative thoughts of ‘Why would anyone care what I have to say?’ and begin to take pride in the fact that you do have unique talents and experiences” Whitaker et al., (2015, p. 6)
This appears to be key factor that holds people back with connecting on social platforms. For me, it was more of a concern dealing with the software itself. As it is instantly “live” when you hit that “tweet” button, I feared making a fool of myself by not understanding where it would end up. Getting familiar with social software has certainly helped, but there are still a number of challenges that I still experience with working the systems. I didn’t end up using Instagram in the first round as I simply couldn’t work it out. Having two accounts with my existing business, I couldn’t figure out how to do something as simple as logout. So that is a goal for Phase 3. Facebook is troublesome as well as they are forever changing their software. Based on community forums that I have searched, it appears I am not the only one that is displeased. For example, I use Facebook to do live video snippets of my Know Your Child Workshops at childcare centres. Just recently, Facebook won’t allow this for a business account. This unpredictability is not only annoying, but adds to the “fear” of not knowing what the software is going to do next.
My Connections
My goal to connect was to have a more dedicated approach and stay focused, rather than go wide and spread myself thin. Time is a key factor in this process and very much my personality and personal approach to life. I am what Kay Odone (2018) describes as a “Time Manager” when it comes to my networking profile, with a bit of “Genuine Influencer” thrown in for good measure. I definitely see the value in social media and connections, particularly for business and professional benefits, but only with time permitting. As with this existing journey, my process was inconsistent where I would contribute in waves, when time permitted, and stopped when there simply is none left to spare. I am aware of this, and not being full time on the network does not bother me, as it comes down to this is all I can do. Studying my Masters full time, working at my businesses full time and being a full time mum, ends up being a lot of “full times” with not much left over. One could consider it is out of pure necessity that “Time Manager” fits my world, but in addition to this, I naturally work better with smaller groups with a more dedicated approach their needs. Interestingly my friendship circle is the same as well. I have a handful of close friends of twenty years plus rather than many acquaintances.
The way I produce content was also a “Genuine Influencer”. With my designer creative stance on life, I enjoy taking the latest topic in the news and remixing it to suit my needs and the needs of my PLN. I naturally aim to be an innovative and original as possible. (See Figure 6.1, 6.2, 6.3) Which leads onto my next critical incident.
www.facebook.com/KnowYourChildAU/
Infographics!! Who Would Have Thought?!
As a designer, it should have appeared obvious to use “infographics” in my content curation to creatively present text to give it more meaning and appeal. I had not heard of the term infographics before now. Creativity is described by Kay Odone (2018) as a way of providing a richer learning experience, not only for the receiver, but for myself, where reflection to be creative makes you look deeper to find a more meaningful way to express what you want to say. This is what I love to do and do naturally, so I am excited to have a game plan to create all things infographic. Initially I did not see the point in Pinterest or Instagram either, so this has given both these platforms significant purpose for my creative expression to go wild.
I have created one infographic and shared it over my social software and this was a contributor to my most significant critical incident with Twitter.
Twitter World – A Great Place to Visit!
Twitter could be considered a critical incident for me in regards to coming to the realization that is a valuable connection tool. Whitaker et al., (2015) described me perfectly regarding my Twitter-phobia. It is the hashtags I think that throws people, and I couldn’t understand how you could demonstrate meaningful learning with only 140 characters. For the busy lives we all keep, it actually makes a lot of sense. Way (2012, p. 17) also considers Twitter, “Brilliant for professional learning and connections.” (See Figure 7.1, 7.2) Continuing on, I like the fact that my learning can be personalized, that it is easy to find things with the hashtags (yes, yes, I get it now), and that it provides the opportunity to connect with key leaders in the industry Way (2012), which is how my critical incident occurred.
www.twitter.com/KnowYourChildAU
Critical Incidents
It was a combination of offline and online networking. I attended a Visible Wellbeing workshop with Lea Waters PhD and took the opportunity to speak briefly with her afterwards. As it was available, I then directly tweeted my infographic to Lea Waters and she liked it, retweeted it and followed me on Twitter. This is significant as Lea Waters would probably be the leading expert on Positive Education / Positive Psychology in Australia, and acknowledged worldwide. President of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA), Professor and Founding Director of Positive Psychology Centre, Westpac 100 Women of Influence winner 2015, author, TEDx speaker…. this list goes on and on. In addition to this, I highly respect her vision and generosity to give of her time to help others. (See Figure 8.0)
It was through Twitter that I discovered the link to submit a proposal to hold a workshop at the PESA (Positive Education School’s Association) Conference in Brisbane. This will be a great opportunity for offline networking with the early childhood education industry.
PHASE 3 – MOVING FORWARD
Starting the journey to create my PLN has been a rewarding experience. It has broken down my barriers that I had with using social media, and with a new game plan to utilise my creative skills to create meaning and depth to my connections. Understanding my digital identity is beneficial to know the areas I need to work on, and how to tailor my PLN in order to make it authentic and rewarding for myself and those that wish to join me on the journey.
Reference
Bridgstock, Ruth (2017) Connectedness Capabilities. Connectedness Learning Model. Retrieved from http://www.graduateemployability2-0.com/model/
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Ito, M., Gutierrez, K., Livingstone, S., Penuel, B., Rhodes,J., Salen, K., Schor, J., Sefton-Green, J., and Craig Watkins, S. (2013). Connected Learning: An agenda for research and design.
Kumpulainen, K., & Sefton-Green, J. (2014). “What Is Connected Learning and How to Research It?”. International journal of learning and media. 4 (2), 7-18
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Oddone, K. (2017). Theories of connected learning. Retrieved from linkinglearning.com.auOddone, K. (2018). PLNs: Theory and Practice Retrieved from linkinglearning.com.
Oddone, K. (2018). How do you connect? Retrieved from linkinglearning.com.a
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Trust, T. (2012). Professional Learning Networks Designed for Teacher Learning. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(4), 133–138. doi:10.1080/21532974.2012.10784693
Trust, T., Krutka, D., & Carpenter, J. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102, 15–34. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007
Way, J. (2012). Developing a personal learning network for fast and free professional learning. Access, 26(1), 16–19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/934354596/
Whitaker, T. (2015). What connected educators do differently? New York: Routledge. Retrieved from https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/books/9781317566427
