Today's @teachthought 30-day blogging challenge post asks bloggers:
What does your PLN look like, and what does it to for your teaching?
PLNs are a subject very close to my heart, not least because I am in the process of writing up my dissertation on the topic. I became interested in Twitter having attended this seminar at the University of Birmingham and have not looked back since.
I use Twitter almost exclusively as a professional social network, reserving Facebook for personal posts - this model seems to have served me well thus far. I also have a LinkedIn account and two Google+ accounts but am pretty passive on these channels.
On Twitter, I check my feed morning and night, as time allows. I use lists extensively and so far have these lists to my name:
I also use Blogtrottr to feed me news from blogs I come across that look useful. Thus far this is what I'm being fed:
I've set up my Gmail account so that any mail coming from Blogtrottr gets filed in a 'Blog Reading' label and I periodically read through and clear it out (though I frequently get so far behind with my reading that I have to reset the clock!)
Twitter tends to be very serendipitous. But I do wonder sometimes if I spent a little longer managing my lists etc. whether I would stumble across good stuff even more frequently.
From Twitter I have found out about:
.....as well as many other things too numerous to mention.
I have also forged real-world relationships as a result of having met people on Twitter. In fact, @oswestryschool is soon to be given a mock inspection by @CoyneDrS.....