MeTA musings: PLN

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Synthesizing PLC, PLN and Communities of Practice

PLCs are nice but I like PLNs better @NMHS_Principal #tic13
— Matt Degner (@mwdegner) June 19, 2013

Every once in a while I see a reference to PLNs, PLCs and communities of practice that makes me wonder if I understand the similarities and differences between these three phrases. While I admit that I do not have a full understanding of these ideas, I thought it might be helpful for my own thinking to flesh out a few ideas in writing.

Personal Learning Networks (PLN)

"A personal or professional learning network (PLN) involves an individual's topic-oriented goal, a set of practices & techniques aimed at attracting and organizing a variety of relevant content sources, selected for their value, to help the owner accomplish a professional goal or personal interest." -David Warlick, slide 4

Furthermore:

"Personal learning networks (PLNs) are not new. We have long relied on our families, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances to supplement our knowledge about the world. Our professional learning also comes from reference books, the textbooks we carried home from college, the television and radio stations we tune in to, and the professional and personal-interest periodicals to which we subscribe. And we have been connecting with people and information through the digital realm for decades. But the times are still changing. Information and communication technologies (ICT), including an ever growing repertoire of open source applications, have freed content from the printed page, giving voice to the ideas of people we have never had access to before and enabling us to reshape our information experiences to suit our learning needs. Harnessing these new technologies to create and grow our own PLNs is imperative for educators who want to stay connected to the changing world we are charged with introducing to our students." -David Warlick (pdf)

Based on Mr. Warlick's definitions, a coin collector could have a personal learning network as might a doctor and elementary teacher.

While technology can play an important role in expanding and accessing additional resources in our personal learning network, I don't think today's digital tools define a personal learning network. As an example, prior to joining Twitter several years ago, here's a snapshot of my PLN:

My goal was to improve as a high school math teacher. I utilized professional journals, professional development (PD) opportunities, read publications and interacted with colleagues near and far.

Today, I am also able to learn through reading blogs, listening to podcasts, following conversations and links through Twitter, interacting with new and old friends face-to-face at conferences and video chat or talk on the phone with my siblings (and siblings-in-law) who are educators. A PLN involves humans we interact with in person or virtually as well as the resources they create (i.e. blogs, journal articles, podcasts, conference presentations).

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

"The idea of improving schools by developing professional learning communities is currently in vogue. People use the term to describe every imaginable combination of individuals with an interest in education - a grade-level teaching team, a school committee, a high school department, an entire school district, a state department of education, a national professional organization, and so on. In fact, the term has been so ubiquitously used that it is in danger of losing all meaning." - Richard DuFour

So, what is a PLC?

"...an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve" - DuFour, DuFour, Eaker and Many, p. 11

From p. 14 of Learning by Doing, the essence of the PLC process is captured in three big ideas:

The purpose of our school is to ensure all students learn at high levels.
Helping all students learn requires a collaborative and collective effort
To assess our effectiveness in helping all students learn we must focus on results -- evidence of student learning -- and use results to inform our professional practice and respond to students who need intervention or enrichment.

In other words, a professional learning community is a group of educators who are working together to improve student learning. From my vantage point, PLC is an education-specific term. The adults who form a collaborative team within a professional learning community would likely share one or more of the following in common: students and/or content. For example, a team of third grade teachers or high school science teachers may form a collaborative team working towards the ideals set forth in the PLC process. It would be less likely that a secondary P.E. teacher, a first grade teacher and a guidance counselor would form a collaborative team within the PLC framework. In my experience reading about and leading a PLC process, these educators are often a part of the same building or school district, but may also cross building or district boundaries. Three physics teachers from separate districts could form a virtual collaborative team that uses evidence of student learning to inform professional practice.

Communities of Practice

"Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." - Etienne Wenger

This group of people have an identified shared interest. As Wenger suggests, "In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information." To use a phrase from the term itself, this group of practitioners share their resources and experiences with each other for the conscious or unconscious rationale of collective improvement.

Communities of practice appear to be present in education, government, professional membership associations, and in many other sectors.

Synthesizing PLC, PLN and Communities of Practice
First, I think it's important to note that at least two of these three terms are not specific to education. None of the three require digital communication tools, however these tools can surely enhance and expand opportunities for learners.

I think the definitions and examples above help me better understand the differences between these three terms, but how do they overlap and interact with each other?

Enter a fictitious middle school social studies teacher, Jane:

Jane is assigned to a collaborative team with other middle school social studies teachers. This team regularly uses student assessment results to inform their professional practice (PLC). Jane regularly lurks on Twitter and spends time consuming content through her RSS feed and several email lists (PLN). On Saturday mornings, Jane meets for coffee with a friend from church. They regularly discuss their shared hobby, quilting (Community of Practice). Jane often shares the resources from her PLN with her PLC when brainstorming new instructional strategies to help students learn at higher levels. Every once in a while, Jane shares her passion for quilting with her students and middle school social studies colleagues, because it's part of who she is as a person.

Wrapping up
The purpose of this commentary was to write down my thoughts surrounding three phrases that, in my opinion, are sometimes inadvertently used synonymously. It was also to suggest how they might often overlap and can supplement each other. Last, I hope it served to deepen my own understanding of these three phrases so that I might become a better learner and help others do the same.

An "un-technology" response to a technology conference

On Monday and Tuesday, I attended my first education technology conference. ITEC lived up to my expectations of meeting up with so many people I've been following via Twitter. A fellow edu-blogger, Russ Goerend, and I made the trek together to Coralville, Iowa and within several hours had introduced ourselves to at least half a dozen tweeps. The sessions were not earth-shattering. Russ posted some thoughts on this aspect of the conference on his blog.

"Why is it so easy to skip the "cool tool" sessions? Because I've already heard about them through my PLN. As much of a buzzword as it is, having a strong PLN (online and off) is huge. I think it's once people have that PLN established that we can move past the "cool tools" phase and get some real work done."

His tweet sums also it up nicely:

There were a few sessions focused on "cool tools" such as Moodle, Animoto and iPod Touches. Did the participants come out of those sessions with some new technology knowledge? Probably. Will it change the way they teach and students learn? Probably not.

Evan Abbey commented on his blog about an ironic take away from this technology conference as tweeted by Seth Denney:

An anecdote from the conference supporting this idea was a session led by a technology director discussing his district's implementation of Moodle as a learning management system. He talked about his successes, struggles and future aspirations for the first thirty minutes of the session and then began showing the audience some of the courses the staff has created thus far. He asked the audience to identify common themes as well as ways his staff could improve their courses (a welcomed opportunity for interaction in what is typically a passive opportunity to sit and listen). Some audience members noted the differences among courses. Some only had the syllabus posted while others had their entire course in digital format. Up until this point, seemingly every person in the room had been WOWed by this district's endeavor. I waited a bit and then raised my hand.

"The tool hasn't changed the way these educators teach. They've just transferred their worksheets to pdfs and made them available to download for students."

The presenter acknowledged this observation and the entire tone of his session changed. He admitted his utter disappointment in the Moodle roll-out process. I had the chance to talk with him in the hallway after his session. He was at a loss because he was under the impression that a new tool had the power to change his staff's teaching practices. His sentiments parallel a recent tweet by Bill Fe rriter:

"Technology is not automatically good pedagogy. Instead good pedagogy is just made easier by technology."

Literacy, PLNs and good pedagogy all have something in common: a distinct "un-technology" emphasis. I've quoted Larry Cuban once before...

“It is not about technology; it is about learning” (2001, p. 184).

...and I quoted him again in my own ITEC breakout session. I came away from this conference having gained more meaningful relationships with my tweeps, but also an even more cynical view towards "the solution to education's problems is more 21st century technology in the hands of our students and educators" movement. Wesley Fryer summed it up a few weeks ago on his blog,

"While it certainly is true 'kids are into technology' today, it is a fallacy that providing these technologies to teachers in the classroom will automatically result in better learning experiences for students."

When will those in charge of our "technology" conferences get it, too?

PLNs, People and Progress

A colleague emailed me today:

"My PLN is my new favorite coffee! I am just as addicted to it as I am my morning cup of joe. It has led me to reflect greatly on what I am doing in the classroom. Honestly, previous inservice time has rarely given me anything that makes me "think" about my teaching practices. I don't always agree with what I read, but what I am reading through my PLN has made me question the way I teach, the way I assess, the way I use technology...from A to Z, I have been reflecting and questioning why I do what I do. I have regained a sense of passion for learning...and learning about topics that I had never given any thought to. Assessing students' learning, for example. I believe a lot of what I do in that area is from the way I was assessed, both in secondary and post-secondary school, and the way I know others in my curriculum area assess. My PLN is changing the way I think. I am so happy that summer break is almost here. There are quite a few changes I want to make to my classes and to my teaching.

