When looking out into the night sky, there is a chance you may catch the sight of a shooting star.
Shooting stars are extraordinary bursts of energy, and witnessing such events can give rise to life-long memories and transformative moments.
An enriched PLN can be your shooting star for growth and change.
Educators traditionally have utilized their PLNs in a transactional manner (Krutka, Carpenter, & Trust, 2016). For example, consider a high school drama teacher who wants to incorporate capoeira (a mix of street fighting, dance, and acrobatics originating from Brazil) into his lesson on stage combat:
- The drama teacher consults his PLN to determine how to appropriately introduce capoeira to his classroom of novice theatre students.
- After incorporating his PLN recommendations to the lesson, the teacher deems it a success. But, he neglects to report his experience to his PLN.
This is a missed opportunity.
A commitment to enriching a PLN implies going beyond informational transactions. It requires a willingness to explore and seek out opportunities to be reflective. Enriched PLNs are multi-modal and multi-directional, allowing for all to consider, inform, learn, and appraise. It is through these multi-modal and multi-directional PLN exchanges that one can refine and adapt pedagogical practice, and ultimately, become a highly effective educator (Krutka, Carpenter, & Trust, 2016).