It's amazing how quickly my "network" has grown. I started with just a couple of feeds you had recommended and it has ballooned from there. I am still a "lurker." I have not made any comments...yet!

I cannot praise the PLN idea enough! The only downside, and this is just me personally, is learning how to manage all this information. I have so many interests and sometimes feel like I need to know it all. My reader often sits at 1000+ items because I have subscribed to so many different feeds. I need to learn that I don't have to subscribe to everyone's feeds that are related to my areas of interest, but find those that really hit home with me, really make me think, question, and reflect."

The email's energy and enthusiasm is the fuel keeping this project alive and well. Once month ago yesterday, I described a vision of rolling out personal learning networks as a differentiated professional development pilot in my building. Several educators from across the globe chimed in with their thoughts, experiences and related plans. I had hoped to elevate our building's awareness of PLNs at our scheduled half day in-service time tomorrow, but unfortunately other items were already on the agenda. Here is a proposal that I presented to the leadership staff for their consideration:

Open publication - Free publishing - More pln

While I had hoped to be farther along with the first action plan step beginning tomorrow, I am still optimistic about the future. My building principal asked me to help him setup his own PLN tomorrow, so that is a step forward in itself. Other staff members have responded positively about their PLN experience so far. With permission, here are her thoughts so far:

"I have really enjoyed Reader and the information I get daily. It ranges from Chef Jamie Oliver's blogs in London, recipes, dance and education. I have taken articles and shared them with my students and it has enriched my lessons. The down side is remembering to check my google account. I get so busy during the day that I may not think about it until after school....I can't wait until summer when I have time to really search for new sites to subscribe to."

When thinking back over the past month's progress, I am nothing short of ecstatic. How are personal learning networks making a positive impact on the people in your area of influence?

PLNs: medicine or vitamins?

In a previous post, I suggested personal learning networks as an ideal model for differentiated professional development. In the midst of diffusing this idea through communication with virtual colleagues as well as in a face-to-face format locally, several questions have come up. I'll try to sum them up:

Will PLNs replace existing professional development? If not, how might it supplement existing initiatives and state/federal mandates?
I thought PLNs were the "end-all" solution to differentiating professional development, why can't I find any resources/thoughts/commentary on ___________?

These both seem like logical questions given the recent "hype" surrounding personal learning networks, particularly as I have expressed my enthusiasm with building-level colleagues about its possibilities. I would like to take a few moments and address these two questions using a metaphor that came to mind today.

Personal learning networks should be viewed as "vitamins" rather than "aspirin."

Just as technology alone will not improve teaching and learning, PLNs are not the "aspirin" solution to our system's professional development headaches. The information gathered from blogs, wikis, Twitter and our favorite podcasts have the capacity to shape our philosophy of education as well as provide a medium for learning about new teaching resources. Personal learning networks are inherently de-centralized. School districts will always need to push out information to the masses through some form of centralized medium. Currently, this is often in the form of face-to-face in-service meetings to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

I see PLNs as more of a "vitamin" approach to learning and professional development. The edubloggers I follow and journals I subscribe to strengthen my practice as an educator. Whenever I load up my RSS or Twitter feed, I am looking for new ideas and insights into the areas of math education, technology and assessment. Some tidbits are timely wheras most of it is archived for later retreival. I may read about an interesting use of cell phones in the classroom setting, but not actually find a use for it until weeks or months down the road. The ability to archive and search so much of what I read via my PLN makes it an invaluable resource to counter the "why can't I find information on ________?" question. If I don't find someone who is currently (or even willing) to talk/chat/Tweet/write about a given topic today, I may find something that will come in handy down the road. Just as vitamins strengthen the body for extended healthy use, I believe my personal learning network has greatly enhanced my educational practices.

While the idea of "personal learning networks" continues to evolve, I am interested to see how it will be individually marketed. It starts with those who are currently enjoying the benefits of networking for professional growth's sake.

What purpose does your PLN serve? Do you see it as "medicine" or a "vitamin" for your professional growth?

PLN as differentiated professional development model

I've been thinking about personal learning networks as an ideal model for differentiated professional development. A complaint I often hear regarding in-service time is "how can I use THAT in my classroom?" I brought this up at our building leadership team this week and responded with a question of my own:

What if EVERY professional development session was catered to your interests?

After all, if we're supposed to be differentiating content, process and product in our classrooms, why shouldn't we expect the same from our in-service time each year? I used this Educational Leadership article by Bill Ferriter as an example of how it might be done through the use of personal learning networks (PLNs). I'm happy to report that my building principal thought it was a great idea and asked me to present it at the next morning's staff meeting. I knew that my five minute allotment at the meeting wasn't going to be enough to "sell" the idea and definitely not enough time to thoroughly explain the complexities of what a PLN might look like. Instead, I decided to give a "teaser" to the staff to see if I could recruit five staff members who might be interested in giving the idea a try. Twenty-four hours later, I had the fifth volunteer approach me as I walked in to work and started to make a few copies. I'm in the midst of meeting with each of the five educators and helping them setup their own quasi-PLN through the use of Google Reader and various edublogger RSS feeds. Other social networking tools such as Twitter, the Ning I setup earlier this year, and subscribing to journals via Ebsco's RSS feed will be "phase two" for these individuals if all goes well. Furthermore, I have the green light to use our May in-service time to get all of the staff members in my building setup with their own personal learning network. I'm hoping the five volunteers will not only be able to help with their newly acquired technical expertise, but that their enthusiasm towards the idea will spill over between now and then as well. In my previous attempt to diffuse innovations, my interpersonal communication has been lackluster at best. My hope is that by interacting with these five over the next month that the differentiated professional development model might catch on and be something that we can spend even more time developing next academic year. Look for more posts in the future as this model develops over the next month or so.

Note: This is not my original idea. Others, including Evan Abbey at Heartland AEA have suggested using PLNs as professional development. This is my humble attempt at documenting and sharing the idea as it unfolds so that others, too, may hopefully benefit someday.

PLN dieting

David Warlick is commonly credited for coining the phrase "personal learning network," now shortened to PLN. I've been an avid reader of several edu-bloggers for years, but most recently have soldered my "literature pot" together by aggregating it all via an RSS reader - thanks to a virtual colleague's suggestion. This, of course, is not uncommon in today's Web 2.0 world of Twitter, Plurk, Second Life, blogs, wikis, virtual conferences and other social media. Eating isn't uncommon either, at least for those of us fortunate enough to have jobs that put food on the table. As I sat down today to eat my usual brown bag cuisine of a cold meat sandwich, pretzels, dessert and fruit, I began to wonder what sort of diet might best best illustrate my PLN. Here a quick mental list of what differentiates various diets:

Frequency - number of times a person devours a snack or meal in a given period
Time - minutes/seconds/hours a person desires (or requires!) to go from "napkin on lap" to "brushing off the crumbs"
Choice - dietary or personal preference restrictions on the food to be consumed

I've never been one to "diet" other than one calendar year when I did not drink a carbonated beverage, so I don't consider myself an expert in this area at all. Here are some diets that came to mind and their corresponding PLN behaviors:

South Beach Diet: From wikipedia, "The South Beach Diet is relatively simple in principle. It replaces "bad carbs" and "bad fats" with "good carbs" and "good fats." This type of PLN is constantly changing. Mediocre tweeters and bloggers are purged daily in favor of fresh ones. Simplicity is the backbone for a solid diet of reading each day. Certain types of commentary are repeated while others are avoided like the plague.

Weight Watchers: This a very goal-oriented PLN. Weight Watchers have a specific weight in mind and are then put on a maintenance timeline in order to keep the excess weight off. Once a PLN has enough "good stuff" rolling in each day, the owner is happy to continue reading on a daily basis. Points are given in the form of sharing with others. Until then, it's a fight to reach that magic number of PLN happiness.

Fast Food: This isn't really a diet, but more of a state of mind. Fast food eaters are in a hurry to get their food and eat it as quickly as possible. This type of PLN has tons of options, but was created in a hurry and probably is scanned through quickly on a daily basis in order to best utilize a busy schedule. Healthy eating is not a priority, but good prices and free drinks are essential. Quick information and links to future reading is plentiful.

Applebee's: Your "neighborhood bar and grill" serves up favorites to all who walk through the doors. This type of PLN has the usual "big time" bloggers, tweets and feeds. The menu is pretty standard and you can usually find something good to read every time you pull up a chair.

Home cookin': Mom always made the best food from scratch, right? This type of PLN features one or two favorites and the rest is pretty open. Whatever Mom is-a-cookin' will surely taste good. A few local favorites are featured weekly as well.

What does your PLN look like and how much time do you spend tweaking it?

What's your "PLN diet?" Did I miss yours?

MeTA musings

...where Math education, Technology and Assessment meet